Cinema solutions firm Barco is rolling out HDR by Barco to select AMC Theatres, B&B Theatres and Regal Cinemas in U.S. markets including Los Angeles, New York and Dallas this fall. The company touted the display technology for titles mastered in HDR at CinemaCon, where attendees were treated to a specially graded trailer from Paramount’s “Top Gun: Maverick” and taped remarks from the film’s producer Jerry Bruckheimer and director Joseph Kosinski. Barco described the installation of its new HDR laser projectors as a “commercial pilot program” designed to heighten the moviegoing experience for the 2024 holiday season. Continue reading HDR by Barco Rolls Out in Theaters as a Fall Commercial Pilot

The summer Olympics are coming to a theater near you, courtesy of NBCUniversal and AMC Theatres. NBC will extend daily live coverage of the 2024 Paris Olympics events to 160 AMC locations nationwide, from July 27-August 11. Tickets will be available for purchase through AMC and Fandango this summer. Excluding opening and closing ceremonies, select daytime hours of the NBC network’s coverage will be telecast live to the big screens as they unfold in Paris. A 2024 Paris Olympics promotional trailer will begin running in AMC Theatres beginning March 29. Continue reading NBC Teams with AMC to Bring Live Olympics to the Big Screen

AMC Theatres is closing its on-demand movie streaming service and transferring users and their content libraries to Vudu, a digital rental and sales streaming platform owned by NBCUniversal’s Fandango. Beginning last week, customers were invited to transfer their AMC Theatres On Demand accounts to Vudu, where they will be “upgraded to the highest-quality format” the platform offers, including 4K Ultra HD. Migrating customers will also receive 15 percent off any titles purchased within their first month of Vudu service. Since 2019 the theater chain has been offering AMC Stubs loyalty members on-demand movie delivery. Continue reading AMC Theatres Ends Streaming and Ports Customers to Vudu

MoviePass, the movie theater ticketing platform, segued from its beta test and waitlisting to nationwide availability ahead of Memorial Day weekend. The company, which is relaunching under new ownership following a bankruptcy, is offering subscription plans starting with Basic at $10 per month for 1-3 movies, up to the Pro plan for $40 per month for as many as 30 films. There’s also a 3-7 Standard plan for $20, and a 5-11 movie Premium package for $30. MoviePass says it has more than 4,000 participating theater locations — including those from the AMC Theatres, Cinemark and Regal Cinemas chains. Continue reading MoviePass Goes Live Again with 4,000 Participating Theaters

Having survived global theater closures due to COVID-19, a Chapter 11 bankruptcy and a change in ownership, MoviePass is back. Informally known as MoviePass 2.0, the company has launched a website for MoviePass Beta that says it is “launching to the public summer 2023.” The resurrection of MoviePass appears well-timed to take advantage of pent-up demand for the moviegoing experience. An August 2022 waitlist, opened for only five days, experienced volume sufficient to crash the server. Prospective subscribers are told to sign up for email advisories of further availability. Continue reading MoviePass Beta Preps for Summer Launch with Limited Tests

AMC is switching to tiered ticketing, with premium seats costing more. Sightline at AMC will provide seating priced according to the view of the movie screen, with sections designated Value Sightline, Standard Sightline and Preferred Sightline. AMC chief marketing officer and EVP Eliot Hamlisch said Sightline’s “experienced-based pricing” puts movie ticket sales more in line with the way seats are priced at other entertainment venues, such as those featuring music and sports. Sightline at AMC has launched in select markets and the company expects it to expand to additional AMC and AMC DINE-IN locations through 2023. Continue reading AMC Introduces Movie Ticket Prices Based on Seat Location

AMC Theatres is getting in on the growth in Zoom popularity by introducing two-way video-equipped rooms. Working with Zoom Video Communications, AMC will equip Zoom Rooms in 17 of its major markets’ theaters in 2023. “This combines the excellent experience of Zoom with the comfort and state-of-the-art sight and sound technology of AMC’s modern and centrally located theaters,” AMC said of the new alliance, which targets “companies and other entities with decentralized workforces and customer bases to bring people from different markets together for virtual and in-person events and meetings.” Continue reading AMC and Zoom to Offer Videoconferencing in Movie Theaters

The MoviePass subscription theater ticket service appears on track for a re-launch. The company was purchased by one of its original co-founders, Stacy Spikes, as a liquidated asset of parent company Helios and Matheson Analytics, which filed Chapter 7 bankruptcy in 2020. Spikes was upon launch in 2011 the CEO of MoviePass, which Helios acquired in 2017. He released a statement last week confirming the acquisition, which was “encouraged by the continued interest from the moviegoing community,” and said he hopes to relaunch the service next year with new investors. Continue reading Co-Founder Acquires MoviePass, Aims to Relaunch Next Year

U.S. movie theaters brought in nearly $100 million in ticket sales over the four-day Memorial Day weekend. The top two titles were Paramount’s “A Quiet Place Part II,” which earned $48.4 million in three days (and $57 million over the full four days) and Disney’s “Cruella,” which made $27 million in four days, after an earlier Disney+ release. This performance has been the best box office since the advent of the global COVID-19 pandemic, although it was less than half of the $232 million earned in the same holiday period in 2019. Continue reading Movie Theaters Report Upswing for Strong Holiday Weekend

When COVID-19 hit last year, AMC Entertainment had just taken on $4.8 billion in debt, a combination of a modernization effort that started in 2012 and acquiring competing movie chains to become the world’s largest movie theater company. Now, almost a year into the pandemic, AMC’s debt has risen to $5.5 billion — not including deferred rental payments. Pre-pandemic, AMC generated $5.5 billion a year in revenue. AMC Entertainment chief executive Adam Aron was the first to ink a deal for a limited exclusivity window. Continue reading AMC Chief Exec Adam Aron Still Optimistic in Perilous Times

AMC Theatres introduced a plan to open about 100 locations as early as August 20 and two-thirds of its 600 theaters by September 3. An earlier plan to open was abandoned after strong backlash. Now, customers and employees will be required to wear masks, seating in auditoriums will be limited and the company will implement social distancing and increased cleaning. Furthermore, AMC stated that masks, which would be sold at the theater for one dollar, must “cover your nose and mouth and fit snugly around your face and chin.” Continue reading AMC to Open Two-Thirds of Its U.S. Theaters by September 3

The COVID-19 pandemic has hit AMC Entertainment, the world’s largest movie-theater chain, particularly hard. After registering a $2.2 billion net loss for Q1, it made “virtually no revenue” in the first two weeks of the quarter ending March 30. Now, AMC chief executive Adam Aron says he hopes to get AMC Theatres in the U.S. and U.K. open in July, although he did not specify a date. AMC has 1,000 theaters with 11,000 screens in several countries. In California, 51 counties have been approved to reopen movie theaters as soon as June 12. Continue reading AMC Prepares to Open Most of its Theaters Worldwide by July

AMC Theatres told its investors that “substantial doubt exists about our ability to continue as a going concern for a reasonable period of time.” In a new 8-K filing, ahead of its earning call next week, the company described how it is trying to survive but also stressed how badly the coronavirus pandemic is eroding its financial stability. The movie theater chain had $5 billion in debt by the end of 2019 and continues to borrow more. Adding to its woes is the worry that distributors will postpone new film releases. Continue reading AMC Expresses ‘Substantial Doubt’ About its Chain’s Survival

In response to precautions being taken to avoid spread of the coronavirus, AMC Theatres announced that, as of yesterday, it is closing its U.S. locations for at least 6-12 weeks while remaining flexible to comply with CDC and government guidelines. “AMC Stubs A-List members will automatically have their accounts paused” for the period of closure (without billing or payments), while film fans “are encouraged to continue the AMC movie-watching experience through AMC Theatres On Demand.” AMC joins Regal Cinemas, which announced earlier that it would be closing all its theater locations “until further notice.” Continue reading Coronavirus: AMC Is Latest Theater Chain to Close Locations

AMC Theatres is launching an iTunes-style digital video store today in the U.S. that will allow AMC Stubs members to rent or purchase movies for home viewing. Similar to the model introduced by Amazon, Apple and other VOD retailers, AMC Theatres On Demand will offer about 2,000 movies following their theatrical runs, despite the fact that chains have generally been at odds with online video. A major theater chain joining the expanding collection of studios, networks, tech companies and popular platforms already embracing this technology illustrates the impact of streaming video on entertainment media. Continue reading AMC Joins the Streaming Business with On-Demand Movies