AMC A-List & other theater subscriptions (1 Viewer)

[Robert Crawford]

In retirement there is nothing I enjoy more than a 10:00 a.m. showing. Actually that has always been my favorite time to see a film at a movie complex. The only thing you have to watch out for is stale popcorn from the night before.

 

[TravisR]

I asked the manager about the change and he attributed it to being the "slow period" between the end of the summer season and the beginning of the holiday season. But when I pressed him on that, he admitted that in prior slow periods this new policy had not been in effect.

It sounds like a smart financial move. I can only speak to the theaters in my area but when I go to shows before noon, there are very few people in there (and at this time of year, it's nearly empty at any time before the night). Why bother to pay a staff to be there and use their projectors and all the other costs associated for so few people buying a ticket? I don't like it from a standpoint of wanting to see a movie but I can see it from their POV of wanting to make money.

 

[Josh Steinberg]

I don’t object to eliminating showtimes that aren’t being utilized. That’s good business sense.

What I think the issue is, the practical result of the change is that there’s no more matinee pricing at that theater, since they’ve ensured that nothing will start during that discount window. 20 years ago, a matinee in most places was any showing before around 5pm. Now, in most places, it’s only the first show, and only if that first show begins before noon.

Basically, the move seems designed in part to keep matinee pricing on the board but to make sure it doesn’t actually apply to anything. It’s not quite a bait and switch but it’s probably as close as you can get.

 

[steve jaros]

It sounds like a smart financial move. I can only speak to the theaters in my area but when I go to shows before noon, there are very few people in there (and at this time of year, it's nearly empty at any time before the night). Why bother to pay a staff to be there and use their projectors and all the other costs associated for so few people buying a ticket? I don't like it from a standpoint of wanting to see a movie but I can see it from their POV of wanting to make money.

I think the motivation is a bit different, it's to keep people from seeing movies at the cheapest price point. E.g., at my AMC, the price points for 2D, non-IMAX movies are basically this:

Before Noon ...... $5

Noon to 5 PM .... $9

Evening .............. $11

So basically, the move was made not because too few people were attending before noon, necessitating extra staff expenses, but rather too many were, and thus the theater felt that too many tickets were being sold at that $5 price. It's basically a ticket price increase move.

 

[TravisR]

I think the motivation is a bit different, it's to keep people from seeing movies at the cheapest price point. E.g., at my AMC, the price points for 2D, non-IMAX movies are basically this:

Before Noon ...... $5

Noon to 5 PM .... $9

Evening .............. $11

So basically, the move was made not because too few people were attending before noon, necessitating extra staff expenses, but rather too many were, and thus the theater felt that too many tickets were being sold at that $5 price. It's basically a ticket price increase move.

Since they don't make much money from tickets, I can't see the ticket price being any kind of motivating factor to be open less time. Theaters make money from the concessions and a low ticket price is an incentive for people to spend money on that. That's the whole reason that AMC has $5 Tuesdays. People are much more likely to spend money on food (with its 500% or more markup) when they got a deal on a ticket.

 

[steve jaros]

Since they don't make much money from tickets, I can't see the ticket price being any kind of motivating factor to be open less time. Theaters make money from the concessions and a low ticket price is an incentive for people to spend money on that. That's the whole reason that AMC has $5 Tuesdays. People are much more likely to spend money on food (with its 500% or more markup) when they got a deal on a ticket.

I get the idea that concessions are the main money-maker for the theaters, and no question, bargain ticket prices are designed to get people in so they spend on candy. But, the fact that theaters have pricing tiers for the same movie suggests that there is significant revenue differences between them. A $9 ticket sold is worth more to the theater than a $5 ticket sold, regardless of what the split with the studio is. So to me, that suggests that the ticket price itself is involved in the motivation for ending the practice. Seems that most of the expenses the theater has are fixed regardless of being open or not. Staying closed a few hours maybe means not paying 4 people for three hours at $10 an hour? Not a lot of money to me.

Maybe it's both, e.g., the $5 price is too low such that they are making no money on that, and also maybe people don't want to buy popcorn and candy at 11 am?

 

[Patrick Sun]

I used to do the early cheaper showings when I didn't have A-List or movie pass, but nowadays, I don't worry about the early showings much anymore.

 

[rdimucci]

My biggest issue with the Regal plan is that you need a smartphone to sign up. There are no provisions to sign up online. Since I use a pay-as-you-go phone plan with a non-smart phone, I'm frozen out of the Regal plan.

Regal also recently made another change in my area. For matinees, they were already not using the box office and were selling tickets at the service counter. Now, they have moved the ticket sales to the concession counter. Not only does that reduce the need for staffing, but it forces everyone to the concession counter, where they can be directly asked if they want to buy concessions. No bypassing the concession counter now.

 

[Colin Jacobson]

My biggest issue with the Regal plan is that you need a smartphone to sign up. There are no provisions to sign up online. Since I use a pay-as-you-go phone plan with a non-smart phone, I'm frozen out of the Regal plan..

Can you be a member of AMC A-List without a smartphone?

I assumed it was all phone-based tickets!

 

[Josh Steinberg]

I believe with A List, if you don’t have a smartphone, you can use a regular web browser to reserve, and then go to the customer service desk with a print out of the confirmation number and photo ID and they can get you in.

 

[Colin Jacobson]

I believe with A List, if you don’t have a smartphone, you can use a regular web browser to reserve, and then go to the customer service desk with a print out of the confirmation number and photo ID and they can get you in.

Thanks!

Wonder what percentage of A-Listers do that? Gotta assume it's not many!

 

[Jake Lipson]

Movie Pass isn't back, but apparently their credit card charges are:

https://nypost.com/2019/10/17/moviepass-resurrects-from-the-dead-to-charge-bank-accounts/

 

[Colin Jacobson]

Movie Pass isn't back, but apparently their credit card charges are:

https://nypost.com/2019/10/17/moviepass-resurrects-from-the-dead-to-charge-bank-accounts/

I enjoy posts like this because they remind me how happy I am I never gave MP one cent of my money!

 

[steve jaros]

I enjoy posts like this because they remind me how happy I am I never gave MP one cent of my money!

Same with me, though I almost did. Christmas 2017, when MP had a big sale or something, I tried to sign up but the web site was crashed (should have been a huge Red Flag), so I called them. After about 20 minutes on hold waiting for a customer service rep to sign me up, I just gave up.

Very happy i did, LOL.

 

[benbess]

With A-list yesterday I saw Zombieland Double Tap. "B-"

 

[Colin Jacobson]

Same with me, though I almost did. Christmas 2017, when MP had a big sale or something, I tried to sign up but the web site was crashed (should have been a huge Red Flag), so I called them. After about 20 minutes on hold waiting for a customer service rep to sign me up, I just gave up.

Very happy i did, LOL.

I don't think I was ever really tempted. Maybe I thought about it at some point, but I never came as close as you did - I don't think I ever visited the MP site to check out the offer, much less attempt to sign up.

MP always smelled of "Sounds Too Good to Be True Syndrome". Of course, for lots of people, it was worth it - they churned out dozens of movies on the cheap, and I suspect most haven't had to deal with too many hassles related to cancellation.

But it's a crap shoot, and you can't assume that potential MP-related woes are dead.

If nothing else, I'm glad they don't have my credit card info. This isn't a company I'd trust to keep it secure!

 

[Colin Jacobson]

With A-list yesterday I saw Zombieland Double Tap. "B-"

What did you rate the first one?

 

[benbess]

What did you rate the first one?

Didn't see it, since zombies are not really my cup of tea.

 

[Colin Jacobson]

Didn't see it, since zombies are not really my cup of tea.

I really liked the 1st one. Will see the 2nd but a little nervous because I enjoyed the 1st so much!

 

[benbess]

I really liked the 1st one. Will see the 2nd but a little nervous because I enjoyed the 1st so much!

You might like it, but I thought it was mediocre. There are some laughs, but I think I'd agree with this review...

Spoiler

https://www.theguardian.com/film/2019/oct/16/zombieland-double-tap-film-review-emma-stone
"The film’s major addition is a dumb, one-note Valley Girl stereotype, played buoyantly by a game Zoey Deutch, who resembles a character from an early 00s sitcom, with every poorly written punchline landing the same – she’s an airhead, end of joke. The script’s potshots at hippies feel equally rusty: they love weed and hate guns. Cool. The returning actors replay the same beats with about as much effort and investment as one might expect, with Stone looking particularly bored, while Fleischer’s stylistic flourishes feel mostly regurgitated. The script’s interesting initial exploration of women eschewing traditional gender roles is soon replaced with a predictable string of women throwing themselves at undeserving men. It’s watchable in an undemanding way, thanks to a snappy pace, but there’s an ingenuity missing, a purpose, a spark that made the first film so much fun."