Elijah Wood Criticizes AMC Theaters Seat-Based Ticket Price Changes

By Aaron Perine

AMC Theaters proposed a tiered pricing system for different seats in theaters and Elijah Wood dislikes the idea. The Lord of the Rings star joined a chorus of people who took issue with the idea this week. AMC is still trying to get revenue back up to pre-pandemic levels and this new seat-based ticket price initiative is one way they thought about doing it. Needless to say, trying to raise the price on good seats seeing the same movie didn't go over well on the Internet. Wood is far from alone in his criticism of the move, a lot of people claimed it was classist and lead to only rich people getting to see their favorite movies with a nice experience on opening nights and such. But, the Yellowjackets actor also thought about the idea of such a practice as it related to film's history as a medium. 

Yes, there have been different sections before, but in the modern era, picking your seat in a theater is looked upon as a unifying moment for a lot of movie-goers. Check out what else the Twitter post said. "The movie theater is and always has been a sacred democratic space for all," Wood said to his fans. "This new initiative by AMC Theatres would essentially penalize people for lower income and reward for higher income."

What Did AMC Say Upon Revealing Their Plans?

"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, executive VP and CMO at AMC Theatres wrote about the proposed pricing structure. "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."

If you're wondering what the three tiered pricing system would look like, the company laid that out this week. It's a lot to unpack:

  • Value Sightline includes "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.)
  • Standard Sightline consists of "seats that are the most common in auditoriums and are available for the traditional cost of a ticket."
  • Preferred Sightline entails "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 secure Preferred Sightline seats at no extra cost.

What do you think of tiered pricing systems? Let us know down in the comments!

6comments

Related:

Comments ( 6 )

of