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Sightline - AMC's New Ticket Pricing

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  • Sightline - AMC's New Ticket Pricing

    Will they charge more for houses that meet DCI specs?
    How much more staff will they be hiring to enforce this?


    AMC Theatres to Change Movie Ticket Prices Based on Seat Location

    Rebecca Rubin
    Feb 6, 2023 7:36am PT

    At your next visit to AMC Theatres, getting a prime seat may cost you a little extra.

    The country’s largest exhibition chain is rolling out Sightline at AMC, a ticket pricing initiative based on seat location within the auditorium. Moviegoers will have the option to pay more or less for admission depending on where they choose to sit in the theater. In effect, front row seats will be available at a lower price, while seats in the middle of the theater will be available at a higher price.

    The initiative kicks off on Friday at select AMC locations in New York, Chicago and Kansas City and will be expanded to all domestic AMC locations by the end of the year.

    There will be three different seat-pricing options. The first is Standard Sightline, described as the “seats that are the most common in auditoriums and are available for the traditional cost of a ticket.” Then there’s Value Sightline, referred to as “seats in the front row of the auditorium, as well as select ADA seats in each auditorium, and are available at a lower price than standard sightline seats.” (Value Sightline pricing is only available to AMC Stubs members, including the free tier membership.) The third 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 reserve seats in the Preferred Sightline Section at no additional cost.

    Theaters that offer Sightline at AMC are expected to provide a detailed seat map that outlines each seating option during the ticket purchase process online, on the AMC app and at the box office. Sightline at AMC is applied to all showtimes that begin after 4 p.m. at participating locations. It’s not applicable on Discount Tuesdays, when all movie tickets are discounted to $5.

    “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.”
    https://variety.com/2023/film/news/a...on-1235514262/

  • #2
    This is great, let's emulate the airlines with our pricing! Nobody will care at all about that! Then we can start tacking on fees and canceling or delaying shows at will.

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    • #3
      People are less inclined to go to movies now and this is another hurdle.

      If you tell people to stay away often enough eventually they will stay away.

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      • #4
        I just ran across that article... It's right here... I can only say that I have for the most part refused to ever go to an AMC in the first place, until I moved to just outside Nashville. I have been to the one here twice, which is now only about three and a half years old. Both experiences were deplorable and I felt like I was at a cinema somewhere in the hood.. I suspect that this pricing change is ultimately going to hurt them, and I hope it does.

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        • #5
          The newest AMC in Billings, MT is the "Shiloh 14" which they call an AMC Classic. It has a "4 star" out of 5 Google rating, but the bad reviews are REALLY bad. You would think they'd want to work on their cleanliness/presentation issues before charging more money for certain seats.

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          • #6
            Will they charge more for seats where the EXIT lights don't shine in your eyes?

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            • #7
              Seems like the UK was used as a testing ground for this. A few months ago the Odeon chain (owned by AMC) started charging more for what they claim is an "upgrade to the best seats in the house". Nothing special about the actual seats, just their position in the cinema.

              Noticeably, they didn't introduce it at their flagship in Leicester Square, probably because the ticket prices there are already well north of twenty quid.

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              • #8
                Originally posted by Mike Blakesley View Post
                This is great, let's emulate the airlines with our pricing! Nobody will care at all about that! Then we can start tacking on fees and canceling or delaying shows at will.
                You can delay the show by a few hours but not let anybody leave the auditorium. That will be the authentic airline experience.

                If AMC (or anybody) is going to do something like this they need to have more premium seats in the premium seating area. The discount for the front that nobody wants to sit in makes some sort of sense because it is a bad viewing experience in most theatres because the front rows are too close to the screen for comfortable viewing. Charging for the center but having the exact same seat is just stupid. The experience isn't all that different a little bit off center.

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                • #9
                  Leave it to AMC to figure out how to lose your luggage

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                  • #10
                    If I read the article correctly, if you are a member of their loyalty "STUBS" plan, then you get these perks included. It would appear that if you are in a wheelchair, you can be in the premium section at the lesser price...seems discriminatory. They should be required to have ADA accessibility in all of the various pricing tiers so everybody gets to choose.

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                    • #11
                      I find it ironic that they are now charging extra for seats in "the middle" after decades of building theaters with a big walkway in "the middle."

                      image.png



                      Will they charge more for seats where the EXIT lights don't shine in your eyes?​
                      You can usually move closer to prevent the exit lights from shining in your eyes... But when the exit (and aisle) lights are washing out the screen itself, it doesn't matter where you sit.



                      Has anyone figured out what they are charging for seats where the view of the screen is bisected by a pane of glass? (Image from Google Reviews)
                      image.png

                      I think this "Sightline" pricing is a good thing. The faster AMC (and Regal) mismanage themselves out of business, the better.

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                      • #12
                        Originally posted by Steve Guttag
                        If I read the article correctly, if you are a member of their loyalty "STUBS" plan, then you get these perks included. It would appear that if you are in a wheelchair, you can be in the premium section at the lesser price...seems discriminatory. They should be required to have ADA accessibility in all of the various pricing tiers so everybody gets to choose.
                        I think one has to be a member of the Stubs A-List program in order to be exempt from those extra "sight line" fees. Stubs A-List currently costs $20 to $24 per month depending on one's location. I don't think the $15 per year Stubs Premiere program is eligible for free sight line seating upgrades.

                        Overall, I think this concept of pricing tiers for different seating areas in a cinema is a stupid idea. It might look great in some bean counter's spread sheet. But it's going to be a disaster in practice. Staff at many AMC locations is already at a bare minimum. They can't even keep up with basic maintenance. Our local former-Carmike location is only a few years old and it's already falling apart. The staff can't keep the auditoriums and bathrooms clean. Seats often have visible damage. But now we're expected to pay extra??

                        The biggest problem with minimal staff is crowd control. There are already conflicts in auditoriums that have reserved seating. Someone arrives late-ish and finds his seat(s) taken by other people. Management is always available to resolve a conflict. Now if someone arrives and finds his premium priced seats taken the customer is going to be even more angry. I can easily imagine fist fights or worse breaking out over this kind of crap.​

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                        • #13
                          Is the staff going to enforce the seating? What stops someone from changing seats after the lights go down and the movie starts?

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                          • #14
                            There is an easy solution for the consumer. Stay home, wait a month or so, and watch it at home.

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                            • #15
                              The yellow areas are the higher priced seating... I am holding out for the other chains to advertise that all seats are the same price.
                              Attached Files
                              Last edited by Mark Gulbrandsen; 02-08-2023, 08:55 AM.

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