The world's largest theater chain is entering the digital movie rental market. On Tuesday, Oct. 15, AMC announced its own video-on-demand service.
AMC Theaters On Demand Launch
AMC Theaters On Demand will offer more than 2,000 movies upon launch, including new releases such as Hobbs and Shaw from Universal Studios and The Lion King from Disney. Members will be able to rent or purchase individual movies to watch at home.
The service builds off of the success of AMC's Stubs, a loyalty program with more than 20 million members.
"The addition of AMC Theaters On Demand, which extends our movie offerings for AMC Stubs members into their homes, makes perfect sense for AMC Theatres, for our studio partners and for our millions of movie-loving guests," Adam Aron, CEO of AMC Theaters, said in a statement.
AMC Theaters On Demand is the theater chain's response to the streaming market which continues to lure viewers away from the big screen. In 2018, consumers spent $12.91 billion on streaming services and $11.99 billion at the box office.
However, it will not directly compete with Netflix and the many subscription streaming services entering the market like Disney+ and Apple TV+. Instead, it aims to contend with the likes of Google Play and Vudu — both of which provide movies that are no longer shown in theaters but are still too new to be on subscription streamings services.
What Members Would Get
AMC said that new movies will be available on AMC Theaters On Demand one the same day they are released digitally on other platforms. The theater chain claimed that it has met with every major Hollywood studios and persuaded them to make both new and library titles available on the new platform.
As a treat, members who rent or purchase a movie distributed by Lionsgate and Paramount Pictures will get to choose three extra movies from the same studio.
The service will be available via the AMC Theaters' website and mobile app, Roku, and SmartTVs. More devices will be added in the future.
AMC Theaters On Demand is only open to members of AMC Stubs in the United States. .
