NYC Screens: AMC's Dumbassery & the Beauty of the Matinee
I’ve been working in film exhibition since 2000. I’ve slung popcorn, torn tickets, run projectors, booked screens, and curated countless film programs. So while I like writing about movies, I also like writing about the places I visit to see those movies. This is NYC Screens.
Somehow, getting ripped off doesn’t feel good in a place like this…
On Monday, AMC Theatres announced their new, lol, “Sightline” program, the instantly-derided genius idea to get asses back in seats. The concept, already used in beloved, pro-customer areas like airlines and Ticketmaster, is pretty straightforward. The better your seat, the higher the cost. If you want to sit most places in a given auditorium, what they call “Standard Sightline” seats, it’ll still be regularly priced. If you want to save some cash and strain your neck, you can sit in the front row with your “Value Sightline” seats. But if you want seats in the center/middle of the auditorium? Well, you better be ready to shell out some extra dough, pally. With the “Preferred Sightline” seats, you’ll need to pay an extra couple bucks to plant your ass down. Don’t worry, if you’re already dropping between $20/$25 a month as an AMC A-List Stubs member, you won’t see any up-charge. Everyone else? You better believe that’s a couple bucks more!
Like I said, this was instantly met with almost universal blowback, including yours truly:
This is of course nothing more than totally soulless, corporate bullshit thinking, and definitely the dumbest “how to bring people back to theaters” idea maybe since AMC’s “certain titles like The Batman will cost more money to see” debacle, which was over before it even started. [Incidentally, you haven’t lived until you’ve sat in meetings where galaxy-brain “bring people back” ideas include a petting zoo and a classic car show hosted in an eight-space parking lot.]
This plan of AMC’s isn’t implemented yet, with a scheduled slow roll-out starting this Friday in select theaters in Kansas City, Chicago and, you guessed it, New York. I’m almost certain that the AMC theater I frequent most, the AMC Lincoln Square on Broadway and 68th, will be getting down with this nonsense if not this weekend, very soon.
Rightfully, folks are pretty pissed about this. While it remains to be seen if this program takes off, or if it will quickly go the way of Higher Ticket Prices for Premium Film Titles, might I suggest a fun workaround? Matinees. Don’t get me wrong, a night out at the movies is where the magic can really happen. I get it. Walking out of a great movie into the cold night is one of my favorite activities. As a matter of fact, seeing stuff at the AMC Lincoln Square at night holds a special place in my heart—this theater was the first movie house I ever saw something at in this town. Quick digression, hope you don’t have someplace to be.
Back in 2001, I hit the town with Chris Cabin, his old man, and two other friends of ours. I was down here touring around the Purchase campus where Chris had just started that fall and I was seriously considering attending. After an afternoon on campus, including walking in on Chris’s roommate naked, we went out for a night in the big city.
We ate a bunch of legit, non-tourist pizza, and then went uptown to catch the Coen Brothers’ The Man Who Wasn’t There. Right when I walked through the front door, I realized I’d never seen a true, massive movie theater like this before. It put our Regal Latham Circle 10 (RIPD) to shame. It’s stunning to think about a movie like Man Who Wasn’t having this kind of pull now, but back in 2001, that sucker was in the BIG HOUSE for opening weekend. It was the first time I’d ever been to a movie theater that was so big it had its own balcony. And that’s where we sat, to boot! To this day, I still try and sit up there whenever I can. I think it’s safe to say that the AMC Lincoln Square played a large role in me falling hard for this town.
So as you can see, I’ve been going to this theater for a while. Which is why I’m confident in saying that if you wanna get around this dumbass “Sightline” program, just go during matinees and watch them do absolutely nothing if you sit where you’re not supposed to—short of accidentally sitting in someone else’s seat, you’ll be fine. This isn’t just the Lincoln Square — try this anywhere!
Matinees are sparsely attended affairs. Even for the big stuff like this weekend’s box office winner, Knock at the Cabin, where my matinee was nearly empty. The crowds at matinees aren’t the only reason to hit them up as a workaround for this pricing nonsense, it’s also the time of day when theaters are staffed with the fewest ushers. The AMC Lincoln Square has 13 auditoriums. Not counting the IMAX level and the three smaller basement auditoriums (where box office smashes finally run out of gas or smaller art titles never get off the ground), the main level where I was seeing Knock had maybe three people working. One old timer scanning tickets and two other guys working concessions. That’s it. What are they going to do? Wander nine massive auditoriums checking people’s tickets? Nope.
I know not everyone’s schedule is the same, and people have kids, and yada, yada. I’m not saying it’s a perfect solution for everyone, but if you can make it, and you think this policy is bullshit (which it is), learn to like matinees. I love them. Seeing Knock at the Cabin at 10:45am on a Friday? Yes, please!
Here’s hoping the backlash is so swift that AMC drops this dipshit idea. The box office may or may not ever fully heal from the pandemic, but a major exhibition chain turning movie-going into this anti-egalitarian experience is a crock of shit that isn’t going to help things. In the meantime, if you’re in New York, might I suggest checking out your first-run releases at any of the following:
Regal Battery Park - Way downtown, but in a nice complex near the water. Recently renovated top to bottom. This is the theater I passed out drunk in watching Old, speaking of me seeing Shyamalan films in theaters.
Nitehawk Williamsburg - Love this place. Between this location and their (much farther away from me) newer location in Prospect Park, Nitehawk generally has most of your first-run studio releases covered, plus an ongoing lineup of slickly curated programs featuring repertory titles, indie releases, and short film programs. They also serve food and booze, so it’s like Alamo, but without all the corporate-world baggage. I particularly love their bar, Lo-Res, which is a great pre- or post-screening hang.
Regal Essex Crossing - Brand new (I think it opened in 2020?), gorgeous theater on the LES close to lotsa nightlife and what not. Plus, they serve booze! Caught The Banshees of Inisherin there a few weeks ago and it was a solid filmgoing experience.
Regal UA Kaufman Astoria - I know I’ve previously joked on WHM that this is the “worst theater in the city,” but it’s completely untrue. I had a few bad screenings there a decade ago and hold a grudge for no reason. It’s a totally fine theater, and after your screening you can walk over to King of Falafel and have one of the best lunches of your life.
Alamo Drafthouse Lower Manhattan - My usual Drafthouse since they opened. I used to make the slightly longer schlep to the BK location (which is also totally fine, btw), but this is my go-to now. Love seeing something here and then grabbing a pint at Ulysses or Harry’s Sidebar after.
So we’ve got options here in New York if we wanna dodge this dumb ticket tier program at AMC, but here’s hoping it quickly goes the way of premium title ticketing, smell-o-vision, and parking lot petting zoos…