AMC Theaters to launch ‘Stubs A-List’
MoviePass is about to get some heavy hitting competition. For those not in the know, MoviePass is a service that allows subscribers the ability to see one movie a day, every day within a duration of a single month for only $9.99. For people who find themselves in a movie theater, just going twice a month the deal pays for itself.
There are a few catches. For one, new subscribers would have to wait on a MoviePass (Credit) Card to come to the mail before you could use the service, 4 to 6 weeks is the average wait. Once you get the card, you need to be within 100 feet of the theater in order to use the app and the MoviePass applies to regular screens only, so no premium screens like RealD 3D, or IMAX and no way to upgrade screen options.
Which now brings us to AMC, starting Tuesday, June 26th, 2018, for $19.99/ month (+tax) AMC will be launching ‘Stubs A-List’. A member will be able to see up to 3 movies every week, (or even in the same day) in any of the screens, including premium formats such as RealD 3D, BigD, D-Box, IMAX, PRIME and Dolby Cinema, at U.S locations only. One of the biggest advantages is the ability to make advance reservations online and select your seats via the AMC app for no additional charge. In New York, the price of one IMAX or Dolby screen tickets is more than $19.99.
Like MoviePass this too has a few catches, the benefits reset every Friday morning and in the fine print, membership requires a minimum 3-month commitment.
Now AMC Stubs A-List is not the only competition MoviePass has in the ticket subsidize market, but it’s certainly the one with the largest clout. Current AMC Stubs Premiere members (included in A-Plus) also get free upgrades on concessions, express box office and concession service, online ticketing fees waived and $5 reward for every 5,000 points earned (100 points for every $1 spent).
As a regular theater attendee, I see value in both plans. Personally, I love AMC’s Dolby experience. I willingly pay the premium price for it and the Stubs A-List will save me a whole lot. Last I checked, the AMC Stubs App needs a bit of work. I recently had problems with the app not loading fast enough, and the occasional crashing. I spoke with a few MoviePass users for this article to get their feedback on their experience. The biggest issues with the MoviePass app is with the constant changing of user policies, it’s gotten even more confusing to use and its customer service is non-existent.
For AMC, June 26th is around the corner, hopefully, they are able to resolve the app problems by then. As for MoviePass, last week they announced it currently is working on launching a family plan, and it’s ‘bring-a-friend’ plan all within the same app and one card. With AMC dropping the ‘Stubs A-Plus’ tier, MoviePass may have catching up to do.
Sources: amctheatres.com, gizmodo
