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Los Angeles Times
30-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Los Angeles Times
For $27.99 a month, you can join the hottest Gen Z club: AMC A-List
Some L.A. singles attract potential dates with dog pics, gym mirror selfies or promises that they love 'going on adventures.' Joel Lingaur's calling card is membership to a not exactly exclusive but popular club: AMC A-List. The movie theater subscription service has taken on a life of its own on the internet and has become a bit of a 'dog whistle' on dating apps, Lingaur said. 'I really like having it on there because it shows that I'm into movies, but I don't want to come across as a film bro,' he said. 'That idea feels a little pretentious to me.' And it works. Lingaur, a 25-year-old actor based in Culver City, said boasting his A-List status on the Hinge app acts as a conversation starter, or just helps him in 'coloring the picture' of prospective dates when they have it listed on their profiles. Lots of young people, especially in L.A., have 'all agreed that A-List is the quirky thing to put on your profile,' he said. AMC A-List is the highest tier of the theater chain's loyalty program, which allows cinephiles to see up to four movies a week for a monthly cost starting around $20. In California, where ticket prices are generally higher, members pay $27.99 a month. There isn't an upcharge for Imax or other premium formats, one of several benefits A-Listers enjoy. The A-List program, which launched in 2018, was born out of competition AMC was facing in the late 2010s with the short-lived industry disruptor, MoviePass, which allowed subscribers to see virtually unlimited movies at practically any theater for a low base rate. Theater chains like AMC were also struggling to slow the gradual decline in attendance, which was slipping before the COVID-19 pandemic, collapsed as theaters temporarily shut down and has yet to recover. But A-List, which the company said has close to 1 million members, has become much more than just a subscription service. It's like being part of the in-crowd for many, except the only barrier to entry is a relatively low monthly fee and perhaps a propensity for movie theater popcorn. AMC is grappling with significant financial woes — the company has nearly $4 billion in debt, reported losses of more than $200 million in the first quarter of the year and is watching its stock price sag since it became a meme stock four years ago. While it once traded at record highs during the meme-fueled rally, it's now sitting at around $3. Amid those difficulties, A-List is a bright spot, proving the company has an avid base of supporters and challenging notions that moviegoing will no longer be a favorite pastime for younger generations. A-Listers who have a deep enthusiasm for the brand are consistently attending showings, buying concessions and even encouraging others to enlist in the program. There's merchandise, both authorized and unauthorized — including unusual options like a Christmas tree topper and cross-stitch patterns — viral memes galore and a very active online community of A-Listers who flaunt the membership status like a badge of honor on dating apps, social media and in casual conversation. 'They have become a little bit of a marketing machine for us,' said Carrie Trotter, AMC's vice president of loyalty and brand marketing. While other movie chains — including Regal Cinemas, Cinemark and Alamo Drafthouse — have subscription services and loyalty programs, the AMC version has risen to a completely different level of cultural relevance. That's in large part because of the specific quirks of AMC fandom that have given the world's largest theater operator a cult-like following. Much of that culture has developed thanks to actor Nicole Kidman, whose appearance in an advertisement for the chain plays before each movie and became an internet sensation. The script contains platitudes about movie magic and hits a climax with Kidman, an Academy Award winner, saying its most memorable line: 'Heartbreak feels good in a place like this.' The $25-million campaign from fall of 2021 was designed to increase theater attendance coming out of the COVID-19 pandemic, and while it may have helped revive quiet theaters, it also sparked memes, spoofs and parodies, including an SNL sketch. Peter Gerard, a 24-year-old special education teacher and friend of Lingaur, said he is among many A-Listers who can recite the script — or as many call it, 'the pledge' — from memory. In some showings with particularly enthusiastic crowds, there's a considerable audience reaction when the ad begins. 'I love it when people are in the theater and they're saluting, and they're clapping. I really enjoy that,' Gerard said. The reception to the ad exceeded the 'wildest dreams' of the team behind it, said Trotter, who was instrumental in its development. As for the spoofing and memeing of the 60-second spot, Trotter said she and her colleagues just 'can't ignore it.' AMC has sold merchandise with 'The Pledge' inscribed on it and has played into A-Listers' palpable enthusiasm through its own social media presence. As theatergoing faced an existential threat during COVID, many people assumed the joy of seeing a movie in theaters would be lost on younger generations, who often turn to social media, streaming and gaming for entertainment. But the program is hugely popular among Gen Z and millennials. Since the pandemic, Gen Z is the fastest growing audience segment within A-List, and the membership body is younger, more diverse and skews male compared to AMC's other loyalty programs and the general moviegoing audience as a whole, the company said. 'The movie theater is one of the last places you can truly disconnect and be in the moment,' Trotter said. 'With all the pressures going on, I think that that's one reason that Gen Z has really flocked to our A-List program. It gives them permission to disconnect just for a few hours. We want to be part of that, and so we can't help but lean into it as well.' These young people are eager to tell you they're enrolled in the program. Flaunting A-List status is often done in jest, but it also serves as 'a genuine signifier that you care about movies,' for Adora Adeyemi, a 22-year-old A-List subscriber who works as an assistant to a literary and talent manager. 'Even back to the days of the Beatles or what have you, it's not a new thing to want to rep what you care about,' Adeyemi said. A-List came out of a 'perfect storm,' striking at just the right moment, said Dan Murrell, a film critic and box office analyst. Murrell, an A-Lister himself, said the return-to-theaters crusade was aligned with a moment when many Gen Z folks were searching for a sense of community that they had missed out on during formative years through the pandemic. It also came just after AMC had served as meme fodder when it became a favorite stock of social media-savvy retail investors early in 2021, caught up in the 'meme stock' frenzy with GameStop and BlackBerry. The craze drove AMC's shares up exponentially at a time when it looked like the Leawood, Kan.-based company might have been on its last legs, something many Wall Street professionals were betting on. AMC Chief Executive Adam Aron warmly embraced the meme stock status, so when A-List and the Kidman ad started getting similar online treatment, it was only natural to welcome the attention. 'As a theatrical exhibition business, they need any kind of edge that they can get right now,' Murrell said. Several A-Listers said while the service is available nationwide, the 'cult' of A-List feels particularly strong in Los Angeles. Many A-Listers, speaking as they left or entered AMC locations across L.A., said they not only think they're getting a great deal given the area's high ticket prices, but they feel a strong sense of community among their fellow members. This is especially true because many in the city are either film fanatics or work in the industry. There's a subsection of A-Listers in L.A. — true film nerds — who attend AMC showings frequently but also patronize local independent theaters. One of those people is Ellie Bambach, who visits smaller theaters in addition to her AMC trips, which she said take place about twice weekly. Bambach, 32, said she enjoys the New Beverly Cinema in the Fairfax District and the Vista Theatre in Los Feliz, both of which are owned by the filmmaker Quentin Tarantino. The smaller theaters give her the chance to watch the classics, and her A-List membership means she can catch new releases, especially ones she wants to watch on premium formats like with Dolby audio and visuals that are available at AMC locations. There's another subset of A-List that might be ultra-specific to L.A., where parking can be infamously nightmarish. A handful of A-Listers said if they are at malls like the Grove or Westfield Century City to shop or dine, they often register for one of their four weekly showings so they can enter the theater just to validate their pricey parking garage ticket, exiting without catching a flick. But they insist they're still in it for the movies at the end of the day. Despite all the jokes, the half-ironic but half-sincere recitation of the AMC pledge of allegiance and a recent price hike, they remain loyal customers. 'L.A.'s a movie town … so if you like movies, I don't see how you could not have this at this point,' said Ellis Jones, a 25-year-old A-Lister. 'You're more a part of the conversation. Anyone I know who's interested in movies has A-List. If you don't have it, I'm like, 'Oh, you don't really want to see anything.''
New York Times
07-06-2025
- Entertainment
- New York Times
How Stacy Spikes, Co-Founder of MoviePass, Spends His Day at the Theater
Stacy Spikes grew up at the movies. When he was a child in Houston, his mother would give him and his brother $5 each, drop them off at the theater — the manager knew them by name — and come back hours later. 'She'd probably be arrested today,' he said. 'It was a different time.' But that time at the movies was formative for Mr. Spikes, 56, who in 1997 founded Urbanworld Film Festival, a five-day festival in New York that showcases Black and multicultural films. In 2011, he co-founded MoviePass, a subscription-based ticketing service, which he later sold and then bought back in 2021. 'Seeing Disney films and being dropped off at the theater, that was a form of escape for us, but it was like our babysitter,' Mr. Spikes said. 'I saw 'Blade Runner' when I was 13 years old and I knew I was going to work in this area.' The movie industry has evolved in recent years, but Mr. Spikes remains a film buff. Recently, he saw 'Sinners' three times in three different types of theaters. 'I knew it had great music so I saw it the first time in Dolby Atmos, which focuses on the sound,' he said. 'The second screening, I saw it in IMAX, and now you're really focused on the picture and that part of the experience.' Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
Yahoo
22-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
MoviePass, Led And Co-Founded By Stacy Spikes, Lands $100M Investment To Launch Hollywood's First Daily Fantasy Entertainment Platform
New funding has been raised to help movie fans benefit from the entertainment industry. On May 1, 2025, tech platform MoviePass — with the help of its partner, the C3 Foundation — announced the launch of Mogul, a 'daily fantasy entertainment platform' for Hollywood, according to a press release. The platform, which is the first of its kind, allows fans to participate in fantasy-style tournaments, head-to-head matchups, and solo challenges where they can apply their insights to predict audience attendance, critic scores, award winners, and more. 'You basically create your own studio by picking real movies, real actors, real directors and the way those projects behave in the real world, and your ability to pick and predict what might happen, impacts your scoring,' explained Stacy Spikes, co-founder and CEO of MoviePass, via an exclusive from Variety. Furthermore, fans can receive incentives such as blockchain-based digital rewards, including new avatar images and artwork, Inc. reports. In the future, Mogul intends to allow fans to earn cash. The app is projected to have 200,000 active users on the platform by the end of May 2025 and already has a waitlist of 400,000, Variety shared. 'We're letting people enter in waves in order to not completely overwhelm the system,' Spikes explained to the outlet. Looking ahead, the goal is revamp MoviePass to improve 'platform features, including data-driven competitions, digital collectibles, rewards-based gameplay and community-led challenges,' said Spikes, per Variety. This will be made possible through a $100 million capital investment from Global Emerging Markets. 'We've always been a company built from a fan perspective,' Spikes also said to the outlet. 'We're not a studio, we're not a theater, but we want to really find a new way of creating engagement around going to the movies. We don't want people to just sit at home. This allows film fans to show the same competitive spirit that sports teams inspire.' The post MoviePass, Led And Co-Founded By Stacy Spikes, Lands $100M Investment To Launch Hollywood's First Daily Fantasy Entertainment Platform appeared first on post MoviePass, Led And Co-Founded By Stacy Spikes, Lands $100M Investment To Launch Hollywood's First Daily Fantasy Entertainment Platform appeared first on AfroTech.
Business Wire
22-05-2025
- Business
- Business Wire
GEM Token Fund Commits $100M to MoviePass for Launch of Mogul – Hollywood's First Daily Fantasy Entertainment Platform
NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--GEM Token Fund ISA Ltd. ('GEM' or the 'Fund') is pleased to announce the completion of its first transaction. The Fund's $100 million token purchase agreement with MoviePass Inc., a technology company redefining the moviegoing experience, and its partner, C3 Foundation, has been undertaken to accelerate the development of Mogul —the first-ever daily fantasy entertainment platform built for Hollywood. Mogul, which launched in beta earlier this month, lets fans play the role of a studio head—predicting box office ranking, award outcomes, and sentiment scores in a game that blends Hollywood knowledge with the competitive spirit of fantasy sports. The platform taps into the excitement of real-world entertainment speculation, transforming passive viewership into active participation. 'With Mogul, we're inviting fans to become players in the entertainment ecosystem,' said Stacy Spikes, Co-Founder and CEO of MoviePass. 'Just as fantasy sports changed how people engage with sports, Mogul will redefine how fans engage with film and television. This investment gives us the runway to build something truly game-changing.' The investment from GEM comes in the form of a flexible capital commitment over twenty-four months that MoviePass can draw upon as needed to scale Mogul. MoviePass will control the timing and the number of drawdowns, with no minimum drawdown obligation. Funds will be used to enhance platform features—including data-driven competitions, digital collectibles, rewards-based gameplay, and community-led challenges. This transaction is GEM's inaugural commitment and marks the launch of the Fund. GEM's sponsor and majority GP shareholder is GEM Group, a $3.4 billion alternative investment group based in Paris, New York, and the Bahamas - with a 30-year track record of 570 transactions across 70 countries. About GEM Token Fund ISA Ltd. (GEM) GEM Token Fund ISA Ltd. ('GEM') is a Bermuda-domiciled investment vehicle, structured as a segregated account of DigitalArray ISAC Ltd. and regulated by the Bermuda Monetary Authority as a Professional Closed Fund under the Investment Funds Act 2006. GEM provides liquidity financing to blockchain and Web3 issuers of digital assets, leveraging a global network of top-tier service providers including AI Global Strategies ISA, KPMG Audit Limited, Walkers (Bermuda) Limited, and Apex Group. GEM is sponsored by GEM Group, which provides deep expertise in emerging markets, structured finance, and venture growth to its clients and partners. For more information: About Mogul Mogul is Hollywood's first daily fantasy entertainment platform, allowing fans to predict entertainment outcomes and climb leaderboards in a gamified, data-driven environment. Built on the Sui blockchain and backed by Mysten Labs and Animoca Brands, Mogul uses virtual currency and digital rewards to power its community. Beta access is live at About MoviePass Inc. MoviePass is a technology company building the future of film engagement. From reinventing theatrical subscription to pioneering Web3 experiences, MoviePass connects audiences with the movies they love through innovation, community, and storytelling. Learn more at Disclosure: This press release contains forward-looking statements which are based on current expectations and are subject to risks and uncertainties. The Parties hereto assume no obligation to update forward-looking statements except as required by law. THIS IS NOT AN OFFER TO SELL OR A SOLICITATION OF AN OFFER TO BUY A FUND OR SECURITY. ANY SUCH OFFER MAY ONLY BE MADE TO ACCREDITED INVESTORS AS DEFINED IN RULE 501 OF REGULATION D OF THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933, AND ONLY VIA A PROSPECTUS.
TechCrunch
09-05-2025
- Entertainment
- TechCrunch
Remember Moviefone? Well, it's back.
For millions of movie enthusiasts in the '90s, Moviefone's 777-FILM number was the go-to source for obtaining showtimes. Now, under new ownership, Moviefone is trying to make a comeback. On Friday, as part of its 35th anniversary celebration, Moviefone announced the relaunch of its mobile app and a new nationally syndicated broadcast TV series. Set to launch in private beta this month, the new app is designed to enhance the current web experience, allowing mobile users to search for showtimes and tickets for the latest releases, discover trending movies and TV shows, as well as access Moviefone's original video content, including celebrity interviews, behind-the-scenes content, reviews, and more. The public app launch is set for this summer. Moviefone TV, meanwhile, is the company's effort to grow the original media offering of its business by bringing its entertainment content to different TV stations across the U.S. After first debuting in 1989, Moviefone later became a popular online ticket seller and movie information brand before websites like and even existed. It went through a few acquisitions, getting snapped up by AOL in 1999, and much later, the original parent company of MoviePass, Helios and Matheson Analytics, which went bankrupt in 2020. That's when Cleveland O'Neal, TV producer and the creator of daytime entertainment show 'Made in Hollywood,' stepped in to lead a revival. The forthcoming app signals that Moviefone is attempting to stay relevant as it caters to a new generation of digital-first movie lovers. As 80% of Moviefone's audience is aged between 18-44, the company says this calls for the development of an app to compete effectively in the market. Techcrunch event Exhibit at TechCrunch Sessions: AI Secure your spot at TC Sessions: AI and show 1,200+ decision-makers what you've built — without the big spend. Available through May 9 or while tables last. Exhibit at TechCrunch Sessions: AI Secure your spot at TC Sessions: AI and show 1,200+ decision-makers what you've built — without the big spend. Available through May 9 or while tables last. Berkeley, CA | BOOK NOW The company's weekly TV series airs this fall, but it hasn't yet shared which stations it'll be available on. (That will depend on the market.) There is a possibility that the show could be broadcast on the same networks as 'Made in Hollywood,' which has a deal with CBS. Given the continued declining popularity of traditional television, though, Moviefone TV also plans to launch on undisclosed streaming platforms and free ad-supported streaming TV (FAST) services. Notably, it also plans to bring on social media influencers to appear on the show to draw in younger viewers. It's uncertain if this will truly mark Moviefone's comeback, but it will be interesting to see how the company approaches it. The resurgence of moviegoing in theaters post-pandemic suggests that people may be nostalgic enough to check out its relaunched app.
