How Cinemark Theatres built a top-performing subscription program

Key takeaways: 

  • Build a program for real life, not a rigid model. Cinemark’s success started with a simple idea: give members the flexibility they actually want, like rolling over credits and a simple pause option.

  • Retention is about more than just preventing churn. It’s about proactive, smart strategies — like personalized payment recovery — that strengthen the member experience and build long-term trust.

  • Use data to show your value. Cinemark leverages behavioral insights not just for marketing, but to prove the program's worth directly to its members, turning analytics into a powerful loyalty tool.

What does it take to build a subscription program that people actually love? In a world full of recurring charges, it’s a tough question.

For entertainment giant Cinemark Theatres, the answer was surprisingly simple: listen to their audience and build a program that fits how they actually live. The result was Cinemark Movie Club, a subscription program with over 1.45 million members and a retention rate that’s among the best in the industry.

But this didn't happen by accident. It was a smart, member-first strategy, powered by a platform built for real-world flexibility. So, how did they pull it off?

They listened to their audience (and built a better model)

Cinemark knew a rigid, one-size-fits-all subscription just doesn't work for most moviegoers. Their audience is diverse — from solo movie buffs to families of five — and their entertainment habits change. So, instead of locking members into a strict plan, they used Recurly's flexible platform to build a program that adapts to them.

  • Credits don't expire: Movie Club credits roll over, so members never feel the pressure of a "use it or lose it" deadline

  • Benefits are sharable: Members can easily share credits and discounts with friends and family, turning a solo membership into a social experience

  • Pausing is easy: When Cinemark heard that members sometimes needed a break, they used Recurly’s pause functionality to give them that option, preventing unnecessary cancellations

💡Want to see how Recurly makes flexible subscription models easy to manage? Get the full story in our Cinemark case study.

They mastered the art of smart retention

An industry-leading retention rate doesn't just happen. It's the result of proactive, intelligent strategies that keep members happy and engaged. Cinemark partnered with Recurly to implement sophisticated retention tools that work behind the scenes to protect their recurring revenue stream.

When a payment fails, the experience can be frustrating for everyone. But Cinemark turned this potential pain point into a personalized touchpoint. Using Recurly’s customizable dunning, they tailored their recovery strategies for their different member plans, like monthly and annual subscriptions. This means the right message gets to the right member at the right time, making a huge impact on their bottom line.

They used data-driven personalization to prove value

How do you keep over a million members engaged? You show them the money (they're saving).

Cinemark moved beyond basic demographics to understand what truly drives their members. By leveraging Recurly's deep analytics, they analyze behavioral data — visit frequency, party size, and purchase history — to get a 360-degree view of their audience.

This allows them to do more than just personalize marketing; it allows them to prove the program's value directly to the member. One of their most successful tactics? A personalized "end-of-year wrap-up," pulled from Recurly's historical data, that shows each member exactly how much they saved. It’s a brilliant way to turn data into delight and reinforce the value of their subscription.

Want the full story?

Cinemark’s success with Movie Club provides a powerful blueprint for any business looking to build a thriving subscription program. From scaling to 1.45 million subscribers to mastering the art of retention, their journey is packed with valuable insights.

Want to learn the secrets behind their success? Read the full Cinemark customer story to get a behind-the-scenes look at the strategies and tools that power one of the world's top-performing subscription programs.