Members of the AMC Stubs A-List are considering pumping the brakes on their subscription, due to the current state of the film industry. The recommended social distancing employed around the world right now stands a great chance at slowing and eventually stopping the COVID-19 pandemic, but it is also having a dramatic effect on all forms of public entertainment.
Movie theaters are doubly impacted because as patrons are advised to avoid large gatherings such as a trip to the cinema, film studios are also less inclined to release films in a market that relies on box office success to produce profits. AMC Theatres offers customers the A-List program, which functions similarly to the now-defunct MoviePass by providing access to three "free" movie viewings per month. The subscription program typically costs about $19.99 per month which means it affords a viewer at least twelve shows, for the cost of less than two. It's a great deal for moviegoers unless, of course, there aren't any movies.
With AMC recently closing theaters in adherence to federal guidelines related to the coronavirus, the Stubs A-List is essentially dead... for the time being. For those interested in canceling, the AMC website offers an online form, but customers can also call 1-888-562-4262 to complete the process. To avoid being charged for another month of the subscription, users must cancel more than five days before their next billing cycle begins. (Note: While writing this, the site experienced an error on two separate occasions so consider that phone number if the issue persists.)
Before canceling, however, there are some issues worth postulating. In what appears to be an effort to prevent abuse of the service, AMC does not allow people who cancel A-List to reinstate their membership for six months. Most estimates suggest this period of social distancing could be a thing of the past after just a few weeks, so making the decision to cancel A-List for six months could be tough for avid cinephiles. It's possible, perhaps even likely, that given the circumstances, AMC will adjust this policy, but there's presently no news.
That said, assuming our coronavirus-induced lifestyle adjustments did end soon, there could still be a large delay on marquee films hitting theaters. Some movies, like Black Widow, Mulan, and other delayed releases were past the production stage and ready for their theater debut. Others, like The Matrix 4, however, were still filming. The reopening of movie theaters doesn't necessarily mean production restarts at the same point, as studios will have to manage schedule and budget concerns to get films back on track. It's reasonable to expect a bit of a dry spell at the box office until much later in the year, which would mean something like AMC Stubs A-List will have to either adjust or be rendered temporarily moot.
Source: AMC Theatres