Pretty much everywhere now there is a rewards program for that business. That fact is no different for theater chains. Each chain knows that if you can give people a way to feel they are being rewarded for their loyalty, people will take it. So, I decided to take a look at the four major chains that are located where I live. Yes, I know there are other chains that I am not covering below. Goodrich Quality Theaters is another theater chain here in Michigan, but their rewards program is too basic to talk about here. There is also Celebration Cinemas on the west side of Michigan, but they to will not be covered here. Our focus will be AMC, Cinemark, Emagine, and Regal. Off we go.
At Cinemark, you have two options. The free Movie Fan level or the paid Movie Club level. All the usual perks go for the free option (earn/redeem points, birthday treat, discount tickets), but it is in Movie Club where the real perk is at. On that level, you get one 2D ticket per month (thy can roll over), waived online fees, and 20% off concessions. Upcharges apply if you want to use that ticket for a premium format (XD, 3D, or IMAX).
There is a wrinkle to Movie Club that I didn’t include in the graphic, and that is Movie Club Platinum. To apply to that level, all you need to do is be in the regular Movie Club and visit 25 times or purchase 60 tickets in a calendar year. Then you are Platinum, with no extra charge, so that is nice. What you get at that level is 2 free tickets at the moment you earn the Platinum tier, 25% off snacks, and “extra ticket savings”. You also have to maintain that level to stay in, so 25 visits a year or you are back to normal Movie Club.
Emagine makes things a little more interesting. There are three distinct tiers to their reward program, with an interesting point. For the Basic (free) option, you get points, free parking, free Tuesday popcorn, and free birthday popcorn.
However, in the cheaper Extras tier, you don’t get a popcorn on your birthday. You get it when you sign up. Strange. The other Basic perks are in this group, as well as no online fees, popcorn discounts, and a free ticket on your birthday.
What is the big tier here is the Platinum level. At this level, you get everything in the first two, but also added discounts, a blanket, 10% off concessions, Platinum Mondays (where you get a ticket for you and a guest on the first Monday of the month) and Platinum Tickets. These tickets are good for any format at Emagine, and you get 30 of them if you sign up for the 12 month membership, or 15 with the 6 month. Bad news though if you live in Minnesota: the Platinum program is not available there.
Regal is the simplest to go over. The Crown Club only has point earning, and the birthday gift. Pretty simple. When you upgrade to Unlimited, that is where things get interesting. On Unlimited, you get the same are Crown Club, but you also get discounts, and most importantly unlimited movie tickets, which is where this post really gets important between here and at AMC in the next section. When part of Regal Unlimited, you can watch as many movies as you wish , as many times as you wish, but they have to be 90 minutes apart from each other. You can can’t use the app to get the same movie in the same format more than once, but you can do so in person. Also, from what I see in the rules, you will have upcharge fees for premium formats. One other thing of note is you can only have 5 reservations at a time. That will be important a little later. Foreign language films are not available in Unlimited.
Finally, AMC. The Stubs program has many forms. For the free Insider tier, you are going to see the same thing the other chains have, with the exception of $5 Tuesdays and free large popcorn refills. At Premiere, waived fees come into play, you get more points per $1, and free size upgrades are available.
It is at A-List where things get serious. With A-List, you can see up to (as of 5/8/25) 4 movies a week, in any format. The only limits to what you can see is event movies are not included (think Taylor Swift’s event) So, that means if you want to watch Snow White four times this week, you could (also, who hurt you?).
Ok. We have gone over what is in each rewards program, but the truly important question still remains: how much do these programs cost?
For AMC and Regal, the price you pay for the top tier depends on your location. Thankfully, where I live, I get the cheapest prices. Overall, each chain’s highest paid program is comparable in price If we look at things on a annual basis, and I use the prices that apply to my area, we are looking at A-List costing 239.88, Unlimited 257.88, Movie Club 131.88, and Platinum $350. Cinemark isn’t really in the conversation for most valuable, and I don’t think Emagine as it is now is either. Having a hard cap of 30 free movies is tough if you are someone like me that goes way over that mark. So, it comes down to Unlimited or A-List. I think the decision tilts in AMC’s favor because it covers and format. It is true AMC is maxed most months at 20 films, but if you have to pay extra for non-2D, is living more at the theater worth it. I have never maxed out a month with my A-List, so things have worked really well for me with it over the last couple years.
So that is what you will find at the major chains in terms of reward programs. There are free options at all the chains if you are a more infrequent theater visitor. However, for those options at give you the great perks, if you break things down, they all pay for themselves after 2 visits in most cases. Once you reach that point on A-List or Unlimited, you are now opened up to so many options that you might not have thought of if you were paying individually. They really are great options if you have one of those chains around you, and you love movies.
Mitten Film Nerd 
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