AMC ticket pricing game changer

Theaters will now price tickets based on seat location

Paige Blakemore Staff Writer

Sitting quietly in the dark, buttery popcorn in hand, Nicole Kidman’s infamous AMC commercial playing and the anticipation of seeing something one has never seen before. It is the feeling that never gets old.

When the lights go down and the projector starts up, everybody in the cinema becomes one.There is no experience quite like going to a movie theater.

On Feb. 6, AMC Entertainment announced a new ticket pricing system, called “Sightline,” that will be in effect in theaters across the nation by the end of the year.

According to “The New York Times,” the new prices will be like that of sporting events, Broadway shows and concerts, with the middle seats being the most expensive tickets and the front row being the cheapest.

“Value Sightline” tickets will be $2 less and

“Preferred Sightline” tickets will be $1 more.

Sightline excludes movie times before 4 p.m., discounted tickets on Tuesdays and members of AMC’s loyalty program, A-List. Also, discounted tickets for children and seniors still apply.

This change will only take place in theaters that use reserved ticketing, so Milledgeville’s very own AMC theater will not be affected. Broke college kids do not have to worry about pouring out extra pennies when their favorite movies hit the big screen.

With the rise of the streaming age and the decline in moviegoers, movie theaters have been trying to find ways to entice people back into the theaters over the past two decades.

As reported by “Variety,” box office revenues have declined 61 percent since pre-COVID, 2019. However, only 5 percent of US theaters have been forced to shut down since the start of the pandemic.

Some filmmakers have spoken out against AMC hindering the way their art is portrayed.

Actress, director and producer Elizabeth Banks, best known for her work in “The Hunger Games,” told “Insider,” “For me, it’s about access. I just want to make sure that we are creating as much access to our entertainment as possible.”

Acclaimed American actor Elijah Wood, best known for his portrayal of Frodo Baggins in “The Lord of the Rings” and “The Hobbit” trilogies, took to Twitter to address his negative feelings on the change.

“The movie theater is and always has been a sacred democratic space for all, and this new initiative by @ AMCTheatres would essentially penalize people for lower income and reward for higher income,” Wood said.

When asking GC students their thoughts on the ticket price changes, many had differing opinions.

“People are definitely going to other theaters,” said Erin Finnegan, a first-year mass communications major. “I’ve already switched from AMC because of their prices.” tions major, compared the pricing to that of the controversial ticket monopoly, Ticketmaster.

“This is like the Official Platinum of Ticketmaster,” Jalbert said. “These are like the ‘bet- it,” said Mccomis. “Who really wants to crane their head? If you get in there late, you’re paying $15 to have a headache.”

In a statement made by Eliot Hamlisch,

Finnegan went on to say, “I feel like the price difference should really depend on the way you’re watching it. Like, 3D should be more. If I’m just going to watch a standard movie on a standard screen, it doesn’t matter where I’m sitting.”

Isabella Jalbert, freshman mass communica- ter seats,’ and they’re not even better seats. They’re the same as everything else, just so much more expensive.”

While many were unhappy with AMC, others had optimistic outlooks, including Bella Mccomis, a freshman English major.

“Personally, I’m a fan of

Marvel release radar: too much to handle?

Davis Shaw

Staff Writer

Entertainment giant Marvel is currently taking over the industry, with an average of three movies a year as well as a handful of TV show releases. Though this release schedule and the universe building format of the franchise is copied by many other franchises of the day, many fans have experienced oversaturation.

This sentiment started surfacing around the first few post-“Avengers: Endgame” releases.

Many fans say the reaction is a response to the quantity-over-quality practice that the studio established.

The popular Marvel director Joe Russo, who made films like “Captain America: The Winter Soldier,” “Avengers: Infinity War “and “Avengers: Endgame,” even weighed in on the situation.

“The corporate agenda is: Do you like chocolate ice cream? Well, here’s chocolate ice cream with sprinkles, here’s chocolate ice cream with fudge,” Russo said. “It’s their job to turn the money printer on.”

Bailey Parker, a sophomore English major, weighed in on the handling of the current MCU.

“I’ve been keeping up with the MCU, probably since “Captain America: The First Avenger” was released,” Parker said. “I’ve watched ‘WandaVision,’ ‘Falcon and the Winter Soldier’ and ‘Hawkeye.’ Out of those, I do think that they’re worth watching. As far as the others go, I’m not really interested.” from the beginning.

An interesting point brought up by Parker was the fact that the only Marvel shows that she had not watched were the ones that were more recently released.

“The direction that Marvel is going hasn’t really interested me,” Parker said.

“I think at least ‘Loki’ is worth a watch, since a lot of that show sets up

AMC’s vice president and chief marketing officer, he praises the new ticketing system, saying, “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.”

“I just feel like they’re starting on a decline.

She even mentioned how the oversaturation of the franchise might affect the audience attendance of future projects.

“I think the quality of the past few movies has been bad,” Parker said. “Show-wise, the ones that I’ve seen were good. The recent ones, I heard, weren’t the best. I think the quality will deter audiences.

Sloan Freeman, a sophomore environmental science major, has also been keeping up with the MCU the future MCU,” Freeman said. “I’m sure in shows like ‘She-Hulk,’ there are some references and lore, but at the same time, I’ll just figure it out on TikTok or YouTube.”

He brings up an inter- esting point, as long-time viewers of the MCU can, in fact, start skipping certain projects through recaps on social media sites, like YouTube, TikTok or Instagram.

Freeman also thinks that the new oversaturation of Marvel with the introduction of the TV shows will hurt the franchise.

“I think, potentially, it could,” Freeman said. “If they take it in the right direction, then everything is smooth sailing and fine. It just depends on if they want to keep fo- cusing on the TV shows.”

The oversaturation of Marvel and, more specifically, the MCU, could have a big negative impact on the future of the franchise.

As of now, Disney announced that only “Loki,” a show about the multiverse that will establish the basis for the MCU going forward, season two and “Secret Invasion,” a show about famed alien villains the Skrulls taking over Earth, will be the only two shows released in 2023.