Fake it 'til you make it: MoviePass, the subscription service that once promised unlimited theater visits for a low monthly fee, is taking another swing at reinvention with the launch of Mogul. This fantasy filmmaking game lets users build virtual studios and compete based on real box office results. The web-based platform opened to the public this week after several months in closed beta.
Modeled after fantasy sports leagues, Mogul allows players to act as studio heads who draft rosters of actors, directors, and films. Each week, their selections earn points tied to actual performance in theaters. Players can trade or swap team members, monitor global leaderboards, and build their "studio empires" across a 12-week campaign timed to awards season. According to MoviePass, more than 400,000 users joined the waitlist during a closed beta, which started in May.
Participants receive a budget of one million "Mogul Coin," the platform's on-chain currency, to assemble their lineup. Each asset – say, an actor or a film – carries a set price that fluctuates based on perceived market value. Players select upcoming releases like Wicked: For Good or Avatar: Fire and Ash, along with their stars and directors, and earn points based on box office profitability rather than total gross revenue. Timing also matters: early bets on a film tend to cost less than picks made near release.
All gameplay runs on Sui, a layer-1 blockchain developed by Mysten Labs. Every trade and ownership record is stored on-chain, allowing users to maintain verifiable control of their digital assets. Mogul features both a free-to-play mode and optional premium leagues that use tokens for entry fees or rewards. Top performers earn collectibles such as digital posters or memorabilia. This season also has a $100,000 purse (in tokens).
Founder and CEO Stacy Spikes told TechCrunch the goal was to simulate being a movie mogul, blending fantasy sports mechanics with the decision-making process of a film studio. He noted that success requires strategy – balancing star power, timing, and cultural awareness – to predict which projects will break out.
MoviePass will open private leagues and launch mobile apps for iOS and Android next year. Spikes has hinted that the company may eventually secure licensing to let players compete for real money. For now, Mogul remains a virtual-currency experiment that extends MoviePass's latest push into Web3 entertainment.
Whether the effort can recapture mainstream attention – or simply becomes another curious footnote in MoviePass's turbulent history – remains to be seen. Over the years, the company's own actions have cemented its reputation for questionable overreach, and Mogul represents yet another bet that nostalgia and novelty can turn a punchline into a platform.
MoviePass emerges from bankruptcy to run a fantasy filmmaking game called Mogul
