MoviePass will now focus on its own films for profit

MoviePass is revamping its business model once again, in an attempt to bring the company back to life after experiencing heavy declines in both members and value last year. Going forward, MoviePass will be focusing on its own integrated film production and exhibition company, MoviePass Entertainment.

MoviePass Entertainment will prioritize “self-generated revenues”, unlike the company’s previous attempts to gain revenue from studios and theatres. MoviePass Entertainment consists of three components: MoviePass (subscription service), MoviePass Films (original content production company), and MovieFone (multimedia media information and advertising service).

According to The Wrap, MoviePass Films has multiple original movies coming out, including the Mel Gibson film Boss Level, the horror film The Reckoning, the Bruce Willis and Michael Chiklis action film 10 Minutes Gone and Al Pacino’s Axis Sally.

MoviePass debuted with a theatrical subscription service in 2017, which allowed members to see a movie every day of the month for a flat rate of $9.95. As part of its collaboration with theatres, MoviePass paid full price for the tickets, but the service was so popular, the company couldn’t keep up with demand and suffered extreme profit loss. As a result, MoviePass parent-company Helios & Matheson was delisted from the Nasdaq stock exchange.

“By spending the last several months analyzing the many different aspects of our prior business model, in terms of what worked and what didn’t, I believe we’ve been able to illuminate the path forward. We’ve taken a deep dive to understand our unique ecosystem and I believe we’re now ready to move forward at a rapid pace. I see this as an exciting time for MoviePass and its sister companies, because we’re taking our original vision for subscription, altering it for the better, and proceeding with significant clarity,” said Ted Farnsworth, CEO of MoviePass’ parent company, Helios and Matheson Analytics Inc.

“We have gained a tremendous amount of insight into moviegoers and the industry over this past year and a half. MoviePass subscription, MoviePass Films and Moviefone™ now have a winning combination that we believe will drive consumers to our films and re-energize casual moviegoers to go more often and see great films in local theaters – films that consumers often wait to see much later through streaming services,” Mitch Lowe, CEO of MoviePass.