MoviePass rival Sinemia kills US movie theatre subscriptions

NEW YORK – There's another casualty among companies offering movies in theatres for a set monthly fee.

Sinemia says it's discontinuing operations in the U.S., just months after it started a movie-a-day plan to fill a void left by the fall of MoviePass. Sinemia representatives had no comment on whether the service would offer refunds to customers, some of whom paid upfront for the year.

Both services were financially unsustainable as they paid theatres full prices for tickets, while charging customers as little as $10 a month. Sinemia's cheaper plans for one to three movies a month are ending, too.

What remains are subscriptions offered directly by theatre chains, as they can still make money from popcorn and candy. AMC started one last June, while Alamo Drafthouse is testing one.