AMC Theatres Admits Mistake And Rollbacks Controversial Policy
AMC is getting rid of its unpopular Sightline price model just a few months after first announcing it. According to The Hollywood Reporter AMC Theatres plans to phase out the experimental program over the next few weeks.
AMC Theatres is rolling back its Sightline pricing model, which charged more for seats in the center of the theater.
The movie theater chain intends to replace Sightline with a new seating concept that would focus on making the seats at the very front of the theater—long considered the worst place to sit—just as desirable as those in the middle and back.
It was February when AMC first announced plans to implement a price model closer to live events than the current “one ticket price for all” model that movie theaters have always operated under. The Sightline program saw AMC charge more for seats in the middle of the theater—usually considered the best place to sit—and less for seats up close to the screen.
AMC initially tried to defend its Sightline program by comparing it to the tiered system of pricing used for concerts and sporting events.
There was a lot of backlash against AMC’s new pricing model, which may be partially why they’ve decided to scrap it and try something new.
AMC initially tried to defend its Sightline program by comparing it to the tiered system of pricing used for concerts and sporting events. Needless to say, the comparison is disingenuous at best.
The difference between going to your local AMC to see a movie and attending a Taylor Swift concert at Radio City Music Hall is, of course, astronomical—something AMC must have finally realized.
Movie theaters are designed so that no matter where someone sits, they get the same viewing experience as everyone else—give or take some neck craning depending on your viewing angle.
Meanwhile, watching T Swift from close enough to see up her nose is worlds apart from—and therefore far more expensive—sitting in the balcony and having to constantly try and figure out which ant is belting out “Shake it Off.”
Apparently, the company failed to take into account that whatever money customers saved by purchasing a cheaper front-row ticket wouldn’t be enough to cover the cost of seeing a chiropractor for their newly broken neck.
AMC’s new idea is to elevate the experience of sitting in the front row at the movies until (theoretically) all the seats offer the same level of comfort. The company described its new concept for the front of the theater as “large, comfortable lounge style seating areas,” where viewers can “lay all the way back and relax.”
The theater chain claims that the angle of the new seats will make watching movies from the front row “more enjoyable.”
The company stumbled upon the new seating idea when it noticed during the Sightline trial phase that several consumers were willing to shell out more money for what AMC dubbed “premium seats,” but almost no one was willing to sit up front even when it was the cheaper option.
Apparently, the company failed to take into account that whatever money customers saved by purchasing a cheaper front-row ticket wouldn’t be enough to cover the cost of seeing a chiropractor for their newly broken neck.
With movies spending less and less time in theaters and more of them skipping the theatrical release stage altogether and going straight to streaming, movie theaters are trying to do anything they can to remain in business.
Hopefully, AMC’s new idea for comfier front-row seats will be more successful than their Sightline program. Unfortunately, one can’t help but wonder if all these gimmicks being employed by the theater industry like 4D and premium seats are just vain attempts at life support for an industry that is slowly dying.
