AMC Theaters has once again raised prices at Stubbs A-List, citing rising venue operating costs.
Starting July 15, the movie theater chain’s movie subscription membership will cost $29.99 per month, an increase of $2 from the previous price increase in May 2025. The benefits remain the same, allowing users to watch up to four movies each week in all formats, including Imax and Dolby. You’ll also receive free popcorn and fountain drink upgrades, as well as $5 per $50 spent.
“Despite this necessary price adjustment, A-List continues to offer exceptional value, often for the same price as watching approximately one or two movies a month, especially when you enjoy our premium formats and book your tickets online,” AMC CEO Adam Aaron wrote in an email to subscribers. “This is, and continues to be, a truly great bargain.”
When AMC launched Stubs A-List in 2018, customers were charged $19.95 a month to watch up to three movies a week. The subscription plan began as a competitor to MoviePass, which offered an unsustainable model of one movie per day for $9.95 per month. (MoviePass failed in spectacular fashion and filed for bankruptcy, only to re-emerge in 2023 with new ownership and an entirely different pricing plan.)
AMC’s latest price increases were announced as the movie theater industry gathered for CinemaCon. CinemaCon is an annual trade show where studios pitch their upcoming plans to exhibitors. Everyone seems to be obsessed with 2026. Because Hollywood will release 113 movies, the most in the post-pandemic era. Potential blockbusters include Christopher Nolan’s “The Odyssey,” “Dune: Part 3” and “Spider-Man: Brand New Day,” as well as originals like Tom Cruise’s “Digger” and Steven Spielberg’s “Disclosure Day.”
“Movie theaters are going to be very crowded,” Aaron recently predicted to Variety.
During that time, AMC has struggled to raise its stock price even as it has nearly $4 billion in debt. AMC, the world’s largest circuit, isn’t the only one trying to stay afloat by cutting back on showings (compared to pre-coronavirus times) and shortening the show window. To make matters worse, attendance has stagnated as inflation has increased the prices of everything from food and drink to rent.
With margins shrinking, AMC has been testing all sorts of initiatives to attract more customers. These initiatives include blocking and reserving “best seats” for A-List and Stubs Premiere members and offering 50% off movie tickets on Tuesdays and Wednesdays. We also now run more ads before screenings as a way to increase our revenue passively.
Earlier this week, Sony Chairman Tom Rothman criticized major movie theater chains, saying they needed to cut back on the nearly 30 minutes of trailers and commercials that air before feature films. He noted that frequent movie-goers are now showing up 30 minutes late to avoid all the spots, meaning patrons “don’t even see the trailers”, resulting in “seductions being wasted”.
“We’ll eliminate endless advertising and significantly shorten the long pre-shows,” Rothman said from the Colosseum stage at Caesars Palace, teasing the studio’s future plans. “Stay away from advertising crack.”
