MoviePass beta launches September 5 with three tiers starting at $10 per month

What just happened? The company that refuses to die, MoviePass, recently updated its website with a countdown timer and a set of FAQs that outline the details of its newly revamped MoviePass 2.0. Among other things, the service will launch in a somewhat beta format with limited participants.

Starting this Thursday at 9am EDT, MoviePass will begin taking requests to join a waiting list for the reformatted service. The window of opportunity to get on the list will only be five days — requests close Monday, August 29. Anyone can join the list, but the service will have a gradual rollout in select regions of the US. So some users may not get to activate their accounts when the service officially launches on Labor Day, September 5, 2022.

MoviePass didn’t have any information about what areas would have first access because it is basing rollout “on level of engagement from the waitlist in each market as well as locations of exhibition partners.”

While it is free to get on the list, there is still a fee to participate in the beta program. This time the company seems to be shooting for a three-tiered service starting at $10 per month, with higher levels costing $20 and $30 monthly. However, the FAQ was very vague about what precisely those rates provide.

“There will be 3 pricing tiers,” the company wrote. “Prices will vary depending on each market, but the general prices will be $10, $20, $30. Each level will get a certain amount of credits to be able to use towards movies each month.”

It doesn’t mention how many credits each subscription gets, nor how many credits it takes to see one movie, but it did promise it would have more details by launch time. Subscribers can use the service at most major theaters in the US that accept credit cards.

When co-founder Stacy Spikes repurchased the company out of bankruptcy, he hosted a relaunch event earlier this year. During his presentation, he mentioned that credits would operate like a virtual currency and would be transferable to other users. He also noted that the service would leverage Web3 and eye-tracking technologies to allow users to earn credits by watching ads, but there are no mentions of either of these in the updated FAQs.

In any case, MoviePass will notify users of the service opening in their region via email starting on Labor Day. Subscribers can activate their accounts at that time and receive 10 invites to give out to their friends. So even if you miss the waiting list sign-up window, you could still get into the beta through a buddy. Google’s Gmail beta functioned similarly in the early 2000s, with beta users being given a certain number of invites they could give out freely.

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