Elijah Wood Calls Out AMC Cinemas For Changing The Price Of Movie Tickets

Elijah Wood, star of The Lord of the Rings, has taken to Twitter to push back against AMC Theatres’ controversial new pricing initiative.

AMC’s new program, Sightline, generously described as the “next evolution of value pricing at the movies,” will see movie ticket prices vary based on seat location and proximity to the screen.

This three-tiered pricing system will offer front row and select ADA seats at the lowest prices, standard seats at traditional prices, and premium seats with the “best view” at slightly higher prices.

“The movie theatre is and always has been a sacred democratic space for all and this new initiative @AMCTheatres would essentially penalise people for lower income and reward for higher income,” Wood wrote on Twitter.

Wood went on to respond to defenders of the tiered pricing system in the comments, emphasizing that tiered pricing has never been implemented in movie theatres before, and that the new system is not about choice, but about income.

Wood wrote: “those that can only afford less (or are less willing to pay a premium) will get worse seats than those who can and want to pay more.”

Eliot Hamslisch, EVP and CMO of AMC Theatres, defended the program, stating that it aligns with the seat pricing approach of many other entertainment venues and provides moviegoers with another way to “find value” at the movies. Hamslisch claimed that tiered pricing allows guests to “have more control over their experience.”

This is not the first time AMC Theatres has experimented with ticket pricing. Last year, AMC increased prices for the opening weekend of The Batman by $1 to $2, compared to the prices of other movies playing at the time.

Wood wasn’t the only Twitter user to speak out against tiered ticket pricing. AMC’s announcement was met with a mix of anger and fatigue; surge pricing, paywalls and micro-transactions seem almost inescapable in the current moment.

Even Twitter, under Elon Musk’s proposals, is turning into a pay-to-play landscape where users who pay for verification are given more visibility, less ads, and the opportunity to earn money from viral content.

The last few years has seen heated online discourse regarding the role of the movie theatre, as the industry faces unprecedented challenges from the pandemic, and heated competition from streaming services and social media platforms.

Many film lovers have argued that the movie theatre is special, a place where a diverse crowd of strangers can come together and watch a film in darkness, free from distraction.

Movie theatres are struggling to survive, and tiered pricing is an experiment that risks alienating audiences, and punishing low-income customers. After all, it has never felt less essential to catch the latest blockbuster in theatres, because viewers know that it will soon appear on the small screen, often included in the price of a monthly subscription.

The cinema is the place to experience a film with a crowd (which comes with the risk of loud, annoying moviegoers ruining the immersion), or to witness jaw-dropping spectacle like Avatar: The Way of Water. As Wood wrote, the cinema is “a sacred democratic space for all.”

It would be nice to keep it that way.