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MoviePass Is Still a Mess, Reverses Price Hike Plans

MoviePass canceled a plan to raise the standard monthly subscription price to $14.95. However, the service will limit people to three films a month.

 & Michael Kan Principal Reporter

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MoviePass is abandoning plans to increase prices. Instead, it's going to limit subscribers to three films per month.

The change comes a week after MoviePass said it would increase its monthly $9.95 subscription plan to $14.95. The service also planned to limit access to Hollywood blockbusters, including the new Mission: Impossible film.

But on Monday, MoviePass reversed course. "We have heard — and we have listened to — our MoviePass Community and we will not be raising prices to $14.95 a month," the service said in a statement on Monday. Access to many blockbusters films will also remain available through the service.

Nevertheless, the days of MoviePass offering pseudo-unlimited access to movies appear to be over. Under the new plan, the first three films will be covered by your monthly fee. After that, you'll be given a $5 discount on any additional films you'd like to see.

The new plan goes into effect for monthly subscribers on August 15. Annual subscribers will not shift over to the new plan until their subscriptions go up for renewal.

The decision will no doubt annoy some subscribers. However, MoviePass claims that only 15 percent of its members actually watch four or more movies per month. In other words: three movies should be enough for most people.

"It has become clear that a small number — only 15 percent — of the subscriber base has been stressing the system. We believe this new business model will immediately reduce our burn," said Ted Farnsworth, CEO of MoviePass's parent, Helios and Matheson Analytics.

It isn't the first time MoviePass tried to limit subscribers to a few films per month; earlier this year, it quietly canceled the unlimited plan, before reinstating it. However, chances of the "all you can watch" plan returning appear to be slim. Lately, MoviePass has been losing vast amounts of cash to the point that it's been struggling to pay the bills. Time will tell if MoviePass can still keep enough customers with the cost-cutting measures.

About Our Expert

Michael Kan

Michael Kan

Principal Reporter

My Experience

I've been a journalist for over 15 years. I got my start as a schools and cities reporter in Kansas City and joined PCMag in 2017, where I cover satellite internet services, cybersecurity, PC hardware, and more. I'm currently based in San Francisco, but previously spent over five years in China, covering the country's technology sector.

Since 2020, I've covered the launch and explosive growth of SpaceX's Starlink satellite internet service, writing 600+ stories on availability and feature launches, but also the regulatory battles over the expansion of satellite constellations, fights with rival providers like AST SpaceMobile and Amazon, and the effort to expand into satellite-based mobile service. I've combed through FCC filings for the latest news and driven to remote corners of California to test Starlink's cellular service.

I also cover cyber threats, from ransomware gangs to the emergence of AI-based malware. In 2024 and 2025, the FTC forced Avast to pay consumers $16.5 million for secretly harvesting and selling their personal information to third-party clients, as revealed in my joint investigation with Motherboard.

I also cover the PC graphics card market. Pandemic-era shortages led me to camp out in front of a Best Buy to get an RTX 3000. I'm now following how the AI-driven memory shortage is impacting the entire consumer electronics market. I'm always eager to learn more, so please jump in the comments with feedback and send me tips.

The Best Tech I've Had:

  • My first video game console: a Nintendo Famicom
  • I loved my Sega Saturn despite PlayStation's popularity.
  • The iPod Video I received as a gift in college
  • Xbox 360 FTW
  • The Galaxy Nexus was the first smartphone I was proud to own.
  • The PC desktop I built in 2013, which still works to this day.

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