AMC Theaters has made it clear that the chain is no fan of MoviePass since the company dropped the price of the subscription service down to $9.95. Now, the theater chain has unveiled its own competing service to take MoviePass head on. AMC Stubs A-List will cost $19.95 a month and allow subscribers to see three movies a week and while the AMC program costs more than MoviePass and doesn't let you see quite as many movies per month, the program does include some added benefits that may make it a preferable option for many.
Currently, MoviePass lets subscribers see one movie a day, potentially every day of the month. However, viewers are limited in the number of times they can see a particular movie and they're also limited to standard screen 2D showings. The AMC Stubs A-List plan will give you access to IMAX and 3D showings of movies and while you may only be able to see three movies in a week, you can see all three movies the same day if you wish to and you can see the same movie as often as you like. Stubs A-List will also allow you to pre-order tickets for a future showing as soon as tickets go on sale, while MoviePass requires you to select your ticket on the same day you plan to see the movie, and you must be close by the theater you plan to use.
Stubs A-List will also provide all the benefits of the Stubs Premier service, which includes a dedicated line at concessions and free upgrades on those snacks.
Of course, the biggest difference between the two services is that AMC Stubs A-List is limited to use at AMC Theaters while MoviePass can be used essentially anyplace that MasterCard is accepted. The good news here is that AMC Theaters is the largest film chain in the U.S. so there's a good chance you've got one near you. However, there are some regions where the theaters don't exist, so, while the new service might be attractive, it's not an option for everybody.
While MoviePass was a pretty hot name several months ago when it attracted a lot of new subscribers after dropping the price, in the ensuing months the luster has seemingly faded. MoviePass' stock value has dropped significantly and it remains unclear how the service plans to profit when even a user seeing a single movie a month can cost more than what they're paying for the service.
Of course, MoviePass has also been branching out into other corners of the film industry in recent months which may be an attempt to be less dependant on subscription revenue. MoviePass is currently distributing the new John Travolta movie Gotti, which has an interesting marketing strategy, to say the least.
Certainly, for fans who like to see movies in IMAX or 3D, and who expect to use the service at least two to three times a month, Stubs A-List would be a financial benefit over buying tickets to the same movies. It will be interesting to see if the added convenience makes this service popular, or if it causes MoviePass to make changes to its service in order to compete.
