AMC Theatres, the largest theater chain in the world, is launching an at-home streaming service that will offer around 2,000 different films to rent or buy, according to AMC’s press release. This fall the new service, called AMC Theatres On Demand, will be made available to AMC’s Stubs loyalty members.
How Does it Compare?
Netflix is currently the world’s leading subscription service with more than 150 million subscribers. Others such as Hulu, HBO Now and Amazon Prime Video don’t have nearly as many, and beginning Nov. 12, Disney+ will join the subscription service lineup as well. Many are beginning to wonder how to keep up with ever-expanding number.
AMC is just another business to add to the growing list, however, the iTunes-like marketplace will be the first of its kind for a theater company. This could be a smart move as box office numbers have been on the decline over the past few years, according the New York Times. AMC attendance in the U.S. fell almost 4 percent at the beginning of 2019, so the timing couldn’t be better.
All major Hollywood studios are making a certain portion of their movies available to the new streaming service. This deal with AMC includes studios such as, Disney, Universal, Warner Bros. and Sony. Lionsgate and Paramount film’s are a part of a special arrangement where those who choose to purchase or rent a film distributed by either studio, will receive an additional three movies from that studio’s movie selection.
“This is a great opportunity for us to both make our film titles available to movie customers and also increase awareness of our growing streaming services, which are all focused on specific genres and content categories fans are passionate about,” said Ed Carroll, chief operating officer of AMC Networks.
How Does it Work?
Members of the AMC Stubs program can still view up to three movies per week in theaters along with this subscription service. The AMC Theatres On Demand films will be available online at AMCTheatres.com, the AMC Theatres app and Smart TV providers. Films with cost around $3 to $6 to rent and $10 to $20 to purchase, according to the New York Times.
“With more than 20 million AMC Stubs households, and with our website and smartphone apps already being visited hundreds of millions of times annually by movie fans, AMC Theatres is in a unique position to promote specific movies with greater personalization than has ever been possible before,” CEO and President of AMC Theaters Adam Aron said.
AMC’s new streaming service is one of the many additions the company has added over the past few years to try and up their theater-goers’ experience. They’ve installed new Dolby sound and projection systems, improved movie screens and added reclining seats- and that’s all just inside the theater itself. They’ve also added to their menu and serve alcohol in certain theaters, according to the New York Times. Improving AMC members’ experience at home is the next big step.
“Through the launch of AMC Theatres On Demand, we can reach movie lovers directly and make it easy for them to access films digitally,” Aron said.
