What do customers want in a movie theater subscription service? MoviePass has attempted to crack that code with mixed results and now Cinemark is attempting their own brand of monthly offering.
Trumpeted by the theater chain as “the first program of its kind,” Cinemark’s “Movie Club” doesn’t go the movie-a-day or unlimited screenings per month route like MoviePass has. Instead, the Movie Club has subscribers pay a monthly fee of $8.99 and in return customers can see one regular 2D movie a month (with additional tickets costing $8.99) and receive a 20 percent discount at the concession stand. Essentially, instead of banking on quantity with the subscription, Cinemark’s approach isn’t to aim for obsessive cinephiles. According to the chain, the service they offer was crafted from customer research.
“We are thrilled to launch our proprietary movie membership program that is completely consumer research-driven,” said Cinemark CEO Mark Zoradi in a statement. “Based on the feedback we received, we designed Movie Club with all of the features and benefits that moviegoers desire most in a membership program without any of the hassle, enabling our guests to enjoy the moviegoing experience with their friends and family.”
The appeal of Movie Club may vary depending on how much a movie ticket is in your neighborhood. If the local cost of tickets is a healthy chunk higher than $8.99 (which is roughly the cost of an average U.S. movie ticket in 2017) it could serve as a long-term bargain. As opposed to MoviePass, what Cinemark is offering feels more in line with a customer loyalty card than a subscription service. How you (and the public at large) perceive the value of this sort movie subscription relies on your cinemagoing philosophy and what you want out of a “subscription.”
