AMC announced a retooling of their subscription plans with a series of price increases and increased benefits. Starting on May 7th, AMC’s A-List members will see a monthly rate increase of $3, from $24.95 to $27.99. In exchange, A-List members will be able to see four movies per week instead of the current three.
The membership will also include the ability to see four movies at out-of-state locations every year, an increase of one. AMC will also lower the minimum age required to become an A-List member, from 16 years old to 13. AMC’s lower-tier plans are also being reorganized along similar lines, with increased pricing and benefits.
AMC introduced its subscription plan in 2018, in response to the phenomenon that was MoviePass with its $10/month unlimited movie plan. In the end, MoviePass turned out to be an unsustainable business, with the company filing for bankruptcy two years after announcing its revolutionary pricing.
However, its appeal to consumers promoted major movie theatre chains to create subscription plans that offer a set number of admissions each month along with other benefits. The idea is to entice moviegoers to come to the theatre, where they may spend on higher-margin items such as concessions.
This theory has been borne out by the data, at least at AMC. In a statement announcing the restructuring of its A-List program, AMC CEO Adam Aron said that the company has increased concessions sales by 80% per patron, from $5 to $9, while profit per patron has also increased by 35% compared to pre-pandemic levels.
With fewer people going to the movies, this increase in concessions sales has been essential to the bottom line. While MoviePass has struggled to relaunch its service, in-house plans offered by the theatres themselves have become appealing options for frequent moviegoers.
