MoviePass Is Re-Enrolling Some Former Subscribers In An ‘Unlimited’ Plan Unless They Opt Out

MoviePass is still limping along, looking for ways to stretch out that venture capital long enough to get the next sweet, sweet cash injection (just one more, come on man, they’re good for it). They recently ended their annual subscription plan and restricted subscribers’ options after posting a $104 million loss, but now they’ve come up with a unique (but familiar) technique to drum up cash: re-subscribe people who already left. Genius. Definitely legal.

The Verge reports MoviePass sent out an email to a “select test group” of former customers who didn’t opt in to the three movies per month plan. The email informed these customers they’d be automatically signed up for a $9.95 per month “unlimited” plan unless they click the opt-out link in the email before this Thursday. Because everyone definitely immediately reads emails from companies they no longer do business with, and re-subscribing people who already left always goes over well. Not surprisingly, people are miffed:

— brian feldman (@bafeldman) September 28, 2018

I deleted the app, I cancelled my card. I have already OPTED OUT.

— Caroline Moss (@socarolinesays) September 28, 2018

Heads up, if you canceled your @MoviePass subscription, check your email, they’re doing a thing where they’re automatically resubscribing people. So you have to manually opt out if you don’t wanna keep paying pic.twitter.com/JpB80E5Nmh

— Tyler Germaine (@SuprDuprTylr) September 28, 2018

.@MoviePass has really outdone themselves. They cancelled subscriptions if you didn't respond to an email back in August. So I chose not to respond. Now they're automatically RESUBSCRIBING you if you don't respond to this NEW email, hoping it will get missed.

SHADY! #moviepass pic.twitter.com/WQ1CB9ibpr

— Toby (@TobyCPhillips) September 28, 2018

@moviepass Your Aug 21, 2018 email stated that if we did not “opt in” to your new price, our plan would be cancelled. Not suspended, not open to new charges – CANCELLED. pic.twitter.com/A5fLVHGeTl

— Jill (@JillinBmore) September 28, 2018

Here’s the full text of the email MoviePass sent to some customers:

In August 2018, we announced a new offering for three movies a month for $9.95, giving subscribers the ability to opt-in to this plan if they wanted to continue as a MoviePass subscriber. However, our records show that you have not yet taken any action on the new plan, and because of that your subscription was suspended and your monthly subscription charges have stopped.

Because we really hope you begin enjoying your MoviePass subscription again, we have chosen you to be a part of a select test group, who beginning Friday, October 5th will be restored to unlimited movies (up to one new movie title per day based on existing inventory) — the same subscription that you signed up for and you previously enjoyed. If you decide that you do not want this you must “opt out” before Thursday, October 4th at 9:00PM ET.

To be clear, unless you opt out, your unlimited subscription will be restored and you will begin enjoying unlimited movies again (up to 1 movie per day, based on existing inventory) at $9.95 per month, and your credit card on file will be charged on a monthly basis beginning Friday, October 5th, 2018.

If you do opt out of the restoration of your subscription to the unlimited plan, your subscription will be canceled and no longer held in a “suspended” status, and you will not be able to re-join until 9 months have passed.

So how much longer till MoviePass sends out an email that just says, “You can run but you can’t hide”

— Chillnflix.to Free Movies (@chillnflix) September 29, 2018

Movie Pass is telling me to get MY act together pic.twitter.com/fN00xI4QBc

— Kevin Seefried (@KSeefried) September 23, 2018

MoviePass's real subscription is paying $10 a month for a CEO to send you increasingly panicked weekly emails about bizarre changes to a theoretical theater-going service. Worth every penny.

— Mark Lisanti (@marklisanti) August 16, 2018

boy are you moviepass because you constantly change the terms of our relationship but still make poor attempts to give me some illusion of having control

— bb ghost (@emilywithcurls) August 16, 2018

apart of the unspoken appeal of movie pass was the thrill of getting in on the ground floor of a ponzi scheme

— ☕netw3rk (@netw3rk) September 23, 2018

If MoviePass got a nickel for every MoviePass joke… they’d have a much better business model

— Ina Fried (@inafried) August 15, 2018

MoviePass refusing to let me cancel is the hardest an ex has ever fought for me

— Kelsey Klemme (@KelseyKlemme) August 14, 2018

In the end, it seems MoviePass’s business strategy really was “Let’s just do it and be legends”

— Allahpundit (@allahpundit) August 16, 2018