AMC Is Abandoning Its Idea To Charge More For The Top Movie Theater Seats

Moviegoers no longer have to worry about paying more for superior seats at AMC Entertainment theaters.

AMC announced Thursday that it has abandoned its pricing strategy, leaving the cost of all seats in any given theater the same. AMC, the largest movie theater chain in the United States, made the choice months after launching a pricing initiative experiment at three cinemas. AMC had expected to expand the project before the end of the year.

“To ensure that AMC’s ticket prices remain competitive, the Sightline at AMC pilot program will come to an end at participating locations in the coming weeks, and the initiative will not roll out nationwide,” the company stated in a statement.

AMC noted that its competitors did not follow in the footsteps of the chain and charge depending on seating preferences.

During the pilot, AMC provided three seating options: value, standard, and preferred. According to the firm, even with the “slight upcharge,” more than 75% of guests who previously sat in the preferred section continued to sit there during movies. Despite a “modest” price cut for the tickets, AMC said there was essentially no increase in moviegoers sitting in the first row.

Many people, including “Lord of the Rings” actor Elijah Wood, questioned the pricing scheme when it was originally unveiled.

“The movie theater is and has always been a sacred democratic space for all, and this new initiative by @AMCTheatres would essentially penalize people for lower income while rewarding people for higher income,” he tweeted in February.

The firm has announced that it will be testing “spacious” front-row seating with reclining seats in select theaters later this year. Customers will be able to “lay all the way back and relax.” The angle of the chairs, according to AMC, will make it easier for customers to see movies from the front row. AMC did not specify whether these seats would be more expensive than those in other rows.

AMC Is Abandoning Its Idea To Charge More For The Top Movie Theater Seats

Moviegoers no longer have to worry about paying more for superior seats at AMC Entertainment theaters.

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