WASHINGTON (TND) — If you are used to a prime, middle-row and middle-theater seat at the movies – that hits the right cross current of surround sound and best views of the screen – you will also have to get used to paying more for it, if you go to an AMC theater.
The movie theater chain – the largest in the world, with 593 theaters boasting 7,755 screens in the U.S. alone, according to the company’s 2021 SEC filings – will start charging more for middle seats as part of a payment plan called “Sightline.”
The pricing plan, which has already been rolled out in some locations, will increase the cost of seats in the middle of an auditorium by one to two dollars while also making less-desirable seats, like those in the front rows, cheaper; this applies to all films screened after 4 p.m.
If people want to mitigate the price of those seats now classified as “value sightline,” they will need to join the chain’s member/rewards program, “AMC Stubs.” Tickets that are not part of the “value sightline” will be classified as “standard sightline” and will not see price changes under the new categories.
Ever since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, and the increased prominence of streaming services like HBO Max and Paramount+ offering box office movie viewing mere weeks (or sometimes even concurrently) after a film’s release in theaters, chains like AMC have been struggling to balance the loss of profits with drawing viewers back into their seats.
The move brought a now-usual form of condemnation from users on social media, with many Twitter accounts sharply criticizing or meme-ing the company’s proposal, but AMC was also called out by those in the film industry.
Prominently, actor Elijah Wood – most famous for his role as Frodo Baggins across the Lord of the Rings franchise – took to Twitter Monday to push back on the “Sightline” plan.
“The movie theater is and always has been a sacred democratic space for all,” Wood wrote. “This new initiative by @AMCTheatres would essentially penalize people for lower income and reward for higher income.”
The Associated Press reported that this move by AMC comes as ticket prices have been reaching increasingly higher levels in recent years. The AP noted that the average premium ticket price for 3D screenings of the massive blockbuster “Avatar: The Way of Water” cost around $16.50.
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