Experienced-based pricing. It sounds quite evocative on paper. However, with many of the larger theatrical chains still struggling to balance their books after the tough years of the pandemic, one does have to wonder how wise pricing up the best seats in the house really is- when the lure of a seat at home is still strongly competitive. Brandon Blake, our inside expert and entertainment attorney at Blake & Wang P.A, unpacks this surprising development.
Sightline at AMC
Launched as ‘Sightline at AMC’ on February 10th, the new program will inflate ticket prices based on how favorable a seat location is within the theater. While it is only trialing in certain key AMC locations, it is expected to roll out to all AMC Theaters which allow reserved seating by the end of the year. There’s three tier options:
Standard Sightline (common seats, which keep the ‘traditional’ pricing)
Value Sightline (for front row seats and certain ADA-compliant seating, with a price reduction if you have AMC Stubs membership)
Preferred Sightline (premium costing for premium seats in the theater)
While AMC Stubs A-list members can keep traditional pricing for these seats, everyone else can expect a $1-$2 price rise. We can already see a $2 premium for Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania in effect.
Attractive or Anti-social?
There has been sufficient recovery in the domestic theatrical market to show that the idea of a film as a ‘night out’ is strong with audiences. Despite the allure of watching from your couch on streaming, people still want to experience the full effect of theatrical releases. However, when there’s already ‘convenience charges’ on advanced ticket purchases, is another price increase really going to help their recovery? This will, of course, be the million dollar question. I guess we just wait and see for now.
Film and Television 