Hier noch 2 Berichte zu "Stubs A-List", dem "moviepass-Killer" der amerikanischen Kinos, Quelle: The Wrap:
AMC Theatres on Wednesday announced a new loyalty program clearly targeted at subscription series MoviePass, offering up to 12 movies per month for a $19.95 fee.
AMC Stubs A-List, which is set to launch this Tuesday, will allow users to attend movies up to three times per week at any of the company’s 650 theaters in North America. (The chain sets a week from Friday to Thursday.)
“We believe that our current and future loyal guests will be interested in this type of program, as AMC Stubs A-List rewards guests with something that no one else offers: the very best of AMC, including IMAX, Dolby Cinema and RealD 3D up to 3 times per week, for one simple, sustainable price,” AMC Theatres CEO Adam Aron said in a statement.
That “sustainable” reference is a clear dig at MoviePass, an independent movie ticket subscription service that has been losing millions of dollars with monthly rates as low as $6.95 as it has built a subscriber base that recently passed the 3 million mark.
Exhibitors like AMC have long argued that the company, a division of Helios and Matheson, has an unsustainable business model since it typically pays full price for every ticket sold to its users.
Late Tuesday, Helios and Matheson announced it was seeking a reverse split of its shares and that it might delist on Nasdaq if investors don’t approve the plan. The stock, which once traded at $10 per share, sank to an all-time low of 30 cents in after-hours trading.
AMC Theaters is entering the movie ticket subscription battle, as they announced the launch of their AMC Stubs A-List program, a plan that offers three movie tickets a week for $19.95/month. But what does AMC’s plan promise that makes it worth a price tag that’s double that of MoviePass?
Sustainability, says AMC CEO Adam Aron — and premium format screenings.
“Our program will be profitable while others struggle to be profitable,” said Aron during an investor call without mentioning the rival $9.95/month subscription program by name.
Since MoviePass announced that they would be launching a nationwide subscription program at a monthly rate below the average ticket price of many major markets, AMC has been their main rival. Hours after the plan was announced, AMC countered with a statement saying that they considered MoviePass’ business plan to be “unsustainable” and that their plan to work with theater chains in exchange for a percentage of concession sales would put the squeeze on exhibitors.
Also Read:AMC Theatres Announces MoviePass Killer: 12 Movies Per Month for $19.95
In the following months, AMC has been putting together a plan to expand their already existing AMC Stubs loyalty program with a subscription plan similar to the ones they have already rolled out at their European chain, Odeon. Aron says that at the $19.95 price point, moviegoers will enjoy a bargain at a rate that won’t disrupt the current theater system.
“Our program should be beneficial for all involved. A good deal for consumers, but being done at a sustainable price point where we will be profitable … and in turn, that we can share that increased profitability with our studio and premium format partners.”
And while Aron made an effort to keep direct comparisons to MoviePass to a minimum, he noted perks of the A-List plan that coincide with some of the technical difficulties and frustrations that MoviePass subscribers have complained about on social media.
While MoviePass subscribers can only buy tickets in advance from select partners like Landmark Theaters, AMC is promising advance ticketing at all their locations for all films. Also, while MoviePass has removed the ability to see repeat screenings of a film — in part to push subscribers toward using it for indie films rather than binges of the same blockbuster — AMC will allow repeat screenings, so Marvel fans can use the subscription to watch “Avengers 4” next year as much as they want.
But what AMC hopes will be the big draw for the program is that all premium formats, including IMAX, will be included as part of the plan. While European subscription plans include an extra charge for IMAX screenings, A-List will remove the $5-10 upcharge for premium screenings, making the monthly subscription price cheaper than a premium ticket in major markets.
“We think that the demand is going to be tremendous,” IMAX CEO Rich Gelfond told TheWrap. “The ability to get premium tickets and for IMAX in particular will be a big part of the marketing efforts for this plan and we do plan to support that plan. I expect that we will be seeing an increase in attendance immediately as this plan rolls out.”
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