SMG Subscription vs Reading Cinemas
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
SMG Subscription
This app provides a convenient way to purchase movie tickets and access subscription plans for Studio Movie Grill. It offers customizable plans for individuals and groups, allowing users to select movies, theaters, and showtimes with a single payment. Enjoy access to all movies and locations without blackout dates.
- Movie ticket purchasing
- Subscription plans
- Customizable individual and group plans
- Choose movies, theaters, and showtimes
- Pay once for multiple movies
- Access all SMG movies and locations
- No blackout days
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The best way to get your Studio Movie Grill tickets. Movie subscription plans are available to a limited number of SMG guests but offer the most convenience and unbeatable savings. Lock in a year of the newest movies with a plan that’s perfect for you! Customizable Plans: We have individual and group plans – any kind of plan to fit your #moviegoals. All About Convenience: Choose your movies, your theaters, and your showtimes, but pay only once. We Mean Access: Any movie format, any SMG location – and no blackout days. All SMG movies and locations at your fingertips, so you can have the movie-going experience that’s perfect for you, each time.
Reading Cinemas
Browse showtimes and purchase tickets for your preferred cinema location. Order food and drinks in advance to skip the line. Save your movie history and personal information by creating a user account.
- Browse movie showtimes
- Purchase tickets
- Order food and drinks in advance
- Save movie history
- Redeem gift cards
- View upcoming screenings
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Browse movies & purchase tickets for your favorite Reading Cinemas location. - Find out what’s playing at your local cinema - Buy advance tickets on-the-go from your mobile device -Skip the line and place your food and drink orders in advance. - Redeem your Reading Cinemas gift card for tickets - Create a user account to save your movie history & personal information - View upcoming screenings & exclusive events By downloading, installing, and using this App, you agree to the Reading Cinemas/Reading International Mobile Application Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: SMG Subscription at 3.5 against Reading Cinemas's 1.5. SMG Subscription also leads on review sentiment (17% vs 3%) and iOS requirement (9.0 vs 15.0). On price, ratings volume, update cadence and ads there is nothing between them.
Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS
Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
SMG Subscription holds the better App Store score, 3.5 against 1.5. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 80 and 75 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 17% of SMG Subscription's written reviews are positive against 3% of Reading Cinemas's.
Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on October 24, 2026 and October 30, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | SMG Subscription | Reading Cinemas |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 3.5 (80 ratings) — better | 1.5 (75 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 16.7% of reviews — better | 2.8% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 80 — better | 75 |
| Update frequency | Fortnightly | Fortnightly |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Devices | iPhone, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better |
| Requires iOS | 9.0 — better | 15.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 227 MB | 48 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Subgen Inc. | Reading International, Inc. |
Customer experience
SMG Subscription
Reading Cinemas
User reviews
SMG Subscription
From 80 App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 👍 Great concept/program
- 👍 Great value subscription plans
- 👍 Great app for great theater
- 👍 Awesome
Room to improve
- 🐛 App doesn't work
- 🐛 App won't open
- 🐛 Cannot connect to server
- 🐛 Connection error
- 🐛 Doesn't let you do anything
Reading Cinemas
From 75 App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 👍 App is much better after updates (recent positive review)
Room to improve
- 🐛 Slow and glitchy
- 🐛 Freezes often
- 🐛 Beyond useless
- 🐛 Poorly designed
- 🐛 Uses excessive data
Bugs and requests
SMG Subscription
Reported bugs
25 issues- App doesn't work
- App won't open
- Cannot connect to server
- Connection error
- Doesn't let you do anything
Show 20 moreShow fewer
- Seat selection screen issues
- Row letters not visible until seat chosen
- Error: "A server with the specified host name could not be found."
- Update broke app
- Unable to get to seat selection
- Login issues (incorrect information, doesn't log on)
- Forgot password not working
- Password works on website but not app
- Slow app loading
- App has never recognized being at the theater for check-in
- Rewards unable to be scanned
- App has too many glitches
- Bad layout
- Issues picking seats
- Cannot add credit card to subscription service
- Cannot add loyalty card to subscription service
- Error when booking movies
- Unknown error occurred when booking
- Error message on ticket selection screen
- Cannot see movies in area
Requested features
26 requests- Fix the app
- Update the app
- Allow purchase of tickets days in advance
- Allow choosing dates for movie reservations
- Make the app as dynamic as Atom Movie Tickets
Show 21 moreShow fewer
- Create a regular app (not just subscription)
- Allow seeing schedule and buying tickets without a subscription
- Fix login issues
- Make the app faster
- Create an app for SMG Access to manage points
- Allow reservation of movies for future showings
- Allow adding credit card to subscription service
- Allow adding loyalty card to subscription service
- Improve check-in functionality at the theater
- Allow scanning rewards directly from the app
- Fix seat selection issues
- Improve app layout
- Improve tech support availability (weekends)
- Offer more than 4 movies per month
- Add a bonus $5 Tuesday ticket or $5 SMG classics ticket option
- Allow reserving tickets for days later in the week
- Integrate with loyalty program
- Make rollover date more visible
- Fix error when booking movies
- Allow seeing movies in the area
- Fix "Unknown error occurred" when booking
Reading Cinemas
Reported bugs
58 issues- App freezes
- App is slow
- App has tons of glitches
- App is beyond useless
- App uses almost 3GB of data in less than 10 min
Show 53 moreShow fewer
- Lose tickets if switching apps or clicking elsewhere
- Impossible to make an account
- Cannot log into account
- Offers little functionality
- Normal usability things don't work
- Cannot autofill name and address
- Payment options don't work (no Apple Pay, no saved cards)
- Predictive typing doesn't work
- 'Save to Apple Wallet' button doesn't work
- Cannot buy tickets
- App glitches and forces closure
- App opens and then closes immediately
- Re-ordering multiple times and losing seats
- Food order ahead keeps getting cancelled
- Screen goes white and doesn't release tickets
- Only works in portrait mode
- Takes a whole lot more time switching between screens
- No 'back' arrow
- Cannot check movie times
- Cannot view bought tickets
- Crashes all the time
- Cannot view purchased tickets in profile
- Menu was missing items for food order
- Wouldn't recognize email
- Difficult to purchase tickets
- Couldn't email tickets, issued refund
- App wouldn't undo previous choice of seats
- Cannot add rewards card
- Will not recognize existing rewards membership
- Will not accumulate points
- Won't acknowledge purchase history
- Cannot access purchased tickets within the app
- Cannot add tickets to phone's wallet
- No way to view purchased tickets
- Maneuverability is not there
- How to find things is not easy
- Sensitivity is too much, keeps going to wrong links
- New app is worse than previous
- Cannot use app in landscape orientation on iPad
- To get to movie details, must click image, not title
- Runs way too slow
- Complicated and not user-friendly
- Cannot find tickets
- Charged twice
- UI is terrible
- Half of the necessary components don't function
- Try to buy a ticket and it just spins for eternity
- No back button
- Cannot get app to work
- Unsure if tickets are purchased
- No one is helping with app problems
- All style no intuitiveness
- Impossible to navigate and find anything
Requested features
15 requests- Allow landscape mode on tablets
- Add a 'back' arrow
- Bring back the old, working app
- Offer a subscription service
- Improve user experience and navigation
Show 10 moreShow fewer
- Allow viewing purchased tickets
- Allow adding tickets to phone wallet
- Fix the 'Save to Apple Wallet' button
- Add Apple Pay and saved credit card options
- Improve predictive typing
- Allow autofill for name and address
- Make the app intuitive and easy to navigate
- Allow ordering ahead with all menu items
- Revert to the original app's functionality
- Merge interfaces of previous and updated versions
In-app purchases
SMG Subscription
No in-app purchases
Reading Cinemas
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is SMG Subscription free?
Is Reading Cinemas free?
Which has better reviews, SMG Subscription or Reading Cinemas?
Do SMG Subscription or Reading Cinemas have ads?
Which is updated more often, SMG Subscription or Reading Cinemas?
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