MoviePass vs. Regal Unlimited vs. Cinemark Movie Club vs. AMC Stubs A-List: Theater subscription programs compared

Fast Facts:

MoviePass no longer offers an unlimited subscription option. Regal Unlimited ($18.99–$23.99 per month) is the only truly unlimited movie theater subscription membership available today. AMC Stubs A-List is the only movie theater subscription that doesn’t charge extra for premium format showings like IMAX or 3D.

When MoviePass first launched its cinema subscription service back in 2011, it faced fierce pushback from prominent theater chains and the entertainment industry at large. At the time, theaters were having trouble getting butts in seats, but despite falling viewership, MoviePass’ innovative new model was shunned by the industry’s major players. Fast-forward more than a decade, however, and movie theater subscription programs are now common.

Not only is MoviePass back from the dead with a new three-tiered pricing model, but most major theater chains — including AMC, Regal, and Cinemark — now offer their own branded monthly subscription programs as well.

Related: What happened to MoviePass? The rise, fall & resurrection of Cinema’s season ticket

Here’s how each theater-specific subscription works, how they compare to MoviePass’ current membership options, and how much each choice costs.

Movie theater subscriptions at a glance

MoviePass folded in 2019 but rose from the ashes in 2022 with a new business model.

SOPA Images / Contributor (Getty Images)

MoviePass: $10–$40 per month

MoviePass — which was repurchased post-bankruptcy by co-founder Stacy Spikes then relaunched in 2022 — no longer offers an unlimited subscription. Instead, users can choose from three membership tiers, each of which comes with a certain number of credits that can be redeemed for movie tickets.

How does MoviePass work?

Once signed up for one of MoviePass’ three plans on the app, users can view their credit balance and browse theaters, titles, and showtimes.

Each individual movie showing is assigned a cost in credits, with newer, more popular movies (and more popular showtimes) commanding a higher credit cost. For instance, a weekday matinee showing would cost fewer credits than a weekend evening showing, and a movie that just came out would cost more credits than a movie that has been out for two weeks.

Users can book a movie ticket with their credits the day of the showing (without checking in at the theater physically), but tickets cannot be booked days in advance. Once a ticket is booked, its actual cost in USD is loaded onto a virtual card on the app, which the user can use to purchase the ticket immediately in the app or later at the theater.

MoviePass pricing and subscription options

Here’s how MoviePass’ three membership tiers work:

A basic membership costs $10 per month and includes 34 credits that MoviePass estimates can be used to purchase two movie tickets.A standard membership costs $20 per month and includes 72 credits that MoviePass estimates can be used to purchase three movie tickets.A premium membership costs $30 and includes 113 credits that MoviePass estimates can be used to purchase four movie tickets.

This above pricing model applies in most areas of the United States, but prices are $10 higher for each tier ($20, $30, and $40, respectively) in certain areas of New York and southern California. To check whether your local area falls into one of these categories, search your zip code on the MoviePass website.

Do MoviePass credits roll over or expire?

Movie pass credits roll over, but members can only hold twice their monthly allotment of credits in their account at one time. This means basic members can have up to 68 credits, standard members can have up to 144 credits, and premium members can have up to 226 credits. Any credits beyond these limits disappear.

Other important considerations

As of mid-2024, MoviePass can only be used for standard, 2D showings. IMAX, 3D, and other premium formats are not included. If a user runs out of their monthly credits, additional credits can be purchased through the app. Only one movie ticket can be purchased through MoviePass per day, regardless of how many credits a user has. Tickets can only be purchased on the day of the showing — not in advance. In some cases, tickets can only be purchased on the app if the user is within a certain geographical range of the theater in question.

Regal Unlimited is the only truly unlimited movie subscription service on the market today. 

Sewageboy, CC-BY-4.0 via Wikimedia Commons

Regal Unlimited: $18.99–$23.99 per month

Regal Unlimited was launched by Regal Theaters in July 2019 to offer a branded subscription service that could compete with MoviePass (which would go bankrupt less than six months later) and AMC Stubs A-List.

Unlike MoviePass, Regal Unlimited allows users to see an unlimited number of showings, and users are not limited to a single film per day.

How does Regal Unlimited work?

To sign up for Regal Unlimited, moviegoers must first download the Regal App and join the free Regal Crown Club loyalty program.

Then, from the app, users can sign up for a Regal Unlimited subscription, beginning with either a three-month or 12-month commitment, which can be paid for in a lump sum or on a monthly basis. Once the term of the initial plan is up, the subscription converts to a month-to-month basis.

Once a user’s account is activated, they must take a selfie to upload to their account. Then they can simply show up at their local Regal theater, select their film and showtime on a kiosk, scan the digital Regal Unlimited card on their Regal app, select their seat, print their ticket, and make their way to the theater (or the concessions stand, where they receive 10% off all snacks and non-alcoholic beverages).

Alternatively, Regal Unlimited users can book a ticket and select a seat ahead of time directly from the app without going to the theater first, but they must pay a $0.50 fee to do so.

Regal Unlimited pricing and subscription options

Regal Unlimited offers three subscription tiers:

Regal Unlimited: $18.99 per monthRegal Unlimited Plus: $21.99 per monthRegal Unlimited All-Access: $23.99 per month

Each of these plans grants the user the same perks — unlimited films and discounted concessions. The only difference between the plans is which theaters the user has access to.

Regal Unlimited members have access to 148 of the chain’s theaters, Regal Unlimited Plus Subscribers have access to 363, and Regal Unlimited All Access members can use any of Regal’s 434 U.S. theaters. Theaters in more expensive, urban areas (e.g., Los Angeles, NYC, etc.) are more likely to be reserved for one of the two higher-priced tiers.

In order to determine which subscription you need, simply search your city or zip code in Regal’s theater list to see what tier of Regal Unlimited is required at your local theaters. (For example, the author of this article lives in Portland, and all Regal theaters in the Portland metro area require Regal Unlimited Plus, so the author would need to pay $21.99 per month for a Plus subscription in order to see unlimited movies at all Portland-area Regal theaters).

Subscribers can still use their subscriptions at Regal theaters not included in their plan; they simply have to pay a $1.50–$3 surcharge per film if they do so.

Additional perks

In addition to unlimited movies, Regal Unlimited subscribers also receive the following:

A 10% concessions discount (excluding alcoholic beverages) A free large popcorn and soft drink on their birthdayAccess to exclusive early screenings of certain moviesOccasional ability to bring a friend to certain screenings for free

Other important considerations

Regal Unlimited members must pay a surcharge for premium-format showings like IMAX, 4DX Real 3D, and ScreenX. There is no surcharge for RPX-format showings. The surcharge for each showing is the difference between the price of a standard showing and the relevant premium-format showing. New subscribers must create a Regal Crown Club account while signing up for Regal Unlimited if they do not already have one, and a head-and-shoulders-style photograph must be provided. New subscribers must commit to either a three-month or 12-month initial term before switching to a month-to-month subscription. (subscription payments for the initial term may still be made monthly.)

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AMC Stubs A-List is the only theater subscription whose free movie credits are always valid toward premium-format showings like IMAX and 3D. 

Paul Sableman, CC-BY-2.0 via Wikimedia Commons

AMC Stubs A-List: $19.95–$24.95 per month

Despite its ardent opposition to MoviePass since its 2011 inception, AMC launched its own theater subscription in June of 2018. An expansion of its existing Stubs rewards program, Stubs A-List is the brand’s premium offering aimed at capturing its share of the theater-happy cinephile market.

Unlike Regal Unlimited, AMC Stubs A-List does not offer unlimited movies, but it comes fairly close with three movies included per week.

How does AMC Stubs A-List work?

AMC Stubs A-list memberships are a paid extension of the AMC Stubs rewards programs. New users can sign up for both at once through the AMC Theaters mobile app, then pick a membership tier based on where they live and plan to see movies (more on this below). New memberships cannot be canceled for an initial term of three months.

Once signed up, users can see up to three movies per week at AMC theaters for no additional charge. All showings are included, so there is no surcharge for IMAX, Dolby, RealD 3D, or other premium formats.

Subscribers can use their membership to see multiple movies per day or see the same movie multiple times.
Unlike Regal Unlimited, an in-app photo is not required — instead, subscribers must bring an unexpired photo ID with them to each showing to verify that they are the individual whose account is being used.

AMC Stubs A-List pricing and subscription options

Like Regal Unlimited, AMC Stubs A-List offers three subscription options, which only differ in terms of which theaters are included:

34 states: $19.95 per month (CA, CO, CT, DE, DC, FL, GA, IL, MA, MD, MN, NJ, NY, OR, PA, VA, and WA excluded)45 states: $22.95 (CA, CT, MA, NJ, and NY excluded)All states: $24.95

In most cases, unless a subscriber travels frequently, they select the lowest-priced plan available in their home state. (For example, the author lives in Oregon, so they would select the 45-state plan in order to have access to all Oregon AMC theaters.) Members can see up to three movies per year for no additional charge in states not covered by their plan.

Additional perks

In addition to three movie showings per week at any AMC theater, AMC Stubs A-List subscribers receive the following:

Free large-size upgrades on purchased concessionsFree popcorn refillsFree popcorn and fountain drink on their birthdayAccess to priority lanes at the box office and concessions countersNo expiration on Stubs rewards points

Other important considerations

Users’ three movies per week reset each Friday and do not roll over. If a member secures a ticket on the app but fails to show up, that ticket still counts as one of their weekly three. Multiple A-List members can add one another to create an “entourage” through which they can reserve multiple tickets for a single showing on one another’s behalf. If a user habitually fails to show up to screenings for which they have reserved tickets, their membership may be revoked.

Free movie credits through Cinemark Movie Club roll over from month to month and never expire so long as a user continues paying for their subscription. 

Cinemark Movie Club: $10.99–$11.99 per month

Cinemark’s Movie Club was actually the first theater-specific subscription service launched in the U.S. The Cinemark membership program debuted in December 2017, just months after MoviePass famously lowered its unlimited subscription to just $9.95 per month. The program surpassed one million subscribers in June of 2022.

How does Cinemark Movie Club work?

New subscribers can join Cinemark Movie Club through Cinemark’s mobile app or on its website. Unlike Regal Unlimited and AMC Stubs A-List, new subscribers do not need to commit to an initial three-month term.

A subscriber’s monthly membership fee entitles them to one free movie credit per month. Movie credits can be redeemed for seat-specific tickets in the Cinemark app or online for no additional fee. Any unused credits roll over to subsequent months and do not expire so long as the membership remains active.

If a member wants to purchase an additional ticket beyond the number of credits they have available, they can do so without additional fees at a special member price (usually between $9.99 and $11.99 depending on location).

Free movie credits are only valid toward 2D showings, but they can be used toward 3D, IMAX, and other premium-format showings for a surcharge. Membership benefits are valid at all Cinemark theaters and Cinemark-owned theater chains like Century, CinéArts, Tinseltown, and Rave theaters.

Cinemark Movie Club pricing and subscription options

Cinemark Movie Club has two price tiers, and each subscriber’s tier is determined by the location of the Cinemark theater closest to their home zip code:

$10.99 per month: AL, AR, AZ, CO, IA, ID, KS, LA, MI, MN, MO, MS, MT, ND, OK, SD, TN, TX, UT, WI, and WV$11.99 per month: AK, CA, CT, DC, DE, FL, GA, IL, IN, KY, MA, MD, NC, NH, NJ, NM, NV, NY, OH, OR, PA, RI, SC, VA, and WA

Additional perks

In addition to one free movie credit per month valid at any Cinemark or Cinemark-owned theater, Movie Club subscribers also receive the following:

20% off concessionsDiscounted member pricing for any additional tickets purchasedThe ability to reach Movie Club Platinum by visiting 25 or more times per year or purchasing 60 tickets per year (Platinum benefits include two free movie credits and 25% off concessions)

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