It seems MoviePass' value proposition was a bit too good to be true after all, despite the confidence CEO Mitch Lowe expressed in the company's business model in the past.
While the company hasn't gone under yet – though things are looking shaky – MoviePass is doing its best to recoup some of its losses. To that end, Lowe recently announced the company's plan to implement "Peak Pricing" sometime this month.
For better or worse, that day has finally arrived. MoviePass Peak Pricing will go into effect now for new subscribers, or next billing cycle for existing subscribers. Peak Pricing will tack on a "small additional fee" when you attempt to purchase a ticket for a movie that is in "high demand" for a given time of day or date.
MoviePass hasn't said precisely how much this charge would be, but they claim it will be "dynamic" based on how popular a given movie is.
However, the company insists that customers won't be hit with any nasty surprises. Subscribers can see which movies will be subject to Peak Pricing before they reserve their ticket.
Though this surcharge is unlikely to be more than a few dollars, it may just be enough to drive customers to AMC's recently-launched theater subscription service, Stubs A-List, which is intended to compete directly with MoviePass.
Interestingly, MoviePass is already arguably a less convenient solution than AMC's service. Though A-List limits you to three movies per week for $20/month, you don't need to take pictures of your ticket stubs, nor do you need to "Check in" when you arrive at a given theater.