If you’re like me, you love going to the movies. It’s not just us, though; While it’s true that moviegoing has begun to lose popularity in the streaming age, it was still the number one out-of-home entertainment, as of a few years ago. For those of us who still love going to the movies, a movie theater subscription can be a great way to save money while enjoying great films.
Interested in a movie theater subscription, but not sure if it’s worth your money? Here are the most popular services, along with the prices, details, and everything else you need to know.
Why Do People Pay For Movie Theater Subscriptions?
We all know how expensive movies have gotten. Going out to the theater used to be something you could do on a whim, but nowadays, you might find yourself saving up for the occasion.
Movie subscription services are here to help with that problem. For a flat monthly rate, you can skip the exorbitant prices movie theaters charge these days. Usually, if you plan to see even one movie a month, a subscription can help reduce costs.
If you’re wondering if you should get a movie theater subscription, just ask yourself how many times a month you like going to the movies. If it’s more than one, go ahead and grab a pass.
How Many Movie Theater Subscriptions Are There?
There are seven major subscription services you should know about if you’re planning on getting one. I belong to Regal Unlimited, which is valid at Regal Cinemas. There’s no world in which I could live without it. In my opinion, it’s the best one there is. Here are the seven major subscription plans, and what follows is a breakdown of each plan, including pricing, availability, and perks:
- Regal Unlimited
- AMC Stubs A-List
- MoviePass
- Cinemark Movie Club
- Showcase Subscribe
- Alamo Season Pass
- Megaplex Megapass
Also: Your local, independent theater may even have its own deal. It’s worth an ask.
Regal Unlimited
The Deal: $21.49 – $26.49 (depending on your location) per month for unlimited movies
U.S. Theaters: 400+
Additional Perks: 10% off concessions
Believe it or not, Regal Unlimited is the only subscription service that offers legitimately unlimited movies. For a maximum of $27, you can see a movie every single day.
I love the movies, don’t get me wrong, but I could never see a movie every single day. Have I gone more than once a week? For sure. Seven days in a row? That’s a lot. But I could, and I love that. I will admit that my choice between Regal and AMC’s subscriptions hinged more on the local theater experience I prefer, but I could not be happier with Regal Unlimited. While there is a 50-cent charge per ticket even with the pass, I don’t mind. Worth it.
AMC Stubs A-List
The Deal: AMC has a few tiers of Stubs A-List available, depending on how many states you’d like your pass to be active in. All tiers include 4 movies per month.
- $23.99 per month for 36 states (Excluding California, Colorado, Connecticut, Washington, D.C., Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Massachusetts, Maryland, Minnesota, New Jersey, New York, Oregon, Virginia, and Washington)
- $25.99 per month for 48 states (Excluding California and New York)
- $27.99 per month for every state
U.S. Theaters: 500+
Additional Perks: No extra fees for premium formats
Tough stuff for Californians and New Yorkers, but if you can catch Stubs A-List in its lowest tier, that’s a great deal. You probably don’t need it active in every state, though. How often do you see movies on vacation?
Cinemark Movie Club
The Deal: $11.99 for 1 movie per month
U.S. Theaters: 300+
Additional Perks: 20% off concessions, no online fees
When I moved to a new city and activated my Regal Unlimited pass, I considered a few options. Cinemark Movie Club was one of them. When I saw that the ONLY option they offer is one single movie per month, that consideration was over pretty quickly. I would call this less of a club and more of an infrequent gathering.
Get this if you live in the attic of a Cinemark; if not, you can pay one more dollar for double the value with MoviePass.
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MoviePass
The Deal: MoviePass offers three subscription tiers.
- $13 for 2 movies per month
- $23 for 3 movies per month
- $33 for 4 movies per month
U.S. Theaters: 4,000+
Additional Perks: Credits roll over
Oh, MoviePass. What a rollercoaster ride you’ve been. Circa 2017, right before MoviePass hit a phase of such unsustainable growth that the company went out of business, I was living the high life. I saw everything. Good, bad, didn’t matter. I even saw “King Arthur: Legend of the Sword,” which is saying something, because nobody saw that movie (it flushed $150 million down the drain for Warner Bros).
But I saw it. Because I had MoviePass.
Today, they’ve risen from the ashes and shifted to a credit-based system. While the credits roll over, keep in mind that some movies, showtimes, and theaters cost more credits. A 7:30 Friday night movie on the day of its release is going to cost more credits than a Tuesday morning matinee of a movie that’s been out for a while. It’s complicated, but it still provides decent value.
And naturally, best of all, it works at just about every theater in the country.
Showcase Subscribe
The Deal: Showcase Subscribe offers four plans, depending on how many movies you’d like to see per month. Each plan also includes a “Premier” option that includes 3D, Showcase XPlus (Auditoriums with Dolby Atmos sound), and IMAX; the base price only includes traditional 2D movies.
- $9.50 for 1 2D movie per month ($11.95 for Premier)
- $11.95 for 2 2D movies per month ($14.95 for Premier)
- $16.95 for 3 2D movies per month ($19.95 for Premier)
- $26.95 for 5 2D movies per month ($32.95 for Premier)
U.S. Theaters: 22
Additional Perks: 20% off concessions
I’ll tell you what I don’t like about this plan, right off the bat: Obviously, a four-movie per week situation is what the people want, but Showcase is skipping right over that. One movie a week is the ideal scenario for something like this. Options for one, two, three, and five movies per week reek of shameless marketing and make me feel like the customer is arriving in a brutal second place in terms of Showcase’s priorities.
Alamo Season Pass
The Deal: Alamo Drafthouse has four different tiers for their plan.
- $19.99 per month for 1 movie every day at every location (Excluding Boston, Chicago, Washington, D.C. Metro Area, Los Angeles, Naples, New York City, and San Francisco Bay Area
- $29.99 per month for 1 movie every day, with 10% food and drink discounts and no online fees at every location (Excluding Boston, Chicago, Washington, D.C. Metro Area, Los Angeles, Naples, New York City, and San Francisco Bay Area)
- $29.99 per month for 1 movie every day in every Alamo Drafthouse location
- $39.99 per month for 1 movie every day, with 10% food and drink discounts and no online fees in every Alamo Drafthouse location
U.S. Theaters: 35
Additional Perks: Perks are tiered; check deal details
I’ve got an unpopular opinion for you: I hate the Alamo Drafthouse. Do you like this place? Do you enjoy listening to people order food from a server while you’re trying to watch a movie? Do you enjoy smelling people’s fried pickles and chili cheese hot dogs when you’re trying to watch a movie? Do you want to have to fumble around in the dark, eating chicken wings and searching for napkins when you’re trying to watch a movie?
I hate these things so very much. If I’m hungry, I will go to a restaurant, thank you.
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Megaplex Megapass
The Deal: Megaplex offers two subscription tiers.
- $10.71 for 1 movie per month ($117.86 annually)
- $21.44 for 2 movies per month ($235.83 annually)
U.S. Theaters: 18
Additional Perks: 20% off concessions, free upgraded seating, discounts on premium auditoriums, no online fees.
If you know what Megaplex is, you live in either Utah or Nevada. Bummer that no more than 2 movies per month are available; you’re probably better off paying the same price for Regal.
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