Why You Can Trust CNET Watch a movie at Alamo Drafthouse every single day for as little as $15 per month
Alamo steps over the corpse of MoviePass to let you watch as many movies as you like for one low price.
Have you ever wished you could go to the theater and watch a movie every single day? If you live near one of the 41 Alamo Drafthouse theaters across the US, that's now a dream within your reach. Starting today, Alamo Drafthouse has rolled out a monthly subscription program that lets you go to the movies as often as you like (well, no more than once daily) for $15 (in New Braunfels, Texas), $20 (in cities like Denver, Austin, Phoenix and San Antonio) or $30 (in LA, New York City or San Francisco).
If your first thought was, "hey, this sounds a lot like MoviePass, and that didn't go too well for those guys," well, you're not wrong -- Alamo is definitely going where few have succeeded before, with notable failures like MoviePass and Sinemia in the rear view. But Alamo's model is more akin to AMC's Stubs A-List -- there's no need for Alamo to buy tickets at full price the way MoviePass did, since they own their own theaters. So this is exciting -- especially if you're already a fan of Alamo's awesome mash-up of theater, restaurant and bar.
You can sign up and start using your Alamo Drafthouse subscription immediately in a dozen locations including New York City, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Austin, Denver, Phoenix, Raleigh, San Antonio, Kansas City, Yonkers, New York, Springfield, Missouri and New Braunfels. The Drafthouse warns that there might be a waiting list in some locales, but within a few months, memberships should be readily available for anyone who wants one. Personally, I tried to sign up for all the plans and didn't run into any snags, but then again, I didn't get as far as charging my credit card, because I don't need season passes to every Alamo Drafthouse in the US.
Your membership buys you up to one movie a day, and you can make reservations up to a week in advance. All movie formats are fair game, though you'll need to pay a $2 surcharge for any films you see in 3D, 70mm, Dolby Atmos or The Big Show premium large format. There are other details, including the option to buy a second seat as part of your subscription for a slightly reduced rate. Be sure to check out the site for all the details.
With ticket prices routinely clocking between $10 and $18 per seat, it doesn't take a degree in accounting to see that this is a great deal, especially if you see a movie every week or so. Here's to cheap movies and hoping all-you-can-eat movie subscriptions works out for the Drafthouse.
Originally published earlier this week.