AMC Entertainment is set to spend $600 million over the next five years to include recliners in a large portion of their theaters, in hopes that they will increase attendance.
With the latest blockbuster, Transformers: Age of Extinction, having the biggest opening of 2014, you’d think that theaters were making money hand over fist, but apparently it’s just not the case.
The Verge reports that AMC Entertainment has revealed that they plan on spending over $600 million by adding “La-Z-Boy-style recliners” in 1,500 of their over 5,000 auditoriums.
With ticket prices rising due to 3D and IMAX, one would think that the movie industry is healthy, but apparently there hasn’t been much growth over the last 10 years. The MPAA announced last year that box office totals only went up 1% compared to 2012.
In an attempt to get more butts in the seats, AMC thinks making them a little cushier will make them skip the Blu-ray or Netflix binge and head to the theater instead. The Wall Street Journal says that AMC’s renovated theaters are already seeing an increase in moviegoers, which makes them think that this could work in more theaters.
The one big problem is the size of the seats. Recliners take up much more space in the auditoriums, reducing capacity by up to 70 percent. Despite the loss of seats, AMC says that their attendance has increased by an average of 80 percent.
This is good news for AMC, but what does it mean for moviegoers? Less seats most likely means more costly seats. While AMC has yet to charge more for the recliner seats, they intend to, which means already expensive tickets will rise even higher.
With popcorn clocking in at $8 and bottled water at $5, bringing up ticket prices that range from $8-18 already is most likely a touchy subject for average moviegoers. Especially those who enjoy movies and Netflix’s original series’ House of Cards and Orange is the New Black for a meager $8.99 a month.
The other massive chain, Regal Entertainment, is taking notice as they have begun renovating some of their theaters, but they’re a little behind AMC with just 25 theaters with recliners. The next step is nicer bathrooms, which CEO Gerry Lopez says moviegoers often suggest.
We like the idea of recliners in theaters, but the idea of further price increases is a bit worrisome. We’ll have to wait until AMC and Regal roll out more refitted recliner theaters until we make the decision as to whether it’s worth the hike in price.
Would you be interested in paying a bit more to sit in nicer seats when you go to the theater?
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