AMC Movie Theaters -- typical OR not?

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bertilak
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AMC Movie Theaters -- typical OR not?

Post by bertilak »

It has been many years since I have been in a movie theater but we were visiting my daughter and she really wanted us to go with her to see a specific movie, so we went.

The movie was playing in an AMC theater and I was pleasantly surprise how nice the theater was:
  • limited seating so not many people to make lots of noise
  • seats tiered in a way so the is no one immediately behind nor in front
  • seats assigned when you buy tickets, which is done online, like on an airplane
  • big roomy, comfy, seats with motorized recliners
Is this typical of most modern big-chain theaters or is AMC significantly better than most

Prices seemed reasonable: $30 for three of us.
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Re: AMC Movie Theaters -- typical OR not?

Post by arcticpineapplecorp. »

We have Regal where I am and your description matches exactly with their redesign which occurred just a couple years ago.
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Re: AMC Movie Theaters -- typical OR not?

Post by JMacDonald »

The CineMark theater that I go to see the Met Opera HD Broadcast has remodeled all of their screens with lounge seating like what you described.
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Re: AMC Movie Theaters -- typical OR not?

Post by TravelGeek »

bertilak wrote: Sat May 05, 2018 7:56 pm I was pleasantly surprise how nice the theater was:
  • limited seating so not many people to make lots of noise
  • seats tiered in a way so the is no one immediately behind nor in front
  • seats assigned when you buy tickets, which is done online, like on an airplane
  • big roomy, comfy, seats with motorized recliners
Is this typical of most modern big-chain theaters or is AMC significantly better than most
Describes my living room, except for the ticket buying thing (but we do have assigned motorized recliners).

I don’t think our Regal theater has those features yet, but I go maybe 2-3 times a year. I can’t stand the sticky floors and the crunching noise of popcorn and candy wrappers.
Last edited by TravelGeek on Sat May 05, 2018 9:01 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: AMC Movie Theaters -- typical OR not?

Post by bob60014 »

Indicative that fewer people are going to the movies, unless it's a blockbuster.
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Re: AMC Movie Theaters -- typical OR not?

Post by ResearchMed »

bertilak wrote: Sat May 05, 2018 7:56 pm It has been many years since I have been in a movie theater but we were visiting my daughter and she really wanted us to go with her to see a specific movie, so we went.

The movie was playing in an AMC theater and I was pleasantly surprise how nice the theater was:
  • limited seating so not many people to make lots of noise
  • seats tiered in a way so the is no one immediately behind nor in front
  • seats assigned when you buy tickets, which is done online, like on an airplane
  • big roomy, comfy, seats with motorized recliners
Is this typical of most modern big-chain theaters or is AMC significantly better than most

Prices seemed reasonable: $30 for three of us.
We've got a new theatre near us that has several relatively small sub-theatres each like this.
There is menu service.
There are two tiers.
The front section (some are way too close to the screen!) with limited refreshments, mostly just popcorn.
The back 2/3, which have much more plush recliners, and a fairly wide selection of food, some from a nice restaurant next door.
All served.
All seats are selected online when one purchases tickets (or in the lounge, if not sold out in advance).

Children must be accompanied, and are not allowed in the back (nicer) section after 6pm.

Elsewhere, most of the cinemas are just like they were, with rows of mediocre seats, not assigned.

A few have one cinema that is re-designed along these lines, including the one that shows the Met Opera.

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Re: AMC Movie Theaters -- typical OR not?

Post by SrGrumpy »

bertilak wrote: Sat May 05, 2018 7:56 pm Prices seemed reasonable: $30 for three of us.
Whoa! Atypical. Are you posting from the 1990s? I don't know if you can get into a discount theater for much under $10 around here.

Sounds like a great experience. Hope the movie was fun, too. The "upscale" theaters in my neighborhood are showing their age.
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Re: AMC Movie Theaters -- typical OR not?

Post by jlawrence01 »

SrGrumpy wrote: Sat May 05, 2018 9:11 pm
bertilak wrote: Sat May 05, 2018 7:56 pm Prices seemed reasonable: $30 for three of us.
Whoa! Atypical. Are you posting from the 1990s? I don't know if you can get into a discount theater for much under $10 around here.

That is market specific.

I do not think that I have spent more than $7.50 for a movie in the past five years with the senior discounts, $6 Tuesdays, and some of the sponsored film festivals. And nearly all the theatres are recently remodeled but they don't have all of the crazy seat technology. By the way, MOSt of the theatres are Cinemarks. The discount houses closed a couple of years ago.
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Re: AMC Movie Theaters -- typical OR not?

Post by joe8d »

Haven't been in a theater since 1974 when you could see a matinee for a $1.
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Re: AMC Movie Theaters -- typical OR not?

Post by student »

I just went to a movie chain with this setup a few days ago. I went to a matinee screening and I paid $6 for the ticket plus $1 fee to purchase it online. I wanted to buy it in advance to pick the seat.
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Re: AMC Movie Theaters -- typical OR not?

Post by jhfenton »

bertilak wrote: Sat May 05, 2018 7:56 pm It has been many years since I have been in a movie theater but we were visiting my daughter and she really wanted us to go with her to see a specific movie, so we went.

The movie was playing in an AMC theater and I was pleasantly surprise how nice the theater was:
  • limited seating so not many people to make lots of noise
  • seats tiered in a way so the is no one immediately behind nor in front
  • seats assigned when you buy tickets, which is done online, like on an airplane
  • big roomy, comfy, seats with motorized recliners
Is this typical of most modern big-chain theaters or is AMC significantly better than most

Prices seemed reasonable: $30 for three of us.
That’s typical for both AMC and Cinemark in Cincinnati. Almost everything is reserved seating with comfy automatic recliners. Our pricing is about the same too as well. It’s a bit more or less than that depending on what you see and when.
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Re: AMC Movie Theaters -- typical OR not?

Post by stuper1 »

We have at least one theater in our area with that setup, but most don't have that setup. Was watching a movie there one time from the recliner when the sound of loud snoring became very audible from all the way across the theater. I wish it wasn't true, but I feel strange lying back in such comfort right next to a complete stranger.
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Re: AMC Movie Theaters -- typical OR not?

Post by SrGrumpy »

jlawrence01 wrote: Sat May 05, 2018 10:32 pm
SrGrumpy wrote: Sat May 05, 2018 9:11 pm
bertilak wrote: Sat May 05, 2018 7:56 pm Prices seemed reasonable: $30 for three of us.
Whoa! Atypical. Are you posting from the 1990s? I don't know if you can get into a discount theater for much under $10 around here.

That is market specific.

I do not think that I have spent more than $7.50 for a movie in the past five years with the senior discounts, $6 Tuesdays, and some of the sponsored film festivals.
Very market specific, obviously. And not everyone is a senior citizen. In the showbiz capital of the world, the high-profile theaters are definitely showing their age but happy to charge at least $15 entry. I'd go to premieres for billion-dollar movies at rinky-dink venues in Westwood (Bruin, Fox) and Hollywood (Arclight, Grauman's) - Brad and Angelina would be crammed into their seats a few rows behind me - and I'm thinking, "How embarrassing is this?"

So yeah, mightily jealous of OP and others with similar experiences.
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Re: AMC Movie Theaters -- typical OR not?

Post by Afty »

Our local Cinemark theater has also switched to the motorized recliners and assigned seating. They are fantastic.
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Re: AMC Movie Theaters -- typical OR not?

Post by bertilak »

Thanks all for the input.

It is interesting to see how the movie business is reacting to the new reality: in-home entertainment with larger screens, more choices and more convenient access to content, etc..

Now all they need to do is come up with better movies! Most of the popular movies seem to be aimed at the comic book crowd, a demographic that may fade out.
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Re: AMC Movie Theaters -- typical OR not?

Post by oldcomputerguy »

arcticpineapplecorp. wrote: Sat May 05, 2018 8:04 pm We have Regal where I am and your description matches exactly with their redesign which occurred just a couple years ago.
Regal here as well, overall experience is as OP described except no assigned seating.
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Re: AMC Movie Theaters -- typical OR not?

Post by JMacDonald »

SrGrumpy wrote: Sat May 05, 2018 11:35 pm
jlawrence01 wrote: Sat May 05, 2018 10:32 pm
SrGrumpy wrote: Sat May 05, 2018 9:11 pm
bertilak wrote: Sat May 05, 2018 7:56 pm Prices seemed reasonable: $30 for three of us.
Whoa! Atypical. Are you posting from the 1990s? I don't know if you can get into a discount theater for much under $10 around here.

That is market specific.

I do not think that I have spent more than $7.50 for a movie in the past five years with the senior discounts, $6 Tuesdays, and some of the sponsored film festivals.
Very market specific, obviously. And not everyone is a senior citizen. In the showbiz capital of the world, the high-profile theaters are definitely showing their age but happy to charge at least $15 entry. I'd go to premieres for billion-dollar movies at rinky-dink venues in Westwood (Bruin, Fox) and Hollywood (Arclight, Grauman's) - Brad and Angelina would be crammed into their seats a few rows behind me - and I'm thinking, "How embarrassing is this?"

So yeah, mightily jealous of OP and others with similar experiences.
Well, if you are willing to go early in the day, you can see a show for less:
https://www.cinemark.com/Tickets/?Theat ... 6T09:20:00
Prime time will cost you more.
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Re: AMC Movie Theaters -- typical OR not?

Post by tennisplyr »

I love the AMC theater near us, clean, modern, and very roomy.
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Re: AMC Movie Theaters -- typical OR not?

Post by Sheepdog »

SrGrumpy wrote: Sat May 05, 2018 9:11 pm
bertilak wrote: Sat May 05, 2018 7:56 pm Prices seemed reasonable: $30 for three of us.
Whoa! Atypical. Are you posting from the 1990s? I don't know if you can get into a discount theater for much under $10 around here.

Sounds like a great experience. Hope the movie was fun, too. The "upscale" theaters in my neighborhood are showing their age.
Same here. Our AMCs are not that way....not close for comfort or price!
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Re: AMC Movie Theaters -- typical OR not?

Post by Bacchus01 »

Marcus theaters in our area are 100% this format. Must reserve seats. Big comfy recliners. The experience has brought us back to the theater. $8 is normal price and then they have $5 Tuesday.

Popcorn and soda is ridiculously expensive, however.
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Re: AMC Movie Theaters -- typical OR not?

Post by Bacchus01 »

bertilak wrote: Sun May 06, 2018 5:57 am Thanks all for the input.

It is interesting to see how the movie business is reacting to the new reality: in-home entertainment with larger screens, more choices and more convenient access to content, etc..

Now all they need to do is come up with better movies! Most of the popular movies seem to be aimed at the comic book crowd, a demographic that may fade out.
I’m curious on your thoughts on that demographic fading out. My kids (9, 12, 16) LOVE Marvel and Star Wars despite having none of the context of either that I had as a child.
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Re: AMC Movie Theaters -- typical OR not?

Post by KSOC »

Sounds like the AMC nearest us at the local mall. If you can catch an AM movie Adult price is $6.
I may go once a year and that's at my wife's urging.
What bugs me is the 20 minutes of commercials & trailers before your show.
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Re: AMC Movie Theaters -- typical OR not?

Post by anil686 »

Typical now of almost all movie chains in major metros for sure. I am not sure about rural theaters yet. Many have reclining chairs as well (motorized recliners) and many in the DFW area are under $10 earlier in the day. The chains I am referring to are: Harkins, Cinemark, Alamo, AMC. Probably more. Smaller chains really into movies like Alamo even have a kick out policy for cell phones or noise - and keep their theaters extremely dark which (at least for me) creates an awesome movie going experience...
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Re: AMC Movie Theaters -- typical OR not?

Post by rob65 »

Bacchus01 wrote: Sun May 06, 2018 8:36 am
bertilak wrote: Sun May 06, 2018 5:57 am Thanks all for the input.

It is interesting to see how the movie business is reacting to the new reality: in-home entertainment with larger screens, more choices and more convenient access to content, etc..

Now all they need to do is come up with better movies! Most of the popular movies seem to be aimed at the comic book crowd, a demographic that may fade out.
I’m curious on your thoughts on that demographic fading out. My kids (9, 12, 16) LOVE Marvel and Star Wars despite having none of the context of either that I had as a child.
I suspect the typical BH isn’t in the demographic that movie studios are focused on. They’re not that worried about people that go to a matinee showing a couple of times per year. They’re much more focused on the people who pay full price on Friday and Saturday night of opening weekend, and that skews heavily towards the 15-25 age range. If they’re willing to pay extra for 3D, all the better. That means big budget action movies with lots of CGI. Also, international revenue is increasingly important to studios and action movies translate better - humor in particular is very culture specific.

More to the question asked, I think the Marvel, DC, and Star Wars franchises have great staying power. They appeal to a young demographic and the superhero fighting the villain is a pretty universal theme. I go to maybe 2 movies in a typical year, but I’ll pay to see the next Star Wars movie on opening weekend. (Although probably at the noon Saturday showing and definitely not in 3D. :happy )
Last edited by rob65 on Sun May 06, 2018 10:01 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: AMC Movie Theaters -- typical OR not?

Post by Utahdogowner »

joe8d wrote: Sat May 05, 2018 10:52 pm Haven't been in a theater since 1974 when you could see a matinee for a $1.
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Re: AMC Movie Theaters -- typical OR not?

Post by JMacDonald »

KSOC wrote: Sun May 06, 2018 8:37 am What bugs me is the 20 minutes of commercials & trailers before your show.
I agree that is worst part of going to the movies.
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Re: AMC Movie Theaters -- typical OR not?

Post by fsrph »

Local Cinemark converted to all the things you mentioned a few years ago - recliners, small theater size, tiered seating. Price is under $10 if you go before 6pm unless you choose an XD show.

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Re: AMC Movie Theaters -- typical OR not?

Post by scrabbler1 »

Several area theaters near where I live (Long Island) allow you to buy tickets on line and select seats (Fandango). Even if you don't buy the seats on line, you can often see how many have already been sold and where the remaining seats within the seating area are located. If you don't buy them on line, you do get to select specific seats at the box office. Some of those are AMC. I usually go to late morning matinees which cost about $7 per ticket. Traffic, parking, and low attendance make it a pleasant experience, except for the 20 minutes of annoying trailers and ads, as others have pointed out.

A few theaters have those recliners which are really nice. I think they are AMC. Regal, meanwhile, closed a theater about 2 years ago down the street from where I live to expand and renovate. They are going to reopen very soon so I will be interested to see how much better it is than before. Maybe they will have those recliners, too. And I will get $2 off my first ticket because I have a gift card from a few years ago I didn't fully use.
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Re: AMC Movie Theaters -- typical OR not?

Post by nisiprius »

Yes, it's typical. That is, movie theatres in general have improved over the last couple of decades.

In the 1970 and 1980s, for reasons that are not clear to me, movie theatres went way downhill. They started building multiplexes wth shoebox-shaped auditoriums from which you couldn't see well if you were in back, sound that spilled over between adjacent auditoriums so you heard explosions from space action movies while you were watching a romantic comedy, and careless projection. The film was placed on big platter so that no reel changes were necessary, one projectionist would run different movies in different auditoriums at the same time, and if the film was out of focus or there was a problem with the sound it might take forever for them to find out about it and fix it.

Starting maybe around 2000 or so, we had a sort of repeat of the fifties all over again. The movie industry suddenly got justifiably panicked by the advances in "home theatre" systems, and realized that nobody was going to go out to the movies if they actually got a better experience at home. So gradually we began to get "stadium seating," big screens, excellent sound systems, and digital projection. Much better than a couple of decades ago.

If you don't know what I mean by a repeat of the fifties, movie studios were terrified by the advent of television, even on 17" black-and-white screens. They actually refused to license any halfway-recent movies for broadcast, and in the theatres themselves they started to introduce CinemaScope, stereophonic sound, and so forth.
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Re: AMC Movie Theaters -- typical OR not?

Post by White Coat Investor »

bertilak wrote: Sat May 05, 2018 7:56 pm It has been many years since I have been in a movie theater but we were visiting my daughter and she really wanted us to go with her to see a specific movie, so we went.

The movie was playing in an AMC theater and I was pleasantly surprise how nice the theater was:
  • limited seating so not many people to make lots of noise
  • seats tiered in a way so the is no one immediately behind nor in front
  • seats assigned when you buy tickets, which is done online, like on an airplane
  • big roomy, comfy, seats with motorized recliners
Is this typical of most modern big-chain theaters or is AMC significantly better than most

Prices seemed reasonable: $30 for three of us.
Sure, if you're happy with your price, that's what it buys. On Tightwad Tuesday at the local second run theater here it's like 75 cents a ticket (regularly $1.50) So I guess if I'm going to spend >10 times as much, I would expect some of the niceties you mention.

In big cities, a movie ticket may be $15 these days by the way. $10 is actually pretty good.
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Re: AMC Movie Theaters -- typical OR not?

Post by HueyLD »

TravelGeek wrote: Sat May 05, 2018 9:00 pm
II can’t stand the sticky floors and the crunching noise of popcorn and candy wrappers.
Yes, that's a real problem. But theaters make more money selling junk food than selling tickets.
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Re: AMC Movie Theaters -- typical OR not?

Post by anil686 »

White Coat Investor wrote: Sun May 06, 2018 10:48 am Sure, if you're happy with your price, that's what it buys. On Tightwad Tuesday at the local second run theater here it's like 75 cents a ticket (regularly $1.50) So I guess if I'm going to spend >10 times as much, I would expect some of the niceties you mention.

In big cities, a movie ticket may be $15 these days by the way. $10 is actually pretty good.
I have found the inverse to be true in more rural areas in terms of higher costs per ticket due to little theater competition and probably decreased snack sales as they tend to be located in the center of the chain restaurant district :). In the DFW area and I have noticed the same thing to some extent in Southern California - the sheer numbers of megaplexes from different movie chains seem to have driven down the price of tickets. Not to mention the increasing availability of "dine in" experiences and meal like snacks at these theaters seem to be where they are trying to generate profits IMO rather than ticket sales...

We also have the discounted movie places with second run films - also at that price and you can buy the tickets online in advance (without reserved seating) for an extra buck each for those with anxiety of not being able to see the second run film :)). The problem with our second run theaters in the DFW area are many of them are fairly dirty with the sticky floors, smelly seats/theaters.

Also to the OP - you can get gold AMC tickets from Costco at a substantial discount a couple of times a year where it averages out to something like $7 a ticket and they are good anytime - matinee or not...
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Re: AMC Movie Theaters -- typical OR not?

Post by Bacchus01 »

rob65 wrote: Sun May 06, 2018 9:43 am
Bacchus01 wrote: Sun May 06, 2018 8:36 am
bertilak wrote: Sun May 06, 2018 5:57 am Thanks all for the input.

It is interesting to see how the movie business is reacting to the new reality: in-home entertainment with larger screens, more choices and more convenient access to content, etc..

Now all they need to do is come up with better movies! Most of the popular movies seem to be aimed at the comic book crowd, a demographic that may fade out.
I’m curious on your thoughts on that demographic fading out. My kids (9, 12, 16) LOVE Marvel and Star Wars despite having none of the context of either that I had as a child.
I suspect the typical BH isn’t in the demographic that movie studios are focused on. They’re not that worried about people that go to a matinee showing a couple of times per year. They’re much more focused on the people who pay full price on Friday and Saturday night of opening weekend, and that skews heavily towards the 15-25 age range. If they’re willing to pay extra for 3D, all the better. That means big budget action movies with lots of CGI. Also, international revenue is increasingly important to studios and action movies translate better - humor in particular is very culture specific.

More to the question asked, I think the Marvel, DC, and Star Wars franchises have great staying power. They appeal to a young demographic and the superhero fighting the villain is a pretty universal theme. I go to maybe 2 movies in a typical year, but I’ll pay to see the next Star Wars movie on opening weekend. (Although probably at the noon Saturday showing and definitely not in 3D. :happy )

So, the demographic of the comic book crowd wontnin fact go away? Not sure where you are going.

I think the theater industry has done a tremendous job resurrecting themselves. I have a 120” HD theater with massive reclining theater chairs. And I watch way more movies in the theater in a given year than I watch in the home theater.
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Re: AMC Movie Theaters -- typical OR not?

Post by AAA »

I haven't gone to a movie theater in years. I got fed up with people thinking they should be able to talk whenever they want.
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Re: AMC Movie Theaters -- typical OR not?

Post by EnjoyIt »

This is atypical. Most theaters don't have this and the ones that do offer only 1 theater in the whole building like this. They have one near me and I love the experience particularly the Dolby Atmos surround sound it provides. I even have my favorites seats I like to prepurchase I. Advance. Here it costs $28 for two tickets.
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Re: AMC Movie Theaters -- typical OR not?

Post by 123 »

In my area there are significant price differences for movies based on the time of day. Two local theaters with reclining seats charge $6 - $8 for the first show of the day with evening showtime prices of $12 - $14 per person. These prices are for "regular" movies. IMAX 3D movie version prices in these same theaters usually top $18 - $22 per person depending on movie, showtime, and day of week. Luckily I've got MoviePass so while I'm limited to regular movies they are free for me.
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Re: AMC Movie Theaters -- typical OR not?

Post by Bacchus01 »

EnjoyIt wrote: Sun May 06, 2018 12:51 pm This is atypical. Most theaters don't have this and the ones that do offer only 1 theater in the whole building like this. They have one near me and I love the experience particularly the Dolby Atmos surround sound it provides. I even have my favorites seats I like to prepurchase I. Advance. Here it costs $28 for two tickets.
In the Milwaukee area, I can’t think of a single theater that is NOT as the OP described
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Re: AMC Movie Theaters -- typical OR not?

Post by rob65 »

Bacchus01 wrote: Sun May 06, 2018 11:46 am
rob65 wrote: Sun May 06, 2018 9:43 am
Bacchus01 wrote: Sun May 06, 2018 8:36 am
bertilak wrote: Sun May 06, 2018 5:57 am Thanks all for the input.

It is interesting to see how the movie business is reacting to the new reality: in-home entertainment with larger screens, more choices and more convenient access to content, etc..

Now all they need to do is come up with better movies! Most of the popular movies seem to be aimed at the comic book crowd, a demographic that may fade out.
I’m curious on your thoughts on that demographic fading out. My kids (9, 12, 16) LOVE Marvel and Star Wars despite having none of the context of either that I had as a child.
I suspect the typical BH isn’t in the demographic that movie studios are focused on. They’re not that worried about people that go to a matinee showing a couple of times per year. They’re much more focused on the people who pay full price on Friday and Saturday night of opening weekend, and that skews heavily towards the 15-25 age range. If they’re willing to pay extra for 3D, all the better. That means big budget action movies with lots of CGI. Also, international revenue is increasingly important to studios and action movies translate better - humor in particular is very culture specific.

More to the question asked, I think the Marvel, DC, and Star Wars franchises have great staying power. They appeal to a young demographic and the superhero fighting the villain is a pretty universal theme. I go to maybe 2 movies in a typical year, but I’ll pay to see the next Star Wars movie on opening weekend. (Although probably at the noon Saturday showing and definitely not in 3D. :happy )

So, the demographic of the comic book crowd wontnin fact go away? Not sure where you are going.

I think the theater industry has done a tremendous job resurrecting themselves. I have a 120” HD theater with massive reclining theater chairs. And I watch way more movies in the theater in a given year than I watch in the home theater.
I don’t think the comic book demographic is going away. There’s always a new generation interested in this type of movie. These types of movies continue to draw well internationally. A few franchises are strong enough to draw in a more age diverse audience. Even with new home theatre systems, these types of special effects filled movies seem to be something that people will pay to watch in a theatre.
Last edited by rob65 on Sun May 06, 2018 2:46 pm, edited 1 time in total.
madbrain
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Re: AMC Movie Theaters -- typical OR not?

Post by madbrain »

bertilak wrote: Sat May 05, 2018 7:56 pm It has been many years since I have been in a movie theater but we were visiting my daughter and she really wanted us to go with her to see a specific movie, so we went.

The movie was playing in an AMC theater and I was pleasantly surprise how nice the theater was:
  • limited seating so not many people to make lots of noise
  • seats tiered in a way so the is no one immediately behind nor in front
  • seats assigned when you buy tickets, which is done online, like on an airplane
  • big roomy, comfy, seats with motorized recliners
Is this typical of most modern big-chain theaters or is AMC significantly better than most

Prices seemed reasonable: $30 for three of us.

Certainly not typical in Silicon Valley.

At our local AMC, regular tickets are $13.19 . $17.19 for 3D, $19.19 for Dolby Cinema. Matinee tickets are $11.69, senior $10.69 .
Most of the screens don't have assigned seating, either online or at the box office. The only screen that has comfy seats is the Dolby Cinema. The only time I went in that theater, 5 of the 70+ speaker array were emitting strange hissing sounds that made the whole 3 hour movie very unenjoyable. Had to fight with the theater manager to get refunds. They kept selling tickets for that screen for weeks even though the array didn't get fixed by Dolby.

Cinemark theaters are about the same. No regal nearby (30+ miles drive).
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Re: AMC Movie Theaters -- typical OR not?

Post by EnjoyIt »

Bacchus01 wrote: Sun May 06, 2018 1:24 pm
EnjoyIt wrote: Sun May 06, 2018 12:51 pm This is atypical. Most theaters don't have this and the ones that do offer only 1 theater in the whole building like this. They have one near me and I love the experience particularly the Dolby Atmos surround sound it provides. I even have my favorites seats I like to prepurchase I. Advance. Here it costs $28 for two tickets.
In the Milwaukee area, I can’t think of a single theater that is NOT as the OP described
Are you saying every theater room in Milwaukee has SDX video, Dolby Atmos surround sound, recliner leather seats, and assigned seating? If that is the case you are living in a movie theater Meca. This is not the norm in the rest of the US.
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Re: AMC Movie Theaters -- typical OR not?

Post by nisiprius »

HueyLD wrote: Sun May 06, 2018 10:54 am
TravelGeek wrote: Sat May 05, 2018 9:00 pm
II can’t stand the sticky floors and the crunching noise of popcorn and candy wrappers.
Yes, that's a real problem. But theaters make more money selling junk food than selling tickets.
This, too, seems to have gotten much better in recent years. We used to joke about the "non-skid floors" at the local multiplex.
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Re: AMC Movie Theaters -- typical OR not?

Post by squirm »

We rarely go. Generally we'll rent a PPV. Much easier and would rather just watch from our living room. Screen size doesn't impress me, esp with decent size tv's now.
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Re: AMC Movie Theaters -- typical OR not?

Post by jlawrence01 »

^^^

I am far less likely to be interrupted in a movie theatre than I am watching it at home. The wife always says that she wants to watch the movie and there is at least 10 interruptions per movie. No thanks.

Most of the movies that I watch tend to start before 12 noon and are in a nearly empty theatre.
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Re: AMC Movie Theaters -- typical OR not?

Post by Bacchus01 »

EnjoyIt wrote: Sun May 06, 2018 3:17 pm
Bacchus01 wrote: Sun May 06, 2018 1:24 pm
EnjoyIt wrote: Sun May 06, 2018 12:51 pm This is atypical. Most theaters don't have this and the ones that do offer only 1 theater in the whole building like this. They have one near me and I love the experience particularly the Dolby Atmos surround sound it provides. I even have my favorites seats I like to prepurchase I. Advance. Here it costs $28 for two tickets.
In the Milwaukee area, I can’t think of a single theater that is NOT as the OP described
Are you saying every theater room in Milwaukee has SDX video, Dolby Atmos surround sound, recliner leather seats, and assigned seating? If that is the case you are living in a movie theater Meca. This is not the norm in the rest of the US.
Sound and video, is not what the OP said at all, so that would not apply. Everything else? Yes.
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Re: AMC Movie Theaters -- typical OR not?

Post by munemaker »

bertilak wrote: Sat May 05, 2018 7:56 pm It has been many years since I have been in a movie theater but we were visiting my daughter and she really wanted us to go with her to see a specific movie, so we went.

The movie was playing in an AMC theater and I was pleasantly surprise how nice the theater was:
  • limited seating so not many people to make lots of noise
  • seats tiered in a way so the is no one immediately behind nor in front
  • seats assigned when you buy tickets, which is done online, like on an airplane
  • big roomy, comfy, seats with motorized recliners
Is this typical of most modern big-chain theaters or is AMC significantly better than most

Prices seemed reasonable: $30 for three of us.
I went to a AMC theater (out of my home area) over the weekend. While a nice theater, it did not have any of the features you mention. Cost was $7.95.
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Re: AMC Movie Theaters -- typical OR not?

Post by EnjoyIt »

Bacchus01 wrote: Mon May 07, 2018 6:09 am
EnjoyIt wrote: Sun May 06, 2018 3:17 pm
Bacchus01 wrote: Sun May 06, 2018 1:24 pm
EnjoyIt wrote: Sun May 06, 2018 12:51 pm This is atypical. Most theaters don't have this and the ones that do offer only 1 theater in the whole building like this. They have one near me and I love the experience particularly the Dolby Atmos surround sound it provides. I even have my favorites seats I like to prepurchase I. Advance. Here it costs $28 for two tickets.

In the Milwaukee area, I can’t think of a single theater that is NOT as the OP described
Are you saying every theater room in Milwaukee has SDX video, Dolby Atmos surround sound, recliner leather seats, and assigned seating? If that is the case you are living in a movie theater Meca. This is not the norm in the rest of the US.
Sound and video, is not what the OP said at all, so that would not apply. Everything else? Yes.
OP likely did not realize the other amenities in such a theater. AMC has been implementing these throughout the country. Originally called AMC Prime and later the name changed to Doubly Cinema. It is the whole package and what OP likely experienced. I can tell based on the reclining leather seating.
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Re: AMC Movie Theaters -- typical OR not?

Post by NoVa Lurker »

We rarely go to movies these days, but when we have gone the past few years, it has always been a great experience. Fun crowds, perfect sound, no obstructed views, comfortable seating.

Back when I used to go to movies a lot, in the 90s and early 2000s, there were frequent sub-par experiences. Theaters have improved dramatically. And prices are not that bad -- we're never going to pay all the upcharges to see stuff in IMAX 3D at night, etc.

Still, there's not much except Star Wars that can get us into the theaters these days.
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Re: AMC Movie Theaters -- typical OR not?

Post by Glockenspiel »

There was a movie theater (not AMC) built a year ago near my home, with large, oversized recliner chairs with footrests and large armrests and stadium seating with no obstructed views, Dolby Atmos sound, and you can select your seat at purchase. But, I think the cost for a ticket is around $11.50.
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Re: AMC Movie Theaters -- typical OR not?

Post by jhfenton »

EnjoyIt wrote: Mon May 07, 2018 8:33 am OP likely did not realize the other amenities in such a theater. AMC has been implementing these throughout the country. Originally called AMC Prime and later the name changed to Doubly Cinema. It is the whole package and what OP likely experienced. I can tell based on the reclining leather seating.
Except that the reclining leather seating is now ubiquitous in markets like Cincinnati. AMC just calls them AMC Signature Recliners. Cinemark calls them Luxury Loungers. Every newer or renovated theater has them in every auditorium. In Cincinnati, you have to go outside the I-275 beltway to find AMC or Cinemark theatres without leather recliners and reserved seating.

Dolby Cinema applies to a subset of movies at those upgraded theatres. Looking at the AMC theatre in Newport, KY (on the Ohio River across from downtown Cincinnati), only one movie playing today is labeled as Dolby Cinema (Avengers: Infinity War). All of the movies are labeled as featuring Reserved Seating and AMC Signature Recliners. (The theater also has a bar and hot food.)
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Re: AMC Movie Theaters -- typical OR not?

Post by bertilak »

EnjoyIt wrote: Mon May 07, 2018 8:33 am OP likely did not realize the other amenities in such a theater. AMC has been implementing these throughout the country. Originally called AMC Prime and later the name changed to Doubly Cinema. It is the whole package and what OP likely experienced. I can tell based on the reclining leather seating.
(OP here)
Oh I did realize that both the sound and video were well above the standards I remembered but tried to keep my post less wordy, figuring that what I did write would get my point/question across.

I did explore the AMC web page and saw that Stadium Seating -- what I'm sure I experienced -- is in "select theaters" only. I noticed that the AMC closest to my home does not list Stadium Seating as one of their features.
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