Elijah Wood has had it up to here with this AMC preferred seating nonsense
“The movie theater is and always has been a sacred democratic space for all,” says the ever-correct Mr. Wood
AMC is up their old tricks again. Hot off of Regal Cinemas filing for bankruptcy and shuttering 39 theaters, the only other game in town decided to make the moviegoing experience that much worse: Higher prices for “better” seats. Nothing says “come to the movies” quite like “we’re more outrageously expensive than ever.” Thankfully, one person who disapproves is national treasure and the ring bearer in all our hearts, Elijah Wood, and he has a big platform.
Tweeting on behalf of the theatergoing public, Wood took a Morgul knife to the heart of AMC’s hair-brained scheme.
“The movie theater is and always has been a sacred democratic space for all,” he wrote. “This new initiative by @AMCTheatres would essentially penalize people for lower income and reward for higher income.”
He has a point. AMC plans to launch a program called “AMC Sightline,” breaking the theater down into three sightlines: Value, Standard, and Preferred, reminding audiences that some seats in AMC’s auditorium suck while others are preferred. The company announced the plan to appeal to its investors, which we assume includes people who hate going to movies and Redditors still hanging on to their meme stocks.
“Sightline at AMC 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,” said Eliot Hamlisch, EVP and CMO of AMC Theatres. “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. Sightline at AMC accommodates both sentiments to help ensure that our guests have more control over their experience, so that every trip to an AMC is a great one.”
It looks like they made a mistake in the press release. Sightline at AMC doesn’t “accommodate” moviegoers who like sitting in the center. It penalizes people who have already paid an exorbitant amount to go to the theater. It wouldn’t be surprising if even more people said, somehow, heartbreak feels just as good at home. As Elijah Wood put it, “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. I’m not sure this benefits anyone, really.” See, Elijah Wood gets it. We don’t know what’s going on with the rest of these weirdos.