America’s largest movie chain is making a unique change to the way it prices its tickets.
On Monday, AMC announced a three-tiered ticket pricing system that charges moviegoers different prices based on which seats they choose, with more desirable seats costing more and less desirable seats costing less.
How does the new AMC ticket pricing work?
The new pricing system, called Sightline at AMC, charges customers “based on their sightline of the movie screen,” according to a press release.
There are three different pricing tiers:
- Value Sightline: These are seats “typically located in the front row,” and will cost less than the standard tickets.
- Standard Sightline: These are the most common seat and will be the same cost as “the traditional cost of a ticket,” per AMC.
- Preferred Sightline: These are seats located in the middle of the theater and will cost more than the standard tickets.
“Sightline at AMC is applied to all showtimes that begin after 4 p.m. at participating locations and is not applicable on Discount Tuesdays,” AMC stated.
Why is AMC changing its ticket pricing?
“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,” Eliot Hamlisch, chief marketing officer of AMC, said in a press release.
CNN Business also notes that the new pricing also incentivizes people to sign up for AMC Stubs A-List because “because members of the monthly program can access the ‘Preferred’ seating at no extra charge.”
How did people react to the pricing changes?
Actor Elijah Wood spoke out against the pricing changes on Twitter, saying it “would essentially penalize people for lower income and reward for higher income.”
Some people, including YouTuber Jenny Nicholson, even suggested a boycott of AMC.
Another Twitter user tweeted a screenshot of the new seat selection screen on AMC, saying “this kind of sucks.”