The rise and fall of MoviePass is one of those stories that I wish was covered in documentary form, and HBO covers it well. The platform just set a May 29 premiere date for MoviePass, Movie Crash, a documentary directed by filmmaker Muta Ali and produced by none other than Mark Wahlberg.
The film chronicles the “meteoroid rise and stranger-than-fiction fall” of the movie ticket subscription platform that took the world by storm when it first launched in 2011. But it didn't take long for the company to realize the problem. The “all you can eat” approach that works so well for gyms and other membership clubs is an odd fit for movie theaters, especially at the lower end of the service spectrum. In just eight years, the company went from being the fastest growing subscription service since Spotify to complete bankruptcy.
As the trailer indicates, the documentary will feature interviews with many of the key players involved in the various stages of MoviePass. This includes original co-founder Stacey Spikes and former CEO Mitch Lowe. There will also be numerous interviews with journalists who covered the service, FTC officials, and former subscribers. By the way, the trailer promises an anecdote about a customer sending a box of feces to his MoviePass office, which you won't want to miss.
The documentary will premiere on HBO on May 29th at 9pm ET, but will also be available on demand through Max. Director Mutaali has made some great documentaries, including Yusuf Hawkins: Storm in Brooklyn and Cassius X: Become Ali.
As for MoviePass, well, it's a long and complicated story. The app won the hearts of theatergoers in 2011 when he promised unlimited movie theater access for one monthly fee. The love affair did not last long. The company ceased operations in 2019 and filed for bankruptcy in 2020. In the meantime, outlandish scenarios have been reported, including wire fraud, securities fraud, and major data breaches. In short, it's perfect material for a documentary.
MoviePass actually still exists. Co-founder Spikes recently purchased the company's assets and restarted the service with new investors. However, the updated pricing model is confusing, with credits and tiers, and it doesn't seem like a second bolt of lightning in a bottle.
