Actor Elijah Wood is calling out AMC over their new ticket price scheme, saying it penalizes lower income people while rewarding people of a higher income.
via Deadline:
“The movie theater is and always has been a sacred democratic space for all and this new initiative by @AMCTheatres would essentially penalize people for lower income and reward for higher income,” the actor tweeted Tuesday following news yesterday by the world’s biggest theater circuit that it will be charging higher prices for seats with the best “sightline” to the screen.
Less attractive locations — like the first row — are cheaper.
The world’s biggest exhibitor does this already in an unspecified number of theaters and will continue the rollout this year.
With the theatrical industry still on shaky ground post-pandemic as the box office recovers rather slowly, this is a way to boost revenue and drive people to the AMC loyalty program. The new pricing won’t apply to AMC Stubs A-List members, or to most theaters in mostly smaller markets where there is no reserved seating. The chain has reserved seating at most large-market locations.
The program is called Sightline AMC and applies to all showtimes after 4 p.m., except on Discount Tuesday. Seating options within an auditorium will now be in Value Sightline, Standard Sightline or Preferred Sightline sections. Standard Sightline, the most common, is sticking to the traditional ticket cost. The company said the initiative “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.”
I most definitely agree with Elijah, because this new idiotic idea from AMC CEO Adam Aron feels very haves vs the have nots.
You go to a concert, and the most expensive seats are closer to the stage, while the nosebleed seats are the cheapest.
Why should I as a moviegoer have to pay more money for a good seat in a movie theater? It just all sounds idiotic to me.
All this will do is prevent people from wanting to come to the movies, and with TV's getting bigger and cheaper with quality surround sound that would rival any Dolby theater, people will just start waiting for movies to pop up On Demand and on a streaming service.