If you’ve been paying attention to anything about movies in the past week or so, you’ve heard about the new program launched from AMC Theaters, A-List to rival MoviePass. After checking out multiple reviews, which are extremely bias one way or the other, it’s time for me to chime in and give you my thoughts.
First thing is first, no matter what you want to say, MoviePass is a better deal if you use it to it’s FULL 100% potential. That’s simple, said and done.
The point I will try and make is that; it all boils down to your time and how you see movies.
Everybody is different, everyone has different incomes, schedules, free time, etc. Let’s please not pretend that this entire argument is black and white, because it isn’t, it’s grey…. all grey.
MoviePass lets you see one movie a day if you’d like, so if you can literally go to the movies every single day. Bar none, that’s the biggest steal out there. You do have to pay extra during peak times and for premium formats, which isn’t the best thing, but for $10 a month, you can’t have everything.
It’s not realistic (for me or anyone that I know) to go to the movies everyday though. Honestly, who can go to the movies everyday? (If you’re out there, please let me know in the comments.)
A-List lets you see 3 movies a week with no restrictions, so you can see three films in one day, you can see IMAX movies and other included formats, etc. You also get rewards points with your membership which banks up to free gift cards and free upgrades on popcorn and soda.
So, if you had to compare the two, MoviePass gives you 7 movies a week, A-List gives you 3. BUT! You can only see one movie a day with MoviePass, while A-List lets you see you’re 3 movies anytime and any day you want.
Which is better? That depends on your time. For me, I tend to go to the theater 2 or 3 times a month, pretty much only on Friday night or anytime Saturday. If I had MoviePass I’d have to pay extra for premium times on Friday and I could only see one movie on either day. A-List let’s me go to the theater on Friday night and see two movies, or even see three movies on Saturday. It’s whatever I want, when I want it. I can maximize my free time and use up my three movies back-to-back-to-back if I want to, or spread them out… It’s all up to me.
When it comes to MoviePass, you have to work for it. You have to buy your ticket at the stand, (not online) the app isn’t exactly user friendly, customer service isn’t the best, you have to save your ticket stubs and send in a picture, you won’t get premium seats, you can only see every movie once, etc. If you can deal with all that and learn the in’s and out’s on how to make everything work smoothly and you see benefit, then that’s all you. You save money.
When it comes to A-List, you pay for it. Paying double in comparison enables you to reserve all your movies online, getting the best seats, super easy app access, plus the ease of walking up and having your phone scanned – getting in immediately. You’re really in a very easy and simple process start to finish.
Which is better? I’d give the point to A-List this time because of how simple it is. It’s truly VERY simple and easy. BUT! you are paying double for it. Is it worth it? That’s up to your wallet. Is it money well spent? Yes, but for half the price is it all that? It’s up to you. All the access and ease is seen in the A-List program, but you pay for it.
Here’s my situation: Seeing 2-3 movies a month, I spend more than $20 a month at my local AMC Theater. Most of my viewing’s are IMAX, so joining A-List enables me to save money even if I strictly kept my routine the same. With that logic, MoviePass would be better for me, wouldn’t you agree? If I see three movies this month, I could spend $10 with MoviePass instead of $20 with A-List. No brainer? It’s deeper than that.
Here’s where the kicker comes in for me, my free time is mostly on the weekend, so (if we are in a perfect set month) that’s 4 Saturdays every month. With MoviePass, it allows me to see 4 movies for $10, while A-List allows me to see up to 12 movies for $20. I’m not saying that I would see three movies every Saturday, but I could if wanted to. In my current situation I know I’m going to be doing a lot of Double-Features whether it’s Friday night or Saturday. It’s giving me the opportunity, as a movie-goer, to maximize my free time with more viewings.
In conclsion, this is the scenario you should look at, and it’s the biggest thing other reviewers are not talking about:
It isn’t black and white, it isn’t the literal price nor the amount of movies you can see…. It’s what your schedule allows you.
What does your work week look like? When are your days off? Do you have a lot of free time? Will you go to the theater after work during the week? How many movies do you typically go out and see each month? This all comes into play.
Realistically, you have to ask yourself how many days in a month can you get out to the movies — then you do the math.
I’m already assuming that your a movie-goer and you love getting to the theater, no one that goes to a couple movies a year is even giving this a second thought. They wouldn’t get the full benefit and they would be wasting their money.
This is a no-brainer for my situation, I’m going to be an A-List member and will be for the foreseeable future! That doesn’t mean it’s a no-brainer for you, because your situation might lean toward MoviePass. The real thing is that we get of the discussion on which is better, when it’s really— which one is suited more for you.
Please let me know what you think about this whole situation. I will have a FULL review once I get the use out of A-List for a couple months.
Cheers,
Matt.
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