For my first Word on the Street story of 2023, I wanted to talk about a piece of movie news that revolves around a topic I don’t often talk about: movie theatres. When I came across a video from Clownfish TV’s Youtube channel discussing AMC Theatres’ recently announced business model, I felt it was worth bringing up on 18 Cinema Lane. In the video, ‘Desperate AMC Theatres to Charge More for GOOD Seats?!’, Kneon and Geeky Sparkles address the theatre chain’s newest decision to have separate pricing for seats, based on where they’re located in the auditorium. Quoting an article from comicbook.com, Geeky Sparkles and Kneon break down the three tiers that will determine a seat’s price-tag. This article lists these tiers as “Value Sightline” (“seats in the front row of the auditorium, as well as select ADA seats in each auditorium”), “Standard Sightline” (“seats that are the most common in auditoriums and are available for the traditional cost of a ticket”), and “Preferred Sightline” (“seats in the middle of the auditorium and are priced at a premium to standard sightline seats”). Kneon and Geeky Sparkles speculate AMC Theatres is adopting this business plan to encourage more movie-goers to sign up for their AMC Stubs A-List program. Despite the theatre chain “hemorrhaging money right and left”, Kneon believes “other theatres are probably gonna adopt this”.

As someone who talks about movie news from time to time, I’m thankful to have discovered some great topics on Clownfish TV’s Youtube Channel. However, I respectfully disagree with Kneon’s view of the influence AMC Theatres’ latest decision will have on other theatres. When this Word on the Street story is published, the economy AMC Theatres exists in is not strong. Almost every day, there are articles chronicling the closure of multiple retail shops. With that in mind, movie-goers may, more often than not, view the theatre experience as a luxury. To save money on this pastime, audience members could either seek out a theatre that doesn’t charge extra for seats or wait to rent a theatrical movie and watch it at home. I believe AMC Theatres’ tier pricing for their seats will hurt their company more than help. I wouldn’t be surprised if, within this year, there are articles reporting on AMC Theatres closing several cinemas.

What are your thoughts on this piece of movie news? Is your theatre affected by AMC Theatres newest business model? Let me know in the comment section!

Have fun at the movies!

Sally Silverscreen

If you’re interested in reading the comicbook.com article that was referenced in the Clownfish TV video and my post, here’s the link:

https://comicbook.com/movies/news/amc-theatres-sightline-ticket-price-changes-increase-decrease-preferred/