AMC Tweaking Movie Theater Ticket Prices Based on One Important Factor
Your next trip to the movies may cost you a few extra bucks. AMC Entertainment on Monday announced that it is shifting ticket prices with the introduction of Sightline AMC, a ticket pricing initiative based on seat location within the auditorium. The initiative kicks off on Friday at select AMC locations in New York, Chicago, and Kansas City, with Sightline AMC then set to expand to all domestic AMC locations by the end of the year.
An initiative that will make movie ticket pricing similar to other experience-based options, like music concerts and sporting events, Sightline AMC bases ticket prices on a seat's sightline of the movie screen. AMC patrons attending cinemas after 4 p.m. will be able to choose from seating in three different price ranges and locations in the auditorium. The most common ticketing tier, Standard Sightline, includes seats the most common seats in the auditorium and will be available for the traditional cost of a ticket. The mid-tier, Value Sightline, offers seats are in the front row of the auditorium, as well as select ADA seats in each auditorium. These seats are cheaper than Standard Sightline seats. AMC said Value Sightline "pricing is only available to AMC Stubs members, including the free tier membership." The third seating option is Preferred Sightline, which are the "seats in the middle of the auditorium and are priced at a premium to standard sightline seats." AMC Stubs A-List members will be able to make reservations in the Preferred Sightline Section at no additional cost.
Theaters offering Sightline AMC will provide a detailed seat map outlining the various seating options during the ticket purchase process online, on the AMC app, and at the box office. Sightline AMC is applied to all showtimes that begin after 4 p.m. at participating locations. It is not applicable on Discount Tuesdays, when all movie tickets are discounted to $5. Prices for the different Sightline AMC tiers were not provided.
"Sightline at AMC more closely aligns AMC's seat pricing approach to that of many other entertainment venues, offering experienced-based pricing and another way for moviegoers to find value at the movies," Eliot Hamlisch, executive VP and CMO at AMC Theatres, said in a press release. "While every seat at AMC delivers an amazing moviegoing experience, we know there are some moviegoers who prioritize their specific seat and others who prioritize value moviegoing. Sightline at AMC accommodates both sentiments to help ensure that our guests have more control over their experience, so that every trip to an AMC is a great one."
AMC said the initiative "more closely aligns AMC's approach to seat pricing with the experience-based options offered by other entertainment and event venues." Such seating tiers are offered at concerts and sporting events. Live theater, such as Broadway, also uses a similar method for seat pricing. CNN also notes that similar location pricing standards are used at movie theaters outside of the U.S.