Moviegoers who are on the AMC Stubs A-List will soon be able to see four movies per week instead of the current three, the theater chain announced on Thursday.
Additionally, starting May 7, the age requirement for the movie benefits will also be lowered from 16 to 13 years old. Fans will then be allowed to see four movies out of state each year, as opposed to just three as it currently stands.
Going forward, A-List will cost $27.99 per month for AMC theaters nationwide, up from $24.95 per month. The new price points, according to the AMC terms and conditions website will be:
- $27.99/month+tax – Use in all AMC theatre locations in the US
- $25.99/month+tax – Excludes CA & NY
- $23.99/month+tax – Excludes CA, CO, CT, DC, FL, GA, IL, MA, MD, MN, NJ, NY, OR, VA and WA
- $19.99/month+tax – Excludes AZ, CA, CO, CT, DC, FL, GA, IL, IN, KY, LA, MA, MD, MN, NC, ND, NJ, NV, NY, OH, OK, OR, PA, TN, TX, VA and WA
AMC also introduced a new, more affordable movie plan titled A-List Classic. The Classic membership plan will cost $14.99 per month and will only be available at their AMC Classic locations. The stripped-down plan includes one movie per week and is not eligible for showtimes at regular AMC theaters or their AMC Dine In locations.
The theater chain previously said they were looking forward to the 2025 and 2026 box office as many chains are still feeling the fallout from the COVID-19 pandemic. Chief executive of AMC Entertainment Holdings Adam Aron told TheWrap that the next two years at the box office will be “roaring hot.”
“Finally, we’re at a point where we can look forward and the story is going to be very different very soon,” Aron said. “Our industry can see recovery just over the horizon.”
In 2023, AMC’s EBITDA was up tenfold from 2022, to $425 million. But, as with other theater chains, it is still trailing 2019’s pre-pandemic levels. In an effort to improve its margins, AMC has been closing some theaters, shuttering 169 locations since 2019. Conversely, it added 60 theaters in better conditions, better locations and with better lease terms.
AMC has also benefitted from squeezing more out of each customer. In 2019, food and beverage sales were about $5 a head. Recently, they have been over $9 per person due largely to growth of over 80% in food and beverage sales. Aron said that AMC’s profit per patron (EBITDA per patron) is up about 35% today from what it was pre-pandemic.
He added that AMC is also exploring using venues to host sports games, including football, baseball and hockey. College sports, particularly college football, could be exhibited for local audiences near schools. AMC notably had a major success after partnering with Taylor Swift to exclusively run her concert tour movie at their theaters. “Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour” grossed $261 million worldwide.
