Let’s be honest folks, just because “Avatar: The Way of Water,” “Top Gun: Maverick,” and “Spider-Man: No Way Home” were able to become monster hits and earn well north of $1 billion each, the cinema chains are still struggling, mightily. Sure, franchise films and blockbusters can potentially do really well, but by and large, films are seeing diminished box office returns in an era where streaming is omnipresent and there are more choices than ever before. But don’t worry, AMC Theatres has an idea— charge more for the best seats at a screening. That will get people excited about going to the cinema, right? …right?
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According to Variety, AMC Theatres is set to unveil its Sightline at AMC initiative, which will start in select cities before expanding all over over the course of 2023. What this means is that every screening at an AMC cinema will have its seats split up amongst three different groupings, each with different price points. The same sort of idea you’d find at a concert or sporting event, for example. Of course, AMC Theatres is promoting this as an idea to mark down prices for “Value Sightline” seats, providing cheaper tickets for potential customers. But let’s call it what it really is—this is AMC charging more for “Preferred Sightline” seating, which are clearly the seats that most movie fans want to have.
The way it works is that there will be three options when you buy a ticket. You’ll have Value Sightline, which are those terrible front-row seats that no one likes and most people avoid like the plague. Those will be cheaper than the current average ticket price. Oh wait, let me also add that you have to sign up to be an AMC Stubs member to get that discounted price. It’s not just a kindness benefit. You have to give them all of your information and become a member.
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Next, you have Standard Sightline, which is described as “seats that are the most common in auditoriums and are available for the traditional cost of a ticket.” Translated into normal words, you’re talking about the seats that are towards the sides of the auditorium and basically not the middle seats. If you want the middle seats, you’re going to pay a premium for the Preferred Sightline seats, which are “seats in the middle of the auditorium and are priced at a premium to standard sightline seats.” Also known as the seats that everyone wants.
But wait, there is one more thing you need to know. The Preferred Sightline seats will be discounted for members of the AMC Stubs A+ membership tier. So, if you have that, then you pay the typical normal price for middle seats.
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“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,” said Eliot Hamlisch, executive VP and CMO at AMC Theatres. “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.”
Without mincing words, in my opinion, this is a completely ludicrous idea for AMC Theatres and cinema chains, in general. This is an added barrier to entry for a business that desperately needs to remind people why the cinema is fantastic. One of the worst parts of the cinema-going experience right now is the quality control of screenings. Sometimes, the screenings feature subpar sound and picture, as it is. So, to then give the price-conscious customer (aka the people who probably don’t go to the theater very often) an automatically subpar experience just because they are interested in saving a couple of dollars is flat-out hostile. And if your response to the higher prices for the better seats is to say that your most loyal fans are getting it at the typical price (a benefit that wasn’t necessary before the rules were arbitrarily changed), then the executives at AMC clearly are out of touch with what is going on right now.
What should be happening is cinemas should be going out of their way to remind people how great the theatrical experience can be. Sorry, but one Nicole Kidman ad campaign ain’t gonna cut it. You can only do that by providing an experience that is better than can be had at home (where massive TVs and Atmos sound is becoming more and more affordable each and every day). Each screening needs to have the very best sound and picture, guaranteed. Not only that, the experience needs to be simple, friendly, and affordable. Anything less than that just means AMC Theatres and other theater chains are going to be squeezing every penny they can out of their loyal base while they descend further and further into irrelevancy.
Sorry, AMC Theatres. Sightline is not only a bad idea, but it’s a hostile one aimed at the very people you need to attract back. I can’t wait to see how Nicole Kidman spins this in a new ad.