Party Like It’s 1920!
Hey, if they follow through on this, I may just not leave the movie theater on reopening day. I’ll pack a sleeping bag and just watch movies all day long. According to a new report from AMC Theaters, it’s a two pronged attack to get butts back in seats for the company.
On one hand, it’s there to give people an incentive to come back after theaters being closed for 6 months. Much easier to swallow 15 cents a ticket then $15 before concessions.
Celebrate a century of movies at AMC with 15¢ tickets to any movie on Thursday, August 20! Hurry – get your tickets online now before they sell out! https://t.co/FyQXj4G9qb pic.twitter.com/1TQcT2iU35
— AMC Theatres (@AMCTheatres) August 13, 2020
Additionally, it also coincides with the first centennial anniversary of the AMC brand. Back in August of 1920, the two Dubinsky brothers opened up the first ever AMC in Kansas City, Missouri. When in 1920, tickets cost roughly less than a quarter, AMC figured it would be a good time to celebrate.
Celebrate the reopening by respecting the past and giving people a reason to come back and see movies. Of course, until around the beginning of September, movies shown in theaters will be reruns of popular/classic films.
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AMC Theaters will have a lot to prove
For those of us who never got to see films like Empire Strikes Back in theaters, it will be on the docket for the first month. After the centennial anniversary is over, tickets for legacy films will cost roughly $5 a ticket. After August, when we can expect to see new films, tickets will increase to $10, dependent on market demand.
Currently, the big ticket item to see this year is the film Tenet. Christopher Nolan’s latest film has been highly anticipated for years, and the trailer barely whetted fan appetite. Unfortunately for the SciFi Thriller, it has been facing nothing but setbacks for the better part of this year.
Going from a mid June release to a late July release to an early August release to a late August release and now a September release. Tenet got put through the ringer, but Warner Bros did manage to find a little bit of a workaround. Films like Tenet will be shown internationally first, since most theaters are reopening earlier, before making their way to US chains.
Which means that while the UK gets to see Tenet in late August, we have to wait until early September. But, if any of the Behind the Scenes interviews and rumors are true, Tenet is going to be a film like no other. Which we certainly believe, given Christopher Nolan’s filmography lineup.
It Won’t Be Easy
AMC Theaters will have a lot to prove, however. While it is good news to see the theater making some headway in reopening and properly setting up a venue, it may be too little too late. After they compromised on window times withy Universal, a lot of dissent was thrown against them by rival companies. Not only that, but AMC Theaters had been struggling against the competition even before COVID hit.
Meaning that if this reopening fails to take off, AMC Theaters could be looking at a very long road to recovery. Especially if Cinemark plays its cards right and comes back stronger than AMC Theaters does.
Until then, we’ll be sure to keep you updated with all the news from AMC Theater reopenings!
