MoviePass died. But this movie theater subscription service hit a milestone
It has been less than three years since MoviePass shut down after overturning the cinema business with its discount ticketing service, a disruptive saga that now looks quaint compared with the havoc wreaked on multiplexes by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Turns out, offering customers unlimited movie tickets for less than $10 a month was not sustainable.
Yet the subscription services that cinema companies launched amid MoviePass' rapid rise and subsequent death spiral have proved popular as Hollywood films return to the big screen.
Cinemark, one of the nation's three largest theater chains, on Wednesday said its $10-a-month Movie Club subscription offering now has 1 million active members, marking a significant milestone for the Plano, Texas-based company. It has more than 3,000 members per theater across its U.S. circuit.
Cinemark was just one of many chains that launched subscription programs and beefed up their loyalty clubs to combat long-term declines in U.S. moviegoing. Movie Club subscribers receive one 2D ticket credit a month with the option to pay extra for premium formats such as XD and Imax.
