AMC unveils monthly subscription plan to challenge MoviePass

Last Updated on August 5, 2021

As MoviePass continues to add more subscribers by offering to see a movie a day for only $9.99 a month it was likely competition would begin to surface. Now that direct competition is here, and it’s a doozy, as AMC is officially launching their own monthly subscription plan to challenge MoviePass.

According to a new report from Variety the new plan is known as AMC Stubs A-List, and starting Tuesday, June 26 it will allow for subscribers to see three movies a week for the price of $19.99. That may seem like a lesser deal than a movie every day for half the price at MoviePass, but AMC includes in their package tickets for IMAX, Dolby Cinema and RealD 3D. As of now, MP only offers 2D tickets. As well, AMC members can see their three movies in one day, and they can see the same movie over and over – two features MP doesn’t provide.

Along with the monthly subscription, you also get the benefits of the AMC Stubs Premiere package, which includes discounted concessions and free upgrades on those purchases. This still may not sound like a better deal than MP to some, but AMC is introducing this at a time when the competition is starting to face some of the issues many saw coming. Though MP is currently at 3 million subscribers, a Securities and Exchange Commission report indicated that the company had $15 million cash on hand at the end of April, as well as $27 million on deposit with merchants. However, their monthly costs were reported to be as high as $21 million as they pay the full price of each movie ticket to theaters and offer it back at a discount price to subscribers in the form of the monthly charge. This may spell doom for the company, especially as the odds are quite low now that they'll nab AMC as a participating chain. 

 What do you all think? The consumers will ultimately decide which option they like best. They may like the cheaper package of MP, despite all the little issues and there, while some may prefer the perks and features of AMC. In the end, AMC may sound better for movie fans who desire premium formatting and like to see some movies more than once. On top of that, it may simply be more economically sound than MP, a ship that may already be sprouting a few holes. All I know is that with AMC I can see Tom Cruise in MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE in IMAX, and then run over to see it in Dolby for the price of one. Sounds like a win for me.