- Movie-ticket subscription service MoviePass has struggled to sustain itself, and competitors have emerged.
- Sinemia ceased operations earlier this year, but AMC Stubs A-List is thriving, and Regal Cinemas is reportedly launching its own plan this month.
- We've rounded up four MoviePass alternatives for moviegoers to consider.
- Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.
MoviePass became a cultural phenomenon, but has struggled to keep itself afloat.
The movie-ticket subscription service rapidly grew in popularity after lowering its monthly price in 2017 to $9.95, which allowed subscribers to see one movie a day in theaters. But the service struggled to sustain itself financially, and plenty of problems unfolded.
Many subscribers voiced their frustration with the service, whether because of customer service, rule changes, or limitations on the movies available.
In April, Business Insider reported that MoviePass had dropped from over 3 million subscribers to about 225,000.
Competitors have emerged to take advantage of MoviePass' woes.
AMC Theatres' subscription service, AMC Stubs A-List, passed 800,000 members in May. It costs $19.95 a month and allows customers to see three movies a week.
Regal Cinemas is also expected to jump into the subscription game. The company will launch its own service with an unlimited plan by the end of July, Deadline reported. The plan will have three tiers of pricing, with the highest allowing access to all Regal locations in the US.
Another MoviePass competitor, Sinemia, failed to make its business model work in the US. It ceased operations and filed for bankruptcy earlier this year, at which time it said it was under "pending" investigation by the Federal Trade Commission.
But there are still more ticket services to consider. Below are four Moviepass alternatives:
Regal Cinemas unlimited plan
Regal Cinemas will launch its own movie-ticket subscription service with an unlimited plan by the end of July, Deadline reported on Monday.
The plan is expected to have three pricing tiers at $18, $21, and $24 a month, according to Deadline, though customers may have to pay for a full year up front. The highest tier would make all Regal locations in the US available, while the lowest tier would only make around half available.
Each tier gets the customer 10% off concessions, according to Deadline.
AMC Stubs A-List
AMC Theatres, the largest theater chain in the world, launched a new tier to its loyalty program last year called AMC Stubs A-List.
The plan costs $19.95 a month, but includes many features that MoviePass does not, such as being able to buy a ticket in advance; premium tickets (IMAX, 3D); being able to see the same movie more than once; and concession perks like free refills on popcorn.
The biggest differences from MoviePass is that you can see three movies a week, whereas MoviePass (again) lets you see a movie a day. And you can use MoviePass in any theater that accepts it, whereas you can only use AMC Stubs A-List at AMC Theatres.
But MoviePass could still limit customers' movies due to excessive usage, even with the unlimited plan.
For more information, visit the AMC website.
Cinemark Movie Club
Like AMC Stubs, Cinemark Movie Club only works at a specific chain, this time Cinemark Theatres.
The $8.99-a-month membership gets the customer one 2D ticket a month, 20% off concessions, and eliminates online fees when purchasing a ticket.
The "credit" also rolls over into the next month, which AMC does not offer. So, if you don't see a movie one month, the next month you could use your subscription to see two movies. Unused credits don't expire for members.
For more information, visit the Cinemark website.
Alamo Season Pass
Alamo Drafthouse will launch its own movie-ticket subscription plan by the end of the year, Alamo's founder and CEO, Tim League, told Business Insider in March.
The pass would allow members to see unlimited movies at Alamo Drafthouse theaters for a monthly fee of $20 at most US locations. Few details are available, but the company has been testing the feature since last year at its Yonkers, NY and Raleigh, North Carolina locations.
For more information, visit the Alamo website.
MoviePass
While some moviegoers might be looking for alternatives, MoviePass is still around.
The service currently offers an "uncapped" plan for $19.95 a month, in which subscribers can see one 2D movie per day. However, MoviePass says on its website that someone's movies could be limited due to excessive use.
"Your movie choices may be restricted due to excessive individual usage which negatively impacts system-wide capacity," it says.
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