WTF, MoviePass is launching surge pricing

MoviePass isn’t going down without a fight. The subscription-based movie ticket service is about to face major competition from AMC and will introduce several new measures in July to fight financial ruin. 

Among those changes are a bring-a-friend option, IMAX and 3D movies, and surge pricing – like Uber.

MoviePass C.E.O. Mitch Lowe told Business Insider that “high demand” movies will incur an additional $2 fee when purchased through MoviePass (depending on time as well). That’s $2 on top of the $9.95 most users are paying per month for unlimited movies in theaters, and less than a box of Sno-Caps. 

Lowe said the company wants to “make sure that we can continue to offer a valuable service and support the whole enterprise.”

The surge pricing will start in July, and users can expect to see bring-a-friend and IMAX/3D options around August. 

AMC’s new A-list subscription includes IMAX and 3D movies, which MoviePass does not currently offer but has had in the past where users would simply pay the price difference between a 3D and a regular ticket. That tracks with the upcoming 3D option, which Lowe said would be between $2 and $6 per ticket. Additionally, IMAX/3D movies and the plus-one option will be mutually exclusive, at least to start.