AMC Has a New Subscription Plan, but Read This Before You Cancel MoviePass
Round two of the movie theater showdown is set for next week.
In one corner, we have the defending champion: MoviePass, the original subscription service trendsetter.
In the other corner, we have AMC Theatres, the largest movie chain in America and newcomer to the monthly subscription-service market.
AMC entered the ring yesterday when it announced its new program, AMC Stubs A-List, a $19.95 monthly service that allows moviegoers three movies a week at any AMC theater in the U.S.
It’s an expansion of AMC’s current tiered membership program and will totally go head-to-head with MoviePass for customers.
How AMC Stubs A-List Works
Beginning June 26, new users and current AMC Stubs loyalty members can enroll or upgrade to the AMC Stubs A-List program.
Subscribers will receive a virtual card instead of a physical credit card, like MoviePass users receive, which means you’ll get instant access and won’t have to wait to get it in the mail.
Once you sign up, you can purchase and reserve movie tickets online or in the AMC mobile app for any available showtime at any AMC theater across the country.
New subscribers agree to an initial three-month commitment, and then can opt out after that.
What Is Included in the AMC Stubs A-List $20 Subscription?
With the AMC Stubs A-List plan, patrons can see three movies a week.
Unlike with MoviePass, those three movies can be the same movie, and you can see all three movies in the same day. There just has to be a two-hour buffer between the movies.
That’ll give you time to use your A-List perks of free large popcorn refills or free upgrades on soda and popcorn. You also get express service at the concession counter and box office. MoviePass offers no such perk.
All formats are fair game in the AMC Stubs A-List, including Imax, Dolby Cinema or 3D movies, whereas MoviePass only allows patrons to see 2D movies.
The subscription absorbs all convenience fees and taxes you’d otherwise pay per individual movie ticket purchase.
As part of the loyalty program, you’ll also get 100 points per $1 spent on concessions and your monthly subscription fees. You’ll get $5 for every 5,000 points.
For reference, the cheapest ticket I could find at my local AMC was $8.19 for a matinee, while the new “Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom” was $22.99. Both tickets had taxes and convenience fees added.
On the lowest end, three movies a week at $8.19 each plus tax would cost over $25, or about $100 a month.
So, yeah, you’re spending $10 more for A-List than MoviePass, but you still save money if you go once a month for the big blockbusters. Plus, you get some concession and loyalty perks.
Seems like the reels have turned in the moviegoers’ favor. Stay tuned for round three. Who knows? It might even be this summer.
Stephanie Bolling is a staff writer at The Penny Hoarder. She’s been to the movies twice in the past three years.
