AMC Stubs A-List vs. Regal Unlimited: Which One Is Better?

Two movie subscription services. One red and white, with three free movies a week and a name that used to stand for American Multi-Cinema, and one orange and black, with unlimited films and a name that means...Regal.

Which one shall be the victor? Which one is more worthy? How shall we find out? It shall be a battle to the death!

Oh wait, that's not in my budget. Either way, I'm Jonathan Sim, and I will be orchestrating this duel between two subscription services: AMC Stubs A-List and Regal Unlimited. I was planning a metaphorical death battle, but I think a respectful, well-structured comparison with a final winner would be more feasible.

Price

The first thing to talk about when it comes to these movie subscription services is money. The point in subscribing to one of these services is to watch more movies and save more money. AMC A-List ranges from $19.95 to $23.95 a month, while Regal Unlimited costs between $18 and $23 a month depending on which plan you choose.

If you live in a more populated urban city, you are likely to find yourself paying on the higher end of the spectrum, but these costs are not the only thing that you have to factor into the amount of cash leaving your wallet.

Discounts

While these services are charging a bunch of money every month, they do help you save money as well. Both A-List and Unlimited offer 10% off food and drink purchases (assuming you're not sneaking in your own snacks *wink*).

As for other discounts with their services, Regal has virtually none. AMC, however, has Discount Tuesdays, where every Tuesday, tickets are $6; this is why if you look at box office trends, there is always an increase in revenue from Monday to Tuesday.

Now, why would you care about $6 tickets if tickets are free under a subscription? Well, under both services, you can only get one seat per screening, so if you're going with a group at a Regal on Tuesday, each ticket is full price. However, if you go to an AMC on Tuesday, each of your friends will only be paying $6 each while you cackle maniacally holding your free ticket.

Convenience Fees

Have you ever tried buying a concert ticket online, and when you try buying your $255 ticket, there's some insane hidden fee that jacks up the price to like $400? Yeah, movies do that too, just on a smaller scale.

It's imperative to book movie tickets in advance online because if you go to the theater five minutes before your screening to buy your ticket in person, chances are, you'll find yourself sitting in the corner of the front row.

With Unlimited, Regal will charge a $0.50 convenience fee for each ticket you get. While it may not seem like much, the more movies you watch, the more it will add up. However, with A-List, all convenience fees are waived, even on non-A-List tickets, so you don't have to go through the pain of watching the balance on your checking account get smaller and smaller with each movie you watch.

Premium Formats

AMC and Regal both offer a variety of premium movie watching formats for all those who like to upgrade their movie experience. AMC offers Dolby, IMAX, PRIME, 3D, and BigD, while Regal offers 4DX, RPX, IMAX, and ScreenX.

It would take me forever to tell you what all these formats give you, but from experience, they make watching movies even better than watching them in a standard auditorium. Naturally, these premium formats have premium prices.

So, if you get Unlimited, you will, unfortunately, be required to pay a surcharge for your tickets. However, if you get A-List, you will be able to live like kings watching films in Dolby and IMAX without having to pay a single penny more.

Limited Releases

Now, what is a limited release? If you don't know, it's when a movie has a theatrical run in just a few select theaters in a few select cities. For example, I live in New York City, so I was able to watch movies like 1917 and Just Mercy last December before it expanded into theaters nationwide on January 10.

In which theater did I see them? AMC Lincoln Square. I don't know how true this is for other cities, but for me, every time I've wanted to see a movie during its limited theatrical run, it's played at an AMC and not a Regal.

Even this week, I'm planning on watching Impractical Jokers: The Movie and Emma at AMC theaters, and if I had Regal Unlimited, I wouldn't be able to see these movies for free.

The Consensus

So which movie subscription service wins? That is the question. It's a mystery. I definitely haven't made my preference clear throughout this article. Can you predict the victor of this ultimate battle between subscriptions? It's 50-50 at this point, isn't it?

It's AMC A-List. Now, if you're still wondering how A-List could have possibly won given that Regal gives you unlimited movies while AMC only offers three a week, let me ask you a question: when was the last time you saw more than three films in the theater a week?

Because I am the biggest movie nerd that I know and I haven't needed to watch more than three movies a week all year. Every Friday, only about 1-3 new films get released, and even if you feel the need to see six films a week with Regal Unlimited, you'll still have to pay the surcharges.

Now, I'm not saying Regal Unlimited is terrible; of course, if you're a movie enthusiast living near Regal theaters, you'd have to get Regal Unlimited, and besides that, many regular Regal auditoriums have recliners, while AMC has standard seats.

But I've been an A-List member since last July, and it has not failed me. And here's a pro tip: Fandango gives you $5 discounts for every four tickets you buy, so if you connect your AMC account to your Fandango account and buy your A-List tickets through Fandango, you can get some $5 credits towards rentals or other movie nights.

It has been a day. A crazy day of cruel, undying war. And I know I sound like some secret undercover representative working for AMC, but I'm (probably) not. But we have come to our conclusion.

Between AMC A-List and Regal Unlimited, AMC A-List is the winner!