Will AMC’s ‘sightline’ ticket pricing alienate moviegoers?

AMC Theatres recently revealed a new ticket pricing scheme called “Sightline,” which will add pricing weight to more preferable seats in cinemas, such as the middle, and offer “value” seating in less desirable spots, like the front few rows.

While this may appeal to a very niche group of people with tight purse strings who genuinely don’t care about where they sit in the cinema, or weirdos that find genuine enjoyment in craning their necks in the front few rows, the Sightline pricing scheme isn’t finding itself with many fans.

After all, the only logical reason most people would ever want to sit in the front row would be either for the sake of accessibility, or because they’ve waited too long to purchase tickets for the first day of a big cinema event. 

Social media is pretty up in arms about Sightline, with many reactions to the scheme also making mention of changing allegiances to (or proudly flaunting their franchise of choice) Cinemark:

While jumping ship to a chain that isn’t thinly veiling a price hike on seats people actually buy on normal days may seem like the most obvious thing to do, the reality is that in many, if not most cases, folks are geographically restricted to the cinema chain nearest to them.

So, is the Sightline scheme alienating moviegoers? Well, it depends on how significant the price changes will be over time, and how stretched your wallet is. Preferred seating will reportedly add $1 to the price, while value seating shaves $2 from the standard price. 

The change affects moviegoers on a case-by-case basis, but the fact that a cinema chain is starting to behave like an airline is saddening all around. At least it’s 2023 and we can eventually stream whatever it is we’re trying to catch.