Deal: Rent a Private AMC Auditorium Starting at $99 plus tax

If you have been nervous to go back to the theaters, here is a way to make that feel a little more private, host a private party for up to 20 people at an AMC auditorium.  Movie theaters have been hit hard by COVID and it looks like AMC is trying some new ways to get people back in theaters.  Renting out a theater might help to limit the concerns for people nervous about public outings.  

For more information, head to this link here.  

Please note, that this is starting at $99.  I would imagine a screening of something older like Coco, which normally sells tickets for $5 would be $99 whereas a screening of Tenet might be higher.  But still, it is an interesting way to ensure social distancing or trusted guests at your movie.  

From the link: 

Host a personal screening for one or make it a private party for up to 20 people total! It’s perfect for an everyday escape or a celebration to remember. Make AMC your next destination to meet friends and family and reserve an entire AMC Safe & Clean™ auditorium, starting at just $99+tax.

News: AMC Will Reopen on August 20 With One-Day 15 Cent Movie Tickets

Theaters have been closed since at least March and AMC has a promotion in mind when it finally reopens for business.  And to celebrate this, it is offering 15-cent movie tickets, a throwback to its 1920 opening prices, according to the Associated Press.  AMC expects to offer this price at the 100 cinemas it is reopening, about a sixth of its nationwide theaters.  The chain is touting its reopening as "Movies in 2020 at 1920 Prices."  To locate an AMC near you that is opening, use their locator to check August 20 shows.  This might change as we approach the date.

During its opening-day promotion, AMC will show catalog films, including “Ghostbusters,” “Black Panther,” “Back to the Future” and “Grease," which will continue to play after for $5.  The first new movie that appears to be opening will be Disney's much-delayed "New Mutansts," debuting on August 28.  This will be followed up by another much delayed movie, Christopher Nolan's "Tenent" on September 3.  AMC's plan is to have about two thirds of its theaters open by the time "Tenet" is released.  Warner Bros. is planning to release “Tenet” a week earlier internationally, including in Canada. A handful of smaller new releases are also planned for late August, including “Unhinged,” a thriller from Solstice Studios with Russell Crowe; and Armando Iannucci’s “Personal History of David Copperfield,” from Disney’s Fox Searchlight.

AMC and other chains have said they will operate at reduced capacity to facilitate social distancing, along with increased theater cleaning and required mask wearing.

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News: Regal Entertainment Joins AMC in Refusing To Play Universal Movies After Trolls World Tour Statement

Cineworld, the owner of Regal Entertainment, the second largest theater chain in the United States, has joined AMC's previous statement, refusing to play Universal Pictures films in the wake of NBC Universal CEO Jeff Shell's statement alluding to future releases being both theatrical and day and date home rental.  Cineworld said that "Universal's move is completely inappropriate and has nothign to do with good faith business practice, partnership, and transparency."

Amid theatrical closures and a global pandemic, Trolls World Tour released direct to video rental with a $19.99 fee for a 48-hour rental.  Earlier this week, NBC Universal announced that Trolls World Tour earned $95 million in three weeks of premium video on demand (PVOD).  Cineworld made clear that its ban is not for all Universal movies, simply those that do not respect the 90 day window between theatrical and digital releases.  "Today we make it clear again that we will not be showing movies that fail to respect the windows as it does not make any economic sense for us," Cineworld said.

As we said earlier today, it will already be difficult to convince consumers to come back to the theaters when they do open.  Having new entertainment options exclusively in cinema is one way to entice moviegoers back to the physical theaters.  It is not surprising that both AMC and Cineworld would be protecting their business model.  We will just have to see what happens between them, and with other studios that are experimenting with direct to home rental models, such as Disney's Artemis Fowl and Warner Bros. Scoob!  

News: AMC and Universal in War of Words Over Theatrical and Home Releases

Earlier this week, NBC Universal CEO Jeff Shell made statements in the Wall Street Journal regarding the success of Trolls World Tour's direct to home theater rental experiment.  The statements said that the movie earned $95 million and that NBC Universal: “As soon as theaters reopen, we expect to release movies on both formats,” which alludes to the idea that it would be releasing new movies in home streaming format day and date with the theatrical release.

In response to this, Adam Aron, head of AMC, sent a letter to Universal Studios Chairman Donna Langley with some firm language.  In the letter, Aron recognizes that Trolls World Tour's release was a situational occurrence due to the worldwide pandemic and closing of theaters.  However, he drew a line in the sand with respect to future direct to home theatrical releases once theaters reopen.  He stated that: “Going forward, AMC will not license any Universal movies in any of our 1,000 theatres globally on these terms.” That includes AMC sites in the U.S., Europe and the Middle East.  Aron's statements were directed at Universal, but he made sure to note that it would be extended to any movie maker that abandons the theatrical first model.

With upcoming direct to home releases like Disney's Artemis Fowl and Warner Bros. Scoob! testing the direct to home waters, there might be more and more of these types of statements released.  Aron's comments are not surprising, given that it will already be difficult to get consumers back into theaters once life returns to normal.  AMC will need new movies to drive consumers back to cinema.  With social distancing measure likely to reduce the number of seats in theaters and add costs for cleaning, AMC is looking to protect its business model.  Only time will tell what happens in this feud, and if other movie studios join in, but it will be interesting to watch!