AMC movie tickets could get cheaper or more expensive depending on where you sit

Marcia Greenwood and Amanda Pérez Pintado, Rochester Democrat and Chronicle
·2 min read

Coming soon to an AMC Theatre near you: higher prices for good seats.

The country's largest movie theater chain has announced plans to price tickets based on seat locations in auditoriums, meaning that moviegoers will pay different prices depending on their proximity to the screen.

Think concert ticket pricing — the closer you are to the stage, the more you're going to pay. Only in this case, the closer you are to the screen, the cheaper your ticket. The new pricing initiative, called Sightline at AMC, is being tested in New York City, Chicago and Kansas City, where AMC is headquartered.

Sightline at AMC offers three tiers of seats:

  • Standard Sightline: The "most common" seats, which are available for "the traditional cost of a ticket."

  • Value Sightline: Seats in the front row, which are "available at a lower price than Standard Sightline seats"

  • Preferred Sightline: Seats typically in "the middle of the auditorium," which are priced at "a slight premium to Standard Sightline seats."

Value Sightline pricing is only available to members of the AMC Stubs loyalty club, including the free tier, while paid members can reserve preferred sightline seats at no additional cost.

The ticketing initiative represents the latest attempt by a major movie theater chain to boost attendance and revenue after the coronavirus pandemic forced theaters to temporarily shutter.

A Feb. 28 story by deadline.com quoted AMC CEO Adam Aron as saying, “We are in inflationary times, and inflationary times cause costs to rise.” Sightline is an alternative to raising prices on all seats, rather than just popular ones, he said.

Aron said the company understands this represents “a substantial change to the status quo for U.S. moviegoers."

Sightline ticketing applies to all shows after 4 p.m. at participating locations. It's not applicable on Tuesdays, when AMC sells tickets at a discount.

AMC said theaters that offer variable pricing will provide a detailed seat map that will outline each option when patrons purchase tickets online, on the AMC app and at the box office.

The greater Rochester area has just one AMC theater — the AMC Webster 12 at 2190 Empire Blvd., Webster, and it isn't clear when it might move to the tiered model.

AMC plans to roll it out nationwide by the end of the year but hasn't provided dates.

Reporter Marcia Greenwood covers general assignments. Send story tips to mgreenwo@rocheste.gannett.com. Follow her on Twitter @MarciaGreenwood.

This article originally appeared on Rochester Democrat and Chronicle: AMC ticket prices will soon be different depending on seat location