With streaming movies and television becoming so prevalent over the last few years, going out to the theaters is almost a hassle. Sure, it's great for getting friends together, but dealing with crowds of other people, disgusting theater conditions and noisy children almost makes paying $12 for a ticket seem like it's not worth it. For years now, ticket sales have slumped, and while part of that is due to a lack of quality films coming out of Hollywood, it's also due to the theaters themselves.
AMC has noticed the trend, and is finally doing something about it: the country's second-largest theater chain has announced that it's teaming up with MoviePass in order to launch a subscription-based ticket service. With any luck, the subscription will help bring back those who have left the theaters for good.
The New York Times reports that the subscriptions will be available in two separate packages: $35 per month, and $45 per month. The basic $35 package from MoviePass includes access to one standard (non-3D) movie per day, while the $45 option will allow subscribers to view any movie, in any format (including 3D and Imax), once a day for the entire month. It might not be worth it for those who don't already go to the movies frequently, but for regular attendees, it could end up being a pretty major discount.
It should be noted that the subscription service will only be available in Boston and Denver when it first launches. AMC did make it clear that it planned to extend the service to more cities, though no specific date was given for either the launch or expansion.
Will it be worth it to pay a monthly fee to go to the movies? For many, it could be a major money-saver, and it could help bring the aging theater business model back into relevance. Considering that the coveted 18-34 age group just isn't seeing movies in theaters as often any more, it's likely that the AMC/MoviePass service is only the first of its kind.
If you happen to live in either Denver or Boston, there's not much of a wait left: AMC plans to begin its subscription service sometime in January.
