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When the history books look back on 2018, they wouldn't be wrong to think of it as the year that subscription models like MoviePass started to come into their own. Between the OG services' various growing pains, and the rise of competing services like AMC Theatres' A-List, a new business model is starting to take hold in the theatrical distribution market, and it's going to change how we watch movies for good. The only real question at this point is, what are the next phases and tweaks we'll see in the realm of the subscription model?
Inspired by what we've seen throughout this year, there are seven confident predictions that can be made about where we're all going in terms of paying a more consistent, more convenient model for going to the movies. While there's always going to be twists, turns, and surprise bankruptcies paving the road to the future, the following predictions all feel like the next reasonable steps to be taken on the journey.
Prices Will Settle In Around $20 A Month
Looking around the various options and plans that offer subscription-based planning, the unlimited model is pretty much dead. In its place is a limited quantity model that allows moviegoers several options when it comes to the frequency of their enjoyment. With that pattern comes a similarly cemented pricing benchmark of roughly $20, with Cinemark and MoviePass both offering less expensive options. Considering AMC's success with A-List is at $20 plus tax a month for three movies a week, expect to see others mimic that pricing model, and possibly their offerings.
Most Or All Major Theaters Will Have A Subscription Model Within The Next 5 Years
In the beginning, movie theater chains were resistant to the MoviePass way of doing business, as it undoubtedly bit into the already meager piece of the box office pie that theaters get from ticket revenue. However, once Cinemark's Movie Club and AMC's A-List came onto the scene, a new way to do business came to light. With theaters cutting out the middleman, guaranteeing their ticket sales share, and leaving movie fans with more money in their pockets for the real moneymaker (the concessions stand), expect most, if not all, major theaters to follow suit with their own subscription plans within the next five years.