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2018 is going to be a pretty busy year for most moviegoers, what with all the superhero films and summer blockbusters guaranteed to blow out your eardrums while you guzzle soda. You might love the movies, paying close to $50 for a pair of tickets and some popcorn isn’t exactly built into most people’s monthly budgets. Movie subscription services like the pretty popular MoviePass might allow you to watch a film a day at participating theaters, but it isn’t the only game in town when it comes to seeing movies, and it might not have the perks you’re looking for. The competition can satisfy your sweet tooth, or take care of date night, so we’ve broken each service down to see which one offers the best value per dollar.


Cinemark’s Movie Club grants you one movie credit per month, redeemable at any Cinemark theater. You can purchase an extra ticket at a discounted price, along with discounted snacks and drinks. You can purchase your movie tickets online, saving you the anxiety that comes with the proximity-based purchase process behind Moviepass. Unless you’re a popcorn-loving couple that sees a movie or two per month, Cinemark Movie Club doesn’t grant you much compared to Moviepass and its daily movie credit, and you’ll still be paying for tickets (albeit at a discount).


Price:

$8.99 per month

Availability:

Cinemark Theaters

Benefits:

One 2D movie ticket credit per month

$8.99 for an additional movie ticket

Two tickets for $8.99 each after use of monthly ticket credit

Unused movie credits roll over and do not expire

20% off concessions

No online purchase fees

Drawbacks:

One film per month doesn’t compare to MoviePass’ daily movie credit



Cinemark Movie Club only works at Cinemark theaters

Premium formats like XD, 3D, or IMAX are subject to upcharging

The most cost-effective movie subscription around, MoviePass lets you watch one 2D film per day (sorry, you’ll be paying full price for those premium tickets). One movie per week for $9.99 per month adds up to $2.50 per ticket, a deal no matter what cinematic masterpiece you’re enjoying.

Purchasing tickets through MoviePass is more frustrating than it has to be. In order to actually purchase your tickets, you have to be in the theater beforehand, and check in to the theater using the MoviePass app. From there you can purchase your ticket on the app, which activates your physical MoviePass card (or provides you with a code to use in e-ticketing theaters). With uncertainty baked into the purchase process, you might not want to rely on MoviePass to see new films, unless you like risking a drive to a sold out showing.


Sure, there’s no option to purchase additional tickets, and you won’t save any cash on discounted concession stand items, but a monthly movie subscription for every day of the week is worth the extra few bucks for more popcorn.

Price:

$9.99 per month

Availability:

Over 4,000 theaters, including AMC and Regal theaters

Benefits:

Watch one movie per day

Drawbacks:

No couples option or membership discounts

Must be at the theater to check in and purchase your ticket

Sinemia might be a decent balance between MoviePass’ daily viewing feature and Cinemark’s discounted ticket pricing. With Sinemia, you can purchase a monthly or yearly subscription plan that lets you watch up to three movies per month in any theater you want. You can sign up for a Sinemia for Two plan to watch up to three films per month with whoever you want, though you’ll have to be in the same theater.


It’s more expensive than MoviePass and Cinemark’s unlimited movie subscription plans, but the benefits, like the included monthly premium format film credit, and the ability to purchase tickets online beforehand, make it a subscription appealing to people who hate going to movies by themselves.

Price:

One-person plans start at $11.99 per month for two movie days for one per month

Two-person plans start at $22.99 per month for two movie days for two per month

Availability:

Every movie theater

Benefits:

One movie day per month can be used to watch premium format films (3D, IMAX, 4DX, DBOX, ScreenX)

Online ticket purchasing supported

Drawbacks:

Two movies per month isn’t close to one movie per day

Unused movie credits do not roll over

No discounted concessions

The fact that more than one movie subscription service exists means you could always sign up for two of them. At $10 per month, MoviePass could always replace your Netflix subscription, or double as an extra movie credit if you find you and your buddies burning through your Sinemia movie ticket allotment each month.