AMC Theatres will raise the price of its MoviePass rival service for some customers

The company announced this week that the cost of A-list — the MoviePass-like subscription program AMC introduced this summer — will go up by $2 to $4 a month in 15 states and the District of Columbia on January 9. The price will remain unchanged at $20 a month in the rest of the country.

A-List, which the company says is nearing 500,000 members, allows subscribers of the theater chain's loyalty program to see up to three movies per week at AMC locations.

When it launched in June, the service was widely seen as the biggest threat to MoviePass, the popular subscription service that at the time offered members the ability to see one 2D movie a day for $10 a month. MoviePass has since pared down its program and lets its customers see three movies each month, though the selection of available movies varies.

AMC (AMC) said the price hikes will affect states where its A-list program is the most popular. Members in Colorado, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Maryland, Minnesota, Pennsylvania, Virginia, Washington and D.C. will all be charged $22 a month. Subscribers in California, Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Jersey and New York will be charged $24.

The price change won't hit everyone at the same time. Current members and those who enroll before January 9 will be guaranteed the $20 price for 12 months from the start of their initial enrollment date. The program requires a minimum three-month commitment.

"As a reputable operator, AMC has no desire to whipsaw its guests with frequent change, nor would it do so without providing guests reasonable advance notice," the company added.

That appeared to be a jab at its biggest competitor, MoviePass, which made several changes to its program this summer and fall. The service's $10 price point exploded in popularity late last year, and MoviePass parent company Helios and Matheson (HMNY) has been burning through cash ever since.

Three-million people subscribed to MoviePass as of this summer, but it's not clear if these recent problems have led to any changes in its user base. The company did not respond to CNN Business' request for an update on its subscriber count.

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