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(CNN)   AMC reveals the final form of the all-reserved seating evolution in movie theaters: the "best" seats are going to cost you more. The only surprise is that it took this long   (cnn.com) divider line
86
    More: Facepalm, United States, Price, Film, Marketing, Seating assignment, Pricing, AMC Theaters, movie theaters  
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757 clicks; posted to Business » on 06 Feb 2023 at 12:05 PM (6 weeks ago)   |   Favorite    |   share:  Share on Twitter share via Email Share on Facebook



86 Comments     (+0 »)
View Voting Results: Smartest and Funniest


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ImpendingCynic
2023-02-06 12:07:43 PM  
My couch is free. Keep it up, leeches.
 
cocozilla
2023-02-06 12:08:06 PM  
I got an absolutely fabulous seat every time. 65 inch OLED TV... Atmos and dtsx. No annoying people talking. Infinitely better popcorn. And if it gets boring I can make out with my wife and no one cares...lol.

plus cats.

I used to love going to the theater but now it's overpriced and underperforms. Not to mention the fact that it feels like you're in a goddamn petri dish. Once upon a time that communal experience of going to a movie was amazing, but no more.
 
NewportBarGuy [TotalFark] [OhFark]
2023-02-06 12:09:09 PM  
So, what they're saying is that they will declare bankruptcy by next week.
 
Meatsim1
2023-02-06 12:11:27 PM  

cocozilla: I got an absolutely fabulous seat every time. 65 inch OLED TV... Atmos and dtsx. No annoying people talking. Infinitely better popcorn. And if it gets boring I can make out with my wife and no one cares...lol.

plus cats.

I used to love going to the theater but now it's overpriced and underperforms. Not to mention the fact that it feels like you're in a goddamn petri dish. Once upon a time that communal experience of going to a movie was amazing, but no more.


Not to mention most movies are so boring and cliche there's no way I can sit for 1.5-2 hours watching one without being bored out of my mind
 
jso2897
2023-02-06 12:12:39 PM  
They need to start selling all their tickets through Ticketmaster.
 
Vhale [TotalFark]
2023-02-06 12:14:29 PM  
Some movies are amazing in front of a big screen. But, when  most of the time theaters are half empty? I'm not paying for an obvious attempt to charge for the empty seats. What are they going to do, have an intermission where they check to see you are in your assigned spot?

Fark user imageView Full Size
 
jbc [TotalFark]
2023-02-06 12:15:04 PM  
Either they'll have to pay more staff to go in each theater to enforce this, or they'll start seating people in groups like Southwest Airlines. Either way, this is doomed to fail.
 
Lexx
2023-02-06 12:15:23 PM  
I do feel for the theatres a little bit.   They have a pretty shiatty business model, made even shiattier by the fact that The Mouse has bought up so many studies.  Disney alone controls more than 50% of domestic box office sales, and they're putting the screws to the theatres with pricing.  Ticket sales alone don't even break a theatre even on the cost of the movie itself much less rent, payroll, utilities, etc.  Concessions are literally their lifeline.
 
Mangoose [TotalFark]
2023-02-06 12:16:11 PM  
I mean, the theaters around me with a  rows of lazy boys or other lux type seating has been charging more for good seats for a long while now.
 
Meat's dream [OhFark]
2023-02-06 12:16:13 PM  
I honestly don't remember the last time I went to an AMC theater and had a good experience.  I held my nose to go see Avatar at the local Imax and the heat was broken.  In Montana.  But they still sold tickets.  They just had a couple poor teenagers at the exit handing out free passes as an apology after the movie.  I didn't take one because I intend to never return.

The worst part about the whole thing is now I feel like an angry boomer trying to return soup at a deli.
 
Hoobajube
2023-02-06 12:17:40 PM  
Enshiattification defines our times.
 
Dick Gozinya
2023-02-06 12:18:54 PM  
Took my oldest kid to see Puss n Boots Last Wish the week it opened at the theatre. We had to pick out seats but sat wherever the fark we wanted because there was only 6 other people in there and 2 of them were teenagers up in the makeout/blowjob seats at the very back.

I dont really go to the movies all that much anymore, but I suspect we had the average experience these days: a 90+% empty theatre. So, yeah, put me in the cheapest seats you got because I'm sitting where I want and nobody is there to argue about it.
 
DeathByGeekSquad
2023-02-06 12:20:20 PM  
I'll pay extra so the farking HS kids and families with little kids who run around can't sit farking near me.

Had a farking family bring BLANKETS to a midnight showing with their toddler.
 
scottydoesntknow [TotalFark]
2023-02-06 12:21:42 PM  

Mangoose: I mean, the theaters around me with a  rows of lazy boys or other lux type seating has been charging more for good seats for a long while now.


Yeah, the difference there is all of the recliners are the same price. Now they want to charge you more to sit in a recliner toward the center of the theater.

And obviously tickets won't be lowered if they're in a shiatty spot like the front row.
 
Hoobajube
2023-02-06 12:26:20 PM  

cocozilla: I got an absolutely fabulous seat every time. 65 inch OLED TV... Atmos and dtsx. No annoying people talking. Infinitely better popcorn. And if it gets boring I can make out with my wife and no one cares...lol.

plus cats.

I used to love going to the theater but now it's overpriced and underperforms. Not to mention the fact that it feels like you're in a goddamn petri dish. Once upon a time that communal experience of going to a movie was amazing, but no more.


I have a distinct memory of waiting in line for the opening night of Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace.  In the before-before-times of pre 9/11.  People were dressed up, all the chairs were filled and everyone experienced it together with a naiveté of all the suckage the next 20+ years would bring.
 
drewogatory
2023-02-06 12:33:21 PM  
I'm baffled at people who say a full theater improves the experience. An EMPTY theater, sure. Empty theaters are great. But unless everyone in that full theater knows to sit down and stfu, it's going to suck.
 
Znuh [TotalFark] [OhFark]
2023-02-06 12:38:28 PM  
Pay more for getting fishbowled / hot boxed in your cinematic petri dish. 
HMMMMMMMM
 
cocozilla
2023-02-06 12:41:08 PM  

Hoobajube: cocozilla: I got an absolutely fabulous seat every time. 65 inch OLED TV... Atmos and dtsx. No annoying people talking. Infinitely better popcorn. And if it gets boring I can make out with my wife and no one cares...lol.

plus cats.

I used to love going to the theater but now it's overpriced and underperforms. Not to mention the fact that it feels like you're in a goddamn petri dish. Once upon a time that communal experience of going to a movie was amazing, but no more.

I have a distinct memory of waiting in line for the opening night of Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace.  In the before-before-times of pre 9/11.  People were dressed up, all the chairs were filled and everyone experienced it together with a naiveté of all the suckage the next 20+ years would bring.


In an era pre-spoilers and YouTube, it was extraordinary going to a theater and feeling a communal excitement with films such as jaws, raiders the Lost ark, or star wars. occasionally some film comes along that conjures even a faint echo of what that was like, but today, even with the so-called blockbusters, the whole experience feels far more passive.
 
Fear the Clam
2023-02-06 12:42:32 PM  

Hoobajube: I have a distinct memory of waiting in line for the opening night of Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace.  In the before-before-times of pre 9/11.  People were dressed up, all the chairs were filled and everyone experienced it together with a naiveté of all the suckage the next 20+ years would bring.


I'd be happy to blame all the high-octane suckage of the last 24 years on The Phantom Menace.
 
sleze
2023-02-06 12:42:39 PM  
Was going to see Avatar 2 in 3D in the theater over the holidays but I heard it was a 3 hour snoozefest.  I'll watch it on Disney+.
 
grimlock1972
2023-02-06 12:43:17 PM  
I so seldom go to see a movie in the theater this just isn't gonna affect me much.  Mind they can forget me about talking me into buying one of their premium tickets when i do.

That said i wonder if the force behind this change is actually the theater chain or Hollywood studios running an experiment as the theaters get nothing or next to nothing from actual ticket sales as the studios take that money.
 
Cyberluddite [TotalFark] [OhFark]
2023-02-06 12:47:06 PM  
The "best" seats are the one farthest away from the assholes who talk during the whole movie and/or are constantly texting or otherwise farking around on their phones, though I'm guessing these considerations are not components of the pricing structure.
 
krebshack
2023-02-06 12:48:29 PM  
"What if we found a way to monetize and profit off of any remaining joy in our customer's lives?"

- AMC CEO probably
 
FormlessOne
2023-02-06 12:48:32 PM  

ImpendingCynic: My couch is free. Keep it up, leeches.


Yep. Good screen, plenty of snacks, don't have to worry about undesirable behavior or individuals, a near-zero chance of violent crime, and I can pause the whole damned thing should I need to hit the bathroom.
 
drewogatory
2023-02-06 12:48:50 PM  
https://www.revivalhubla.com/

One of the few benefits of living near LA. If I'm going to the theater I'd far rather see Paths of Glory ,Ball of Fire or even GWTW.
 
NewportBarGuy [TotalFark] [OhFark]
2023-02-06 12:56:57 PM  
It was all ruined once the talkies came along.
 
koder [TotalFark] [OhFark]
2023-02-06 12:58:07 PM  

cocozilla: Hoobajube: cocozilla: I got an absolutely fabulous seat every time. 65 inch OLED TV... Atmos and dtsx. No annoying people talking. Infinitely better popcorn. And if it gets boring I can make out with my wife and no one cares...lol.

plus cats.

I used to love going to the theater but now it's overpriced and underperforms. Not to mention the fact that it feels like you're in a goddamn petri dish. Once upon a time that communal experience of going to a movie was amazing, but no more.

I have a distinct memory of waiting in line for the opening night of Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace.  In the before-before-times of pre 9/11.  People were dressed up, all the chairs were filled and everyone experienced it together with a naiveté of all the suckage the next 20+ years would bring.

In an era pre-spoilers and YouTube, it was extraordinary going to a theater and feeling a communal excitement with films such as jaws, raiders the Lost ark, or star wars. occasionally some film comes along that conjures even a faint echo of what that was like, but today, even with the so-called blockbusters, the whole experience feels far more passive.


Also those movies could be anything.  Like, who knows what twists and turns and whatnot they could take.  Nazi faces melting off? Holy f'ing shat!!

Nowadays, the plots are neutered to appease places like China, and they only go with safe, rigorously-focus-group-approved projects.

I'd say games are the place to be, but even that's getting infected by a similar cancer, where addiction and monetization have taken over.  But hey, at least he's like Stray seem to still be coming out.
 
Johnson [BareFark]
2023-02-06 1:16:51 PM  
Can't wait for this "feature" to hit my local AMC.
Right now everyone is "really excited" that after being closed for 2 years and being about 6 months late re-opening  they can "go to the movies" again.

"Support your Local Publicly Traded Corporation Theatre!" they are shouting.
"There were only 11 people when I went!  Go now and support them or we will lose this!"
"They still have $5 matinees"
"If they played something like 2000 MULES, the place would be full all the time!  Go Woke, Go Broke!"
"What do you mean I have to pay more for tickets now?  Where is the Manager?"
 
huma474
2023-02-06 1:16:56 PM  
Skip the big box movie chains when you can and go to one of the ones with comfy seats instead. Pandemic hurt Alamo Draft House but there's still places like that or groups who bought out the Alamo Theaters due to the pandemic bankruptcy.
 
delsydsoftware [TotalFark] [OhFark]
2023-02-06 1:27:28 PM  
The last time I was at a theater, Obama was in office. I bought a projector and a 109" screen a few years ago. Sure, it takes up a huge amount of space on a wall. But, I get that same theater experience, except with good food and cats. Plus, I'm not being exposed to every virulent disease under the sun. Without fail, I would get sick after going to see a movie in the theater. I can only imagine watching a movie in covid times...I'll pass.
 
Ivo Shandor [TotalFark] [OhFark]
2023-02-06 1:34:10 PM  

drewogatory: I'm baffled at people who say a full theater improves the experience. An EMPTY theater, sure. Empty theaters are great. But unless everyone in that full theater knows to sit down and stfu, it's going to suck.


It depends on the movie. Sometimes an energetic crowd enhances the experience. Snakes on a Plane was a good example of this.
 
SpectroBoy [TotalFark] [OhFark]
2023-02-06 1:36:19 PM  
Popcorn hits $100 per ounce

<we need a bigger tv>

Movie soda prices surpasses printer ink prices

<fine we need surround sound>

Sit in a theater surrounded by twits on cell phones, children, and talkers

<fiiiine, we need an ATMOS capable amp and a gigwatt subwoofer>

See what you made me do?
* Cheap booze
* Pause for bio breaks
* Pants optional


Ok, maybe theaters did me a favor in the larger picture.
 
Autoerotic Defenestration
2023-02-06 1:38:00 PM  
Fark user imageView Full Size
 
kmgenesis23
2023-02-06 1:39:31 PM  
So AMC decides to make going to the theater a LESS attractive option than it already is? Good luck with that.
 
iamskibibitz
2023-02-06 1:40:18 PM  
I thought most of the ticket revenue flowed back to the studios, so I'm not sure why there's an incentive to do this (unless the theater can capture the surplus I guess). Either way, they've been pricing this way at larger venues (stadiums, concert halls, etc) forever, so I'm kind of surprised this hasn't happened a lot sooner.
 
Mangoose [TotalFark]
2023-02-06 1:48:51 PM  

kmgenesis23: So AMC decides to make going to the theater a LESS attractive option than it already is? Good luck with that.


At this point in my life, I don't care about movies enough to rush out and see them. It got fun again when my kids were younger and there was some new hype movie they wanted to see. But now, there's nothing they're all that interested in. Comic books movies and the sort are "been there done that" to them. Good guys win, bad guys lose. Most of the stuff they want to see is on streaming services or other less.......well, available elsewhere.
 
joen00b
2023-02-06 1:55:35 PM  
I go out to the theater about once every 3 months, just enough time to forget how much I hate going to the theater.
 
tedthebellhopp
2023-02-06 1:57:30 PM  
Some upper management thought of a great idea to earn back some of their lost revenue from the pandemic. There's no way this is going to backfire on them.
 
Stig2112
2023-02-06 2:08:55 PM  
The Oatmeal had this figured out years ago
 
natazha [BareFark]
2023-02-06 2:10:59 PM  

tedthebellhopp: Some upper management thought of a great idea to earn back some of their lost revenue from the pandemic. There's no way this is going to backfire on them.


Good to know the economy has picked up enough that you need reservations for movies.

In a case study class back in 1980, we analyzed General Cinema's business plan. Without concessions, movie theaters were running at a loss even then.
 
mrmaster
2023-02-06 2:14:22 PM  

koder: cocozilla:
Nowadays, the plots are neutered to appease places like China, and they only go with safe, rigorously-focus-group-approved projects.


My Rebuttal:
Fark user imageView Full Size
 
stoolpigeon
2023-02-06 2:20:30 PM  
I rented out a full theater for the latest Avatar. It was way cheaper than I expected and we had a great time. It  was around half as much as taking the same group of friends and family out to dinner
 
Mangoose [TotalFark]
2023-02-06 2:20:39 PM  

mrmaster: koder: cocozilla:
Nowadays, the plots are neutered to appease places like China, and they only go with safe, rigorously-focus-group-approved projects.

My Rebuttal:
[Fark user image 425x239]


Small budget meme movies are not what he's talking about. There are movies that exist outside of the big budget make or break movies. But, like or not, a large portion of the population will not be seeing those
 
edmo [TotalFark] [OhFark]
2023-02-06 2:22:27 PM  
Didn't take long to recover from the COVID-era "please come back we need you or we're gonna go out of business we'll even cut prices" business model.
 
thornhill
2023-02-06 2:24:53 PM  

iamskibibitz: I thought most of the ticket revenue flowed back to the studios, so I'm not sure why there's an incentive to do this (unless the theater can capture the surplus I guess). Either way, they've been pricing this way at larger venues (stadiums, concert halls, etc) forever, so I'm kind of surprised this hasn't happened a lot sooner.


Studios have historically been resistant to any kind of variability with ticket pricing, so I wouldn't be surprised if they've previously blocked attempts to do this.
 
frestcrallen [TotalFark]
2023-02-06 2:27:04 PM  
The agoraphobia is strong in this thread.
 
cocozilla
2023-02-06 2:53:22 PM  

frestcrallen: The agoraphobia is strong in this thread.


The common sense of not spending so much money to go out and see something that you can enjoy (often in better quality and certainly less disturbance at home) is also strong...
 
drewogatory
2023-02-06 3:04:49 PM  
I have adhd, so 1 person farking around on their phone or whatever totally kills my ability to concentrate. I can only watch TV with no sound + music, or when no one else is home.
 
bigdanc
2023-02-06 3:17:06 PM  

drewogatory: I'm baffled at people who say a full theater improves the experience. An EMPTY theater, sure. Empty theaters are great. But unless everyone in that full theater knows to sit down and stfu, it's going to suck.


I really used to enjoy the full theaters for the jokes during previews cheering and laughing as a crowd.  Have not had an interest in the crowd experience since the dark knight shooting, though.
 
kkinnison [OhFark]
2023-02-06 3:28:42 PM  
I also want tranquilizer blow darts for anyone who makes too much noise or has to get up a 2nd time to go to the bathroom
 
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