AMC Theaters On-Demand is just average
Expect better from America’s largest movie theater chain.
On October 15, 2019, AMC Entertainment Holdings (NYSE:AMC), the nation’s largest movie theater chain with over 630 cinemas in the U.S, unveiled AMC Theaters on Demand — A VOD rental service with more than 3,500 titles available to AMC Stubs members. The news brought a bit of attention from other news outlets due to it being an unusual form of expansion for a theater chain.
Fast forward to now, where AMC Theaters (as well as Regal) will close all of their locations for a minimum window of six to twelve weeks due to the box office being heavily impacted by COVID-19. And because of the closures, AMC Theaters is marketing On Demand like no tomorrow.
The pitch for On-Demand is simple — go to www.amctheatres.com/on-demand(or visit the AMC Mobile app), and buy or rent the vast library of films available. And since you have to be an AMC Stubs member to use the service (The basic “Insider” tier is free to join), you earn points on each movie rental or purchase.
After spending several hours and watching several films, I can say that AMC Theaters On Demand is…average? average. And while it’s 100% clear that the service can’t rival streaming services such as Netflix, Hulu or HBO Now, it’s clear that AMC Theaters will need to do more to challenge the likes of FandangoNOW or Redbox.
Redbox became a powerhouse in the Movie Rental industry by offering affordable physical rentals in a time where Blockbuster and Hollywood Video were on their way out and Netflix and Hulu were starting to hit their strides. And when they launched Redbox On-Demand in 2017, they continued to offer deals and offers comparable to the affordability offered offline.
FandangoNOW originated from the movie ticketing services purchase of the VOD streaming service M-GO and then expanded the use of Fandango services by offering the Fandango VIP+ program — where customers can choose between a five-dollar discount on a ticket or FandangoNOW rental after they purchase four tickets.
There are deals on AMC Theaters On Demand, but they are average when compared to other services. And while points do provide some incentive to using the service, unless you regularly visit AMC Theaters, it pales in comparison to the incentives provided by FandangoNOW — Which allows you to redeem a $5 off deal when you buy 4–5 tickets through the Fandango app.
Okay, so deals aren’t in their wheelhouse, but what about the service itself?
When opening On-Demand via the AMC Theaters mobile app, the first thing that stands out is a legal text that reminds users that AMC Theaters and AMC Networks (the company who owns the titular cable channel among others) are in NO way connected. Interesting, but I assumed that everyone knew that the companies weren’t connected.
After the On Demand section loads in, the app takes you to an AMC-stylized menu filled with films that have been released within the last four months sorted by similar sections seen on other services: New Releases, Top Rentals, Franchise/Genres, and Deals.
The purchasing experience was less than stellar. The AMC Theaters app proceeded to crash when I tried to rent the movie I wanted (Candyman from 1992, for those who wanted to know) which forced me to rent the film through the much smoother AMC website.
After the purchase was made, I tried to watch the film through the app once again, to crashes galore. While yes, it’s a service from a company that has never done film rentals before, AMC has had over six months to stabilize these major problems.
I switched over to the Roku app to view the film, which thankfully provided a very polished experience. The AMC Theaters On Demand Roku Apps UI fits well with the brand and provides a good experience for people to watch movies.
While I do applaud AMC Theaters for being ahead of the curb and becoming one of the first cinema chains to launch a VOD service, AMC needs a lot more than Stubs and average deals to draw people away from streaming and keep them hooked.
