AMC to adjust movie ticket prices based on how good your seat is

If you want the best view of the screen, that indescribable feeling we get when the lights begin to dim is about to get more expensive.

AMC Theatres will start adjusting the price of a movie ticket based on where a seat is located in the auditorium. The theater chain announced the initiative, which it's dubbing "Sightline at AMC," on Monday.

According to AMC, seats will be divided into three categories: Value Sightline, Standard Sightline, and Preferred Sightline. Value Sightline seats are mostly located in the front row of the auditorium, and they'll be available at a lower price for AMC Stubs members. Standard Sightline seats are the most common, and they'll go for the "traditional cost of a ticket." But Preferred Sightline seats, which AMC said are "typically in the middle of the auditorium," will cost "slightly more." AMC didn't specify how much of a premium or a discount will be offered.

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up

Movie theaters typically adjust a ticket's price based on the showtime or the format in which the film is projected. But some have also experiemented with charging more or less depending on the movie itself. In 2022, some theaters charged a premium on tickets for The Batman. On the flip side, theaters recently offered lower prices for the film 80 For Brady. AMC said Monday its new pricing approach will be similar "to that of many other entertainment venues," namely concerts.

Sightline at AMC will apply to all showtimes beginning after 4 p.m. at participating locations, AMC said. It's launching starting in "select markets" before expanding to all U.S. locations by the end of 2023. The premium on Preferred Sightline tickets will be waived for members of AMC's subscription service, AMC Stubs A-List.