Don’t look now, but the summer of 2018 might be a movie lovers’ paradise.
Not only has Hollywood set up an outstanding lineup, but this is the first summer with two monthly movie subscription plans to choose from.
Film fanatics can choose between MoviePass’ $9.95 a-movie-a-day plan, which has 3 million subscribers, and the recently rolled out AMC Stubs A-List, the $19.95 three-movies-a-week plan from AMC Theatres, the country’s largest movie chain.
With two subscription plans and the summer movie season already off to a fast start, it’s possible this summer’s box office could surpass the record of $4.85 billion set in 2013.
The Post gave each subscription plan a test drive — and the AMC plan, even though it is twice the price and allows for less than half the movies, appears to be the better plan. Let me explain.
I have had a MoviePass membership for more than two years and seen 115 films with my MoviePass card — and have often struggled with its clunky app.
Like, you can’t buy tickets a day or more in advance.
For two years, I’ve had to arrive at a theater extra early to make sure there were available tickets to buy with my MoviePass debit card.
When I’ve wanted to buy a ticket in advance for a super popular film’s opening, I’ve had to resort to the laborious process of purchasing a ticket and reserving a seat online, say on Fandango. Then I’d go to the theater an hour or so before showtime and return said ticket for a refund — and then purchase the same seat with my MoviePass card.
On sold-out shows, it became almost comical as I’d ask the ticket seller to quickly cancel my ticket and purchase the same one before some other fan snagged it.
And if you forget your MoviePass card at home? You’re out of luck.
The first thing you notice about the AMC plan is the quality of its app. Unlike MoviePass’, which offers a bare-bones film description, AMC provides a synopsis, as well as a cast list, Rotten Tomatoes score and access to the trailer.
Once I decided on what to see, I was able to select a showtime, choose my reserved seats and complete my transaction, all without ever leaving the app.
This alone may make Stubs A-List worth switching to for many MoviePass subscribers — including me.
AMC also allows you to reserve any ticket for any movie — even days in advance. There’s no need to rush to the theater hours before showtime on the day of the movie.
That is going to free up a lot of time — and worry.
At the theater, all I had to do was show the barcode on my smartphone screen to get in.
MoviePass diehards will argue that AMC’s isn’t worth the price because it limits subscribers to three films a week instead of one a day. But over two years, I never saw more than three a week.
Plus, AMC offers something that MoviePass does not: the ability to see more than one film in a day and the ability to see a film more than once.
All of this is not to say that MoviePass is bad. A lot of each service’s value will be determined by your moviegoing habits and preferences. But if you’re like me and go to the movies frequently enough that small inconveniences begin to add up, AMC may just be worth the premium.