Grab Your Popcorn! Movie Theater Reward Program Reviews
In this post, we will review AMC Stubs, Regal Crown & Unlimited, and Cinemark Movie Fan and Movie Club. These are the 3 major movie chains in the country, accounting for more than half of all theaters. We know everyone thought the pandemic would kill off theaters, and while they have been hurting over the years, a good movie (or Tom Cruise) can still put butts in seats.
Good news for us the theater chains provide a lot of reward options to choose from based on our viewing habits.
AMC Stubs program:
The AMC Stubs program has four tiers: two free, two paid. All tiers come with access to points, where earnings vary by tier. Once you rack up 5,000 points, you you can cash in for a $5 reward. Cue overly dramatic music.
🎟️ Insider Tier (Free)
Earn 20 points per $1
Discount Tuesday tickets
Free large popcorn refills
A free large popcorn during your birthday month
BUT: Rewards can only be redeemed at concessions. No free tickets for you. If you are on a diet or eat healthy 100% of the time, this may not be suitable for you.
👩🏻⚖️ Verdict:
You’ll need to spend $250 to earn your first $5 reward. That’s a 2% return which is tiny. If you only see a few movies a year and don’t like popcorn, this tier’s not doing much for you. If you like popcorn, sign up for the birthday gift and free refills but temper the rest of your expectations.
Verdict: "Eh, not great."
🍿Premier Go! Tier (Also free, but earned)
Auto-upgrade after 8 visits or earning 5,000 points in a year.
Includes all Insider perks, plus:
40 points per $1 (yay, 4% return!)
4 online ticketing fees waived per year (~$16 in value)
Free birthday fountain drink
Free size upgrades on popcorn and drinks
Access to priority lanes (so needed on a weekend)
Rewards now work for both tickets and concessions
👩🏻⚖️ Verdict:
If you hit 8 visits a year, you’ll likely snag $10 in rewards plus the waived fees and upgrades which is solid. It's basically AMC saying “thanks for being semi-loyal,” and actually meaning it.
Verdict: Rewarding
💵 Premiere Tier ($17.99/year + tax)
All of the above, plus,
100 points per $1. 10% return. Outstanding! 👏🏻👏🏻
Waived online ticketing fees every time
Math Time (don’t worry, we did it for you):
Go 6 times a year, and you’re already banking more than the membership fee in rewards and waived fees alone.
👩🏻⚖️ Verdict:
This is the “wait, this actually pays off!” tier. If you qualify for Premiere Go!, cough up the $18 and upgrade, you’ll earn that back before the previews are over.
Verdict: Very Rewarding.
💰 A‑List Tier ($19.99–$27.99/mo based on state. Sorry, NY and Cali.)
Everything from Premiere, plus:
Up to 4 movies a week free (any format, even IMAX and Dolby)
Let’s talk ROI (return on investment). This one is harder to make the math work unless you are someone who reviews movies for a living, are retired or have a job that allows you enough free time to spend hours a month in theaters. For any of those three, we’re jealous.
12 movies/year: $156 in free ticket value, way less than your membership fee
15 movies/year: $195 in free ticket value, still not close to membership fee
20 movies/year: $260 in free ticket value, maybe start to break even
25 movies/year: $325 in free ticket value, break even in Cali/NY, small savings in other states.
👩🏻⚖️ Verdict:
This is for the die-hards, the cinephiles, the “I need to see Avengers in every available format” crowd. Personally, we don’t think studios are churning out enough quality movies to justify this fee. But if you disagree and go 25-30x a year or more, then by all means grab the free tickets.
Verdict: Only rewarding for 25-30+ movies/year patrons
Regal Crown Club & Regal Unlimited
Regal keeps things simple-ish with two main programs: a free rewards program and a paid subscription plan. You’ll earn credits for every dollar spent on tickets and concessions, and those can be redeemed for snacks, swag, or sweepstakes entries in their Regal Rewards Store. Let’s dig into the details.
🎟️ Regal Crown Club (Free to Join)
Earn 100 credits per $1 spent
25% off candy on Mondays 🍬
50% off popcorn and discounted tickets on Tuesdays 🍿
Free birthday popcorn (because of course)
Extra bonus credits based on annual visits:
Emerald (6+ visits): 250 bonus credits
Ruby (10+ visits): 500 bonus credits
Diamond (20+ visits): 1,000 bonus credits
Credits can be redeemed for free food and drinks, movie posters, random movie merch (The Accountant keychain, anyone?), and entries into sweepstakes you’ll probably forget you entered.
What’s the value of all this?
Actually, all kidding aside... pretty good! We ran the numbers, and your return on spend ranges from 7%–12%, which is excellent for a free program. Plus, once you start hitting those Emerald/Ruby/Diamond tiers, your returns get even better. We’re here for it Regal!
(Note, retail values are estimates and my vary in your local theater)
👩🏻⚖️ Verdict:
We love the flexibility of the Regal Rewards Center (sort of reminds of us Sephora’s reward bazaar). You can actually choose what to redeem for (whether it's caloric food or nerdy merch we aren’t here to judge) and you can earn enough credits for a snack after just one visit. That kind of instant gratification? We love it. Well done Regal!
Verdict: Very Rewarding
🎬 Regal Unlimited: Watch Until You Drop (or Surcharge)
Regal also offers a subscription plan in three not-so-easy-to-remember tiers. Each tier gives you:
Unlimited 2D movies
10% off concessions
Early access screenings
The only difference? How many Regal theaters your plan actually covers:
Yes, it’s as confusing as it sounds.
Regal has a... let’s call it uneven distribution of theater quality. If you want access to the good ones, you’ll need to fork over more for the higher-tier plans. And if you waltz into a fancier Regal with a lower-tier plan? Surprise! You’ll pay the difference out of pocket.
Oh, and about those “no blackout dates” they promote? In practice, certain movies may be listed as “no passes” for the first couple of weeks after release. So yeah, fine print strikes again.
To break even on this subscription, you’ll need to hit about 2 movies per month, similar to AMC’s A-List. There’s no weekly cap (unlike AMC A‑List), so theoretically, you could see a movie every day, but all showings are in 2D only. Want IMAX or 4DX? That’ll be extra. Feels cheap to us.
👩🏻⚖️ Verdict:
This plan is built for die-hard moviegoers with a high tolerance for asterisks. Between the tier confusion, possible “no pass” restrictions and surcharges, there’s a lot of small print to keep up with.
Verdict: Somewhat rewarding, and Tread carefully.
Cinemark’s Movie Fan and Movie Club
Cinemark keeps things refreshingly simple with one free program and one paid membership. Compared to AMC and Regal’s tiered mazes, it’s a clean setup. But just because it’s easy doesn’t mean it’s impressive.
🍿 Movie Fan (Free to Join)
Earn 1 point per $1 spent
Discount Tuesdays
Birthday treat (mysteriously vague. What are we celebrating with, Cinemark?)
Access to advanced screenings
Like Regal, Cinemark has a Rewards Carousel where you can redeem your points for goodies. Unfortunately, the value carousel feels more like a value clown car. Underwhelming and oddly cramped. Most rewards offer a measly 2%–4% return, and there’s no free popcorn redemption in sight. We consider that a red curtain of disappointment. Where we loved Regal’s approach to redemption, Cinemark falls short with a similar approach. It’s all in the details!
(Note, retail values are estimates and my vary in your local theater)
Points expire after one year, so unless you're a regular, your stash could vanish before you’ve got enough for more than a discount soda.
👩🏻⚖️ Verdict:
We’re not loving this one. Low earn rates, limited reward selection that can change on a dime, plus point expiration make it feel more like bait for upselling you into the paid tier. Sure, you can sign up just in case, but don’t expect fireworks, or popcorn.
Verdict: Unfortunately, you might feel Robbed
🎬 Movie Club (Paid Subscription)
Cinemark’s subscription plan is modest and predictable.
$10.99–$11.99/month (depending on your state)
1 free 2D ticket/month (can roll over or share with friends/family which is generous)
20% off concessions
Discounted companion tickets
Waived online fees
Cancel anytime (thankfully no 3-month AMC hostage clause here)
Movie Club Platinum Opportunity:
Hit 25 visits or buy 60 tickets in a calendar year and automatically unlock:
25% off snacks (an extra 5%, don’t spend it all in one place)
Slightly bigger ticket savings (which we couldn’t find what they are)
T wo (yes, only two) bonus free movie credits
It’s giving... airline elite tiers. You’ll grind all year to get there and the payoff is two extra movie nights and cheaper Raisinets.
👩🏻⚖️ Verdict:
Movie Club is more affordable than AMC A‑List or Regal Unlimited, and it still packs value, especially for concession lovers. And it has friendlier terms around friends/family we like. If you go about a dozen times a year and snack like it’s your job, it’s worth it. But if you’re a 20–25+ movies-a-year kind of viewer, AMC or Regal may offer more bang for your buck (especially with premium formats).
Verdict: Rewarding for the mid-tier moviegoer
🎬 Final Take: So, Who Deserves Your Loyalty?
Whether you’re a casual viewer who shows up just for Marvel and Barbie, or a movie marathoner who cites screen quotes in your sleep, thankfully there’s a theater rewards program out there for you. Here's how they stack up.
WINNER: Regal Crown Club wins the free-tier face-off. It’s generous, flexible, and gives you value fast.
WINNER: AMC Premier is hands down best value for your money and highly recommended for anyone going more than 4-6x a year. AMC A-List is the best for those going twice a month or more while Cinemark works fine for those going about once a month.
🍿 Bottom Line:
If you're the kind of person who even occasionally visits the theater, and is willing to put your diet aside while there 🙋🏻♀️ one of these free programs will get you small savings, and we think the AMC Premiere is a no brainer for most. But if you are a movie super-fan, ensure you can stick with the frequent theater trips of at least 2x a month to make these hefty fees worthwhile.
Leave us a comment! Do you agree or disagree? Any further tips about Movie Rewards Programs?
