Elijah Wood Slams AMC's New Pricing Plan

UPDATE Feb 7, 2023 6:13 PM CST

AMC Theaters' plan to charge more money for the best seats has sparked a backlash on social media, with Lord of the Rings star Elijah Wood among the most prominent critics, Variety reports. "The movie theater is and always has been a sacred democratic space for all," Wood tweeted Monday night. The new AMC initiative, he said, "would essentially penalize people for lower income and reward for higher income." Under a program set to begin Friday in New York, Chicago, and Kansas City, with other cities to follow, AMC plans to charge more for "Preferred Sightline" seats in the middle of the theater.

Feb 6, 2023 1:47 PM CST

Long after the advent of stadium-style seating in movie theaters, AMC is bringing in stadium-style pricing. The company says that under its "Sightline at AMC" program launching in selected cities Friday, the best seats will cost more and the worst seats will cost less, with average seats kept at the normal price, Variety reports. Front-row seats, or "Value Sightline" seats, will be the lowest-priced and those in the middle of the theater will be higher-priced "Preferred Sightline" seats, reports CNET. AMC says members of its Stubs loyalty program will be able to reserve Preferred Sightline seats at no extra cost. Stubs members will also be the only customers eligible to buy the cheapest tickets. Seats toward the middle will cost a dollar or two more than the "Standard Sightline" seats, reports the AP.

The program "more closely aligns AMC’s seat pricing approach to that of many other entertainment venues, offering experienced-based pricing and another way for moviegoers to find value at the movies,” AMC exec Eliot Hamlisch said in a statement, per Variety. "While every seat at AMC delivers an amazing moviegoing experience, we know there are some moviegoers who prioritize their specific seat and others who prioritize value moviegoing." The company says the program will be launched at locations in New York, Chicago, and Kansas City before expanding to the rest of the country by the end of the year. (More movie theaters stories.)