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. Similar to music concerts, sporting events or Broadway, moviegoers will have the option to pay more or less for admission depending on where they choose to sit in the venue. 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.
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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.”
The Sightline initiative is the latest AMC Theatres experiment with movie ticket prices as cinemas struggle to recover from COVID. In 2022, the exhibitor charged $1 to $2 more for the opening weekend of Robert Pattinson’s “The Batman” compared to other movies playing at the same time. And last weekend, with the encouragement of Paramount, AMC offer matinee prices to every screening of “80 for Brady,” a comedy starring Lily Tomlin, Jane Fonda, Rita Moreno and Sally Field.
