Movie theaters have two things to sell, but they only control one. The studio sells the movie, with trailers, posts, and the cast on talk shows. However, the movie theater sells the seats, and they have to do that every week, not just on newly released movies.
Because of this, many movie theaters in the States have created strategies to draw customers into their establishments. This is often done through offers, like half-price days as well as unique monthly memberships.
Half-Price Tuesdays and Wednesdays
AMC has done an excellent job at this through their AMC Stubs membership program. As of July 8, 2025, these members get 50% off the regular adult evening ticket price on Tuesdays and all day on Wednesdays as well.
Your perfect Halloween weekend plans are waiting 🎃🍿 Get tickets: https://t.co/qsPd48EVPq https://t.co/0cF97iGGNU
— AMC Theatres (@AMCTheatres) October 30, 2026
The reason they probably developed such a promotion was that Tuesday and Wednesday were their “down” days. Maybe revenue dropped on these days, so they needed a reason to pull people into their theaters by offering a deal.
Subscriptions Instead of Tickets
Cinemark has gone a slightly different route with Movie Club, where a member pays a monthly fee, set by ZIP code, and they get one ticket credit a month.
Cinemark Movie Club members! Take your membership to the next level with premium screen upgrades 🎬 More info: https://t.co/bLPqZ4ixrQ https://t.co/DZQY58bWp6
— Cinemark Theatres (@Cinemark) November 19, 2025
Additional benefits include 20% to 25% off concessions (depending on tier) as well as rollover credits, which are usable six months after canceling a Movie Club membership.
Other Industries Use the Same Offers
These types of offers aren’t unique to the cinema sector, either. In fact, they’re used in many industries worldwide.
Coffee chains, for example, run a stamp card with a free drink at the end of it. Audible gives new members 30 days free with the first audiobook included. Planet Fitness lets Black Card members bring a guest for free on every visit. It has even found its way into the online entertainment space. An online casino uses a betting welcome offer like stake £10 and get 50 free spins.
All of the mentioned industries are completely different from one another. What they share, however, is how they attract and retain customers. Coffee chains do it by offering a free coffee every 10 or so coffees, Audible does it with a 30-day free trial, and online entertainment businesses offer free spins.
Why These Promotions Work for All Sectors
They work because they all understand one simple thing: the first purchase is always the hardest to get.
To get potential customers interested, they develop deals to remove the friction. They make “trying” it out easier and more seamless, allowing the experience to do the selling.
Once they have the customer, additional promotions retain them. For example, when coffee shops offer a free coffee every certain number of coffees they buy. It seems small, but it’s these promotions that keep customers coming back for years.
It’s interesting how different these industries are, but how similar their promotions are. It just goes to show that the strategies to gain and retain customers are standard across most industries, just unique to the target customer.