MoviePass, the start-up that became famous for letting you go to movies 10 times a month in theaters for a single monthly fee, has taken its Hollywood fantasy league, Mogul, out of private beta and launched it publicly with an invitation to film fans everywhere to play as virtual studios, drafting talent and playing on profitability. This launch comes after months of testing and a long waitlist, positioning Mogul as the new gamified layer on top of box office and awards season chatter.
How the Fantasy Studio Game Functions for Players
Mogul reframes moviegoing as management. Players can choose a studio, receive a budget of one million “Mogul Coin,” and draft films, actors and directors. Prices factor in momentum and risk, not unlike player salaries in daily fantasy sports. Picks’ scores reflect net profit, based on theatrical opening gross and production budget, rather than pure gross (pedigree of casts or directors may give a bit of an edge), so the occasional small-film sleeper can still make some noise.
That focus on net returns is a significant twist. If, as some analysts point out, a global haul of $300 million can underwhelm when marketing and participation deals are factored in, a midbudget breakout can be the toast of the town. This is more in tune with how studios are evaluated in the real world, relying on the sort of calculus that’s fleshed out, however slightly, by Comscore and studio filings every quarter.
Players can make small adjustments to their slates on a weekly basis, and with only a capped number of free swaps available, participants are incentivized to be strategic but are not rewarded for churning. Many early picks are available at a lower cost than those recorded closer to release, so timing is part of the edge. The rosters during testing included marquee titles like the Wicked sequel alongside marquee names: Cynthia Erivo, Ariana Grande and Jon M. Chu were out at midrange prices — an invitation to balance splashy bets with value talent.
The site also pushes people beyond the obvious franchises. Underrated international releases (Indian films) and even indies are able to pull in nice returns. On the other hand, reputational headwinds or production delays can tarnish the veneer of a film’s outlook, evidence that risk management is just as critical here as on real studio slates.
Web3 Backbone and Rewards for Mogul Players
Mogul is built on the Sui layer-1 blockchain, which logs team selections and trades for transparency purposes. As players ascend a global leaderboard, they’ll be able to unlock digital collectibles connected to film culture — think signed posters and memorabilia — as well as status badges designed for early adopters.
The debut public season will unfold across a 12-week sprint during Christmas party and Oscar pool season. MoviePass is driving up engagement with a prize pool of up to $100,000 in tokens for the best performers in the competition. For now, submissions do battle in a single global league, but private leagues for friends and communities are on the way. It’s working on mobile apps for iOS and Android, in addition to potentially seeking licensing that would enable real-money contests where it is permissible under law.
Crucially, Mogul’s in-game currency is not real money, and the tokens are rewards and not deposits. That design keeps the experience firmly in the fantasy-sports zone while waiting for approvals that regulate skill-based contests in multiple venues, something daily-fantasy operators know plenty about.
Why This Could Matter for Hollywood and Moviegoing
There is precedent for fantasy mechanics engendering more fandom. Fantasy sports, which touts nearly 100 million players in the United States and Canada, draws us all into sports media consumption and live attendance, according to the Fantasy Sports & Gaming Association. Mogul is aiming to redirect that behavior into moviegoing, perhaps raising the profile of mid-budget and indie releases that stand to gain most from word-of-mouth.
For MoviePass, the game also serves as a loyalty and data engine. The company already knows about viewing through its subscription service; Mogul adds preference signals ages before a ticket is purchased. That could help inform promotions, dynamic pricing experiments or studio partnerships trying to find pockets of audiences for particular titles. Exhibitors and distributors — if gamified drafting leads to more feet through their doors — will take notice.
And the timing fits perfectly with awards season, where box office and prestige meet. Movies that surge on critics’ lists or score big nominations frequently enjoy meaningful bumps in their sales, a fact documented yearly by groups such as the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences and evident from box office trendlines. Mogul’s scoring model might reward users who recognize momentum early — festival buzz, trailer traction and critical reception.
What to Watch Next as Mogul Enters Public Season
Some key events next include the release of private leagues, when the mobile app will become available and what checks are in place for real-money games. “There could be a tighter integration with new releases in theaters, such as advance screenings (think Chicago Bulls games), exclusive collectibles, or bonus points just for showing up.” These could bind MoviePass’ subscriber base to the success of the game.
Mogul’s public debut isn’t an answer to all sustainability and scale questions, but it signals a creative swing: a fantasy league built for a film industry on the hunt for new routes to engage audiences.
If early waitlist converts and gameplay loops are sticky, the outcome could amount to a rare win-win — more enriched fan engagement for movie buffs along with an all-new data-driven demand signal for studios and theaters.
