(WXIN) – AMC’s plan to charge different prices based on where moviegoers are seated is no longer coming to a movie theater near you.
The cinema chain announced its “Sightline” program in February, which introduced a three-tier pricing system that charges moviegoers different prices depending on their seat. The “Prime” seats were the most expensive.
AMC Theaters launched the initiative in three markets and had planned to roll it out nationwide by the end of 2023.
The company has instead decided to scrap the idea entirely, calling Sightline a “pilot testing program” in an update released Thursday.
AMC Theaters is making major changes to its concession stands
The company said consumers haven’t changed their behavior enough to justify permanent pricing at Sightline.
Discounts on the front seats didn’t make them any more attractive to movie buffs, and higher prices for the “best seats” didn’t stop anyone from choosing them.
In fact, people sat where they usually sat, regardless of the price.
“More than three out of four guests who previously sat in Preferred Sightline continued to choose Preferred Sightline seating, even at a slight premium,” AMC said in a press release. “And about 9 out of 10 of those guests continued to buy tickets at AMC Theaters, either in the Preferred Sightline area or elsewhere in the theater.”
The theater chain is testing a new strategy to make front-row seats more attractive: replacing them with large lounge-style seating areas. According to AMC, the lounge chairs allow moviegoers to recline all the way back, making it easier for them to see the action by sitting closer to the screen without straining their necks.
The theater chain will bring the new concept to selected markets from “end of 2023”.
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