MoviePass halts service to complete app improvements amid summer blockbuster season
MoviePass announced it will halt its service starting on July 4 for an indeterminate amount of time in order to complete improvements on its mobile app.
The struggling movie theater subscription service said the interruption began on Thursday at 5 a.m. ET, but a press release did not specify the length of time for the disruption. The Hollywood Reporter said MoviePass could be offline for "several weeks."
"We have listened and we understand the frustrations of our subscribers," MoviePass CEO Mitch Lowe said in a letter to subscribers. "To provide the level of service you deserve and we can be proud of, we need to improve our mobile app. We plan to make this improvement by utilizing an enhanced technology platform, which is in the final stages of completion."
The company said current subscribers would not be charged during this period and will be credited for the "number of affected days once the service continues." During this time, no new subscribers will be enrolled.
"There’s never a good time to have to do this," said Lowe. “But to complete the improved version of our app, one that we believe will provide a much better experience for our subscribers, it has to be done.”
The news comes amid the Fourth of July holiday weekend and the busy summer blockbuster season.
Sony's "Spider-Man: Far From Home" — the final chapter of the current phase of the Marvel cinematic universe — was just released on Tuesday.
Other highly anticipated films on the horizon are Disney's live-action "The Lion King" on July 18, Columbia Pictures' "Once Upon a Time in Hollywood" from director Quentin Tarantino on July 26 and Universal Pictures' latest franchise chapter "Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbes and Shaw" on August 2.
The ill-timed pause in access to MoviePass may cause subscribers to look elsewhere for their movie theater subscription needs.
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AMC Theatres revealed in May they surpassed 800,000 subscribers to their Stubs A-List program, which allows for up to three movies a week for a monthly fee, according to Deadline.
Alamo Drafthouse also revealed in March its plan to launch the Alamo Season Pass nationwide by the end of the year. This program is currently being beta-tested in limited markets and offers customers the option to reserve their ticket and seats in advance and purchase companion tickets.
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