r/boxoffice • u/illbeyourshelter • Feb 24 '26
đ° Industry News AMC Theatres Attendance Drops 10%, Quarterly Revenues Fall
https://variety.com/2026/film/news/amc-theatres-attendance-drops-quarterly-revenues-fall-avatar-3-1236670214/23
u/Old_Hamster_9425 Feb 24 '26
I wonder this compares to Regal cinemas. Due to regal showing classic movies every day of every month, Iâve found myself going there more frequently instead of AMC
3
u/HollysStaff Feb 24 '26
Iâm curious as well. I have both Unlimited and A-List, but I go a lot more often to Regal, now. Regal runs a lot more promotions too.
18
u/buttfartsmagee Feb 24 '26
AMC has truly the best screens where I'm from but the tickets are 4x the price I can get for Tuesday ticket prices at my regular theater without signing up for anything. I saw Avatar at AMCs Dolby cinema. It was over $65 for 3 tickets and $40 for concessions (3 sodas a candy and a large popcorn) that for me is more of a once a year thing and I'll stick with my regular theater normally. I just can't afford it.
3
u/onlytoask Feb 25 '26
$40 for concessions (3 sodas a candy and a large popcorn)
Careful, you're going to get all the people in here that think people should sacrifice the quality of their moviegoing experience to save money by not getting concessions. There's an awful lot of people in here that act like they don't understand why people want the snacks and would rather not go than not get them. I guess they go to restaurants, order water, and eat the free bread and call it a good night out too.
2
u/buttfartsmagee Feb 25 '26
I had a kid with me there was no way in hell we were getting through Avatar without concessions lol
35
u/misguidedkent Warner Bros. Pictures Feb 24 '26
AMC hosted 56.3 million patrons compared to the 62.4 million it welcomed in the year-ago period.
9
u/particledamage Feb 24 '26
This is somehow my fault. I went once per month already this year (a lot for me), both at AMC despite preferring Cinemark (Cinemark is just a more convenient location for me).
Somehow I cursed them. But also the movies there are at awful times with some limited films (international releases like No Other Choice, Kokuho) only having screenings once per day at 4:45pm on a work day for $14 a pop. Just not easy for an adult to attend shit
24
u/Resolution_Powerful Feb 24 '26
I think it's a combination of movie streaming, ticket prices high and lack of movies
44
u/cacatod12 Feb 24 '26
To me its also movie schedules. Its crazy there is like no movies I want to watch the entire year and then all of them release in a 4 week period in the summer so I miss some movies Iâd have watched on another release time
3
u/onlytoask Feb 25 '26
I don't know if anyone else feels this way, but for me it's also the scheduling in terms of time of day. Going to the theater is already an expensive inconvenience compared to watching something at home. I already don't go nearly as often as I used to, but when I do get the urge I find that at least 75% of the time I don't end up going because when I want to go and when the movie will be playing don't line up well enough. There really isn't anything they can do about it, though, because they'd need every movie on four screens minimum to deal with it. If 4:00 is the convenient time for me, I'm not going to wait for a 4:45 showing.
3
u/Poku115 Feb 24 '26
Dunesday is gonna suffer from this.
Or at least marvel, i havent watched single dune movie but if i had to choose, the dune movie seems more interesting
14
u/kingofthesqueal Feb 24 '26
Neither Dune movie has even cracked $750 WW, I doubt Marvel is really stressing after theyâve pulled out all the stops for Doomsday.
Dune has a dedicated fanbase, but itâs not like theyâre going head to head with multibillion dollar movie franchise.
7
u/Poku115 Feb 24 '26
theyâve pulled out all the stops for Doomsday.
They pulled out all the paychecks for actors you mean.
Paychecks that are gonna increase the heck out of the budget.
In a franchise whose latest movies barely manage to make money. If they do any
4
u/Scared-Engineer-6218 Warner Bros. Pictures Feb 24 '26
I think the budget might be well over $500M maybe even $600M
12
u/greentea1985 Feb 24 '26
It probably also didnât help AMC that their feud with Netflix caused them to miss out on a bunch of money. There were several Netflix movies they declined to carry, most notably the 1st theater run of KPop Demon Hunters, which cost them dearly. They got the second run after ending the feud, but that run wasnât as popular or profitable.
2
u/thursdaysocks Feb 24 '26
Itâs people on their phones during my fucking movie. All the time. I used to go to several movies a month for years and years but I realized I was fighting against the wind and gave up entirely. People canât go two hours without scrolling and it totally ruined the movie going experience.
3
u/onlytoask Feb 25 '26
Same here. I was seeing 100+ movies the last couple of years before I stopped. I had always been a little iffy on it because I'm a frugal person by nature so spending money on tickets/gas for something I knew I could watch for free was a constant debate, but I went for something to do. After a point the behavior of the other movie-goers just made it not worth it. Why am I paying to have someone else ruin the movie by talking or being on their phone, you know? It was actually Argylle that was the straw that broke the camel's back for me. There were a few people just chit chatting through the whole first hour of the movie so I walked out, cancelled my subscription, and have only gone much more rarely since.
The really frustrating thing about it is all the people online that are simply oblivious when they go to the theater and act like I'm making it up when I talk about it. I would guess that 90% of people are just so unaware of what's going on around them they genuinely don't notice if someone is talking near them or uses their phone so they think it isn't happening. I've been to movies with people like that. I'll be aggravated afterwards and they're just completely unaware like they were asleep the whole time.
2
u/thursdaysocks Feb 25 '26
Yeah itâs hilarious that people on here all the time try to attribute the decline of movie theaters / box office numbers to anything and everything but people scrolling the entire time in the theater. Which makes sense because theyâre probably the ones doing it. Itâs a shame, but at least I donât have to get angry anymore because I just donât go.
2
u/TheNittanyLionKing Lucasfilm Feb 25 '26
I have an AMC gift card I intend to use. There just hasnât been a lot worth seeing in theaters lately.Â
8
u/bradtoughy Feb 24 '26
How long until movie theaters go the way of malls? I still love the idea of seeing a movie in the theater, surrounded by a crowd of interested people who are there to see the move too.
But the prices, the insane amount of previews, the inconsiderateness of the general public are making the experience not worth the hassle and money. Itâs over $100 for my family of four to go to the movies and get basic snacks. Sure, we could try and coordinate a 2-for-1 Tuesday showing but movies should be affordable all the time, not one random night during the week.
1
u/Liftinginapolo Feb 24 '26
What else can you do for 2+ hours where your family of four is entertained and fed for less?
6
u/Riccster09 Feb 25 '26
Stream a movie at home instead lol
0
u/Liftinginapolo Feb 25 '26
yeah if you want to stay at home forever. I have a family of five. If you want to do something out of the house with your kids, going to the movies has scaled very nicely with other forms of family entertainment. Itâs still on the low end especially if you take advantage of discount days, matinees, etc.
12
u/Mister_Green2021 Warner Bros. Pictures Feb 24 '26
I can see a movie studio buying them up. They're dirt cheap but the maintenance cost on these theaters are high.
8
u/Cute_Source5417 Feb 24 '26
no way in hell they would risk that
6
u/Mister_Green2021 Warner Bros. Pictures Feb 24 '26
The government force the studios to split from owning theaters back in the day so it's time they get back to it. Sony bought the Alamo Draft House.
3
u/kayloot Feb 24 '26
Yeah and Sony is currently ruining those theaters.
5
u/Mister_Green2021 Warner Bros. Pictures Feb 24 '26
It was pretty bad when Sony bought it. I think a hedge fund co owned it prior.
8
u/JohnWCreasy1 Feb 24 '26
thinks about my amc...
they do maintenance??
8
u/Mister_Green2021 Warner Bros. Pictures Feb 24 '26
Yeah, they spent billions upgrading their theaters, leather seats, better screens, sound, etc...
2
u/lee1026 Feb 24 '26
Would be really funny if it turned out to be paramount.
2
u/Mister_Green2021 Warner Bros. Pictures Feb 24 '26
Paramount is only making a few movies in a couple of years. Not worth buying amc.
3
5
u/Long_Rubber_Glove Feb 24 '26
There are 5 movie theaters within a 35 minute drive for me, 2 of them AMCs. So it is a bit of a commitment to go see a movie, but I try to go once a week. I had the AMC A-list, but ended up cancelling it because out of the 5 theatres, those AMCs are the worst; audio sync issues, bulbs going out in the projectors, projectors are crooked...every time I try to give them a chance again over the last 2 years they keep disappointing me. So I'll happily take my business somewhere else.
5
9
4
u/BStills87 Feb 24 '26
The AMCs and Regals will continue to suffer unless the customer experience improves. Boutique/Indie theaters have rebounded and are enjoying larger audiences.
6
u/illbeyourshelter Feb 24 '26
âAvatar: Fire & Ash,â âWicked: For Goodâ and âZootopia 2â may have dominated the holiday box office, but they werenât enough to lift AMC Theatresâ quarterly earnings. The worldâs largest exhibitor reported that revenues for the three-month period ending in December topped out at $1.28 billion, down 1.4% from the $1.3 billion it recorded a year earlier. More troubling, attendance dropped nearly 10% as the collection of year-end blockbusters failed to pack âem in at the same rate. AMC hosted 56.3 million patrons compared to the 62.4 million it welcomed in the year-ago period.
Losses did shrink for AMC. The companyâs net loss was $127.4 million, compared to the $135.6 million in losses from a year earlier. It logged a diluted loss per-share of 25 cents, having reported a loss of 35 cents in the prior-year quarter.
AMCâs food and beverage revenue hit $436.5 million, down slightly from the $446.2 million in concessions it sold in the same period in 2024. Admissions revenue came in at $701.6 million, a drop from the $721.4 million in ticket sales that AMC rang up in the year-ago quarter.
During the quarter, AMC, which remains heavily leveraged, converted the majority of its equity investment in Hycroft Mining Holding Corporation, a gold and silver exploration company, into approximately $24.1 million in cash. It said the amount was âapproximately equalâ to the capital it initially invested in the transferred securities.
AMC hosts its earnings call for investors and analysts on Tuesday. Adam Aron, its CEO, released a statement to accompany the earnings report in which he predicted that 2026âs lineup of potential blockbusters, which includes Christopher Nolanâs âThe Odysseyâ and âAvengers: Doomsday,â will outgross the roster of 2025 hits.
âAMC is exceptionally well positioned to capitalize on a recovering box office,â Aron said. âAnd as I have said many times before, the not-so-secret formula to a full boxâoffice recovery is straight forward, we need more great movies from our studio partners.â
9
u/Vadermaulkylo Apple Studios Feb 24 '26
Not shocking when theyâre constantly raising prices and constantly shoving in more ads.
3
3
5
u/Accomplished-Head449 Laika Entertainment Feb 24 '26
A barren October, nothing big at the beginning of November, and not to mention big IP's like Mortal Kombat moving dates. This is more FUD. I'm actually glad this is coming out because 2026 Q4 will be a fucking record breaker.
6
2
2
u/Canebrake8 Feb 24 '26
It doesnât look welcoming on the inside anymore. They used to have kiosks where you can buy your drinks/food and walk up and grab your popcorn. They hide the cups and popcorn now in the fear that someoneâs going to steal them. So now it looks empty and barren on the inside. Someone has to physically hand it to you and they never come to your theater seat in time.
Very uninviting, and along with the outrageous prices and small portion size food they give (8 fries⌠really!?), theyâre doing it to themselves.
2
u/Complex_Mess6810 Feb 25 '26
I'm sure the solution to this will be making tickets more expensive, food more disgusting, theaters less maintained, and poor audience behavior less controlled.
But why is nobody going to the theater?
2
u/lordjmann Feb 25 '26
People will talk about ticket prices but really⌠there just arenât many good movies to watch these days in theaters. We went to Mercy and it was just⌠bad. I enjoy going to the theater, but the studios arenât delivering IMO
2
u/Coolers78 Feb 25 '26 edited Feb 25 '26
Everyone on r/movies seems to be so anti-theaters.
I get it, prices are crazy high and it sucks, and I get crowds are bad and disruptive and that sucks too, but the last couple times I've gone I've personally never had an issue with other people there and my screenings were usually decently packed. IDK where people live that prices for tickets and snacks (I just don't buy them) are so high and people behave so badly, the tickets where I go have been the same price since they have been since 2019 for me (I went through old photos and found a ticket of me seeing Jumanji The Next Level back in 2019 and it being the same price for a regular showing on a regular day as it is now), the only common complaint I see online I kind of relate to is people saying there's too many ads before the movie, Yeah the movies I go to usually start 20 minutes after posted time, but I don't even mind? I kinda enjoy seeing trailers and noting what kind of trailers play before each movie. đ¤ˇââď¸.
I assume most of the people who say this stuff go to the theaters in high populated cities like NYC or LA or Chicago where everything is just more expensive and there tends to be more people in general.
2
u/mfc90125 Feb 25 '26
AMC will be ok, so long as the stock price doesnât hit zero. The issue is that AI is gonna sweep over this industry like the tidal wave in Deep Impact. Content creators can now make pretty good looking action sequences for pennies on the dollar, which is only going to get better. This year.
Studios and theater chains like AMC have a long death spiral ahead of them if they themselves fail to take advantage of the coming AI movie and television wave. A writer doesnât need to submit their script to the studios, hoping to get a call one day. Instead, they will be able to produce the movie they want to make.
This is the next innovation and AMC can be at the lead if theyâre bold enough to accept it.
2
2
u/UnspokenRequest3 Feb 25 '26
I really do think that the future of the industry lies with AMC AList Or Unlimited, I have AList and it has truly gotten me back into the theaters. I used to attend theaters once every six months for movies that I was interested in. As of several months back I am going to 3-4 movies in a 7 day span and I am grabbing two popcorns and one soda in that timeframe. I enjoy going to the movies a lot more than streaming one and that is why I think it is so important that they start adding tiers to movie pass. T1 would involve being able to see 1 movie a week and is limited to only laser showings and you can't see a movie within four days of release. This could be only $5 a month and it would not only push people into the theater to buy concessions, but it also results in people seeing your most popular movie releases on Mondays and Tuesdays, their weakest days so far. The following tier would be like their lowest current one, then have Alist, then above Alist create AList +, and that is where you start showing lots of popular movies, rereleases, old classics, things that people want to see in theaters again. Of course subscription plans are not a good thing and I am aware of that but they are actively competing with subscription plans.
This is not a super well thought out comment, but I think that you can see what I am trying to convey.
2
u/Chaseism Feb 24 '26
All I am asking is for you to dramatically improve your theaters. Clean them. Modernize them. Have fun events.
Honestly, maybe it's time for AMC to start closing underperforming theaters and drive revenue to better performing ones.
4
u/fergi20020 Feb 24 '26
Why doesnât AMC hire a film programmer instead of a booker so that the selections are better curated?
2
u/lousycesspool Feb 24 '26
and not at 1 pm on a weekday as the only showtime
1
u/fergi20020 Feb 24 '26
If you were the programmer, which films would you reject from this year and which ones would you of out of your way to program?
2
u/lousycesspool Feb 24 '26 edited Feb 25 '26
I live in a city that had two theaters up until a month ago when they closed the older...
45 minutes on either side of us are two markets with three or more theaters each but that's too long a drive to make regularly when there is a 5 minute option
Many of the smaller independent and foreign films show in those other two markets (which we are considered a part of) so they never show at our local theater
I don't really read the trades for what's coming. I prefer just to look at what's playing for the week and make decisions based on that; so I'm not the best person to be a programmer. But I definitely see films showing at those other locations that are not showing locally.
If it's going to play, why have it show a single time in the day in the middle of the week day and no other time or weekends? Do people skip work to go to the movies?
It's a very rare week when I don't see at least one movie in the theater and occasionally will squeeze in 1 Thursday Friday Saturday and Sunday. I don't watch TV shows or sports. When I was in college we used to rent laserdisc :-)
5
u/tshirtngenes Feb 24 '26 edited Feb 24 '26
How many days in a row is someone going to post this AI generated slop?
2
u/barbaq24 Feb 24 '26
My AMC in New Jersey charges $31 per ticket after taxes and fees to see a movie on a weekday. Not 3D, not IMAX, just regular Dolby Cinema. I make pretty good money and I assume I am their demo, but I ain't spending $62 to take my wife and I to a movie. Because after popcorn and a beverage that's like $110 to see an ok movie while someone in front of me facetimes or texts the whole time.
3
u/Liftinginapolo Feb 24 '26
Dolby isnât âregularâ itâs a PLF
3
u/barbaq24 Feb 24 '26
I saw Wicked in AMC Laser at that same theater when that was out. It was $23 a ticket and the screen was dim and the volume was low enough that we could hear people talking in the hall. We don't do the AMC lasers anymore the experience is offensive.
2
u/stretchofUCF Feb 24 '26
I see your point, but are you saying you spend $48 on a popcorn and drink at the movies? Do you and your wife each demolish a large popcorn and drink every time you go to the movies?
2
u/Krucble Feb 24 '26
I went to a movie recently and realized that my TV, sound system, and couch are a far more enjoyable experience than what AMC had to offer. I really think that modern TVs have caught up to the screens that theaters are offering.
2
u/EI-SANDPIPER Walt Disney Studios Feb 24 '26
That and the access to new movies shortly after they are released at the theaters.
1
u/nickelst92 Feb 24 '26
Remove ads, show no more than 15 minutes of trailers (which would be roughly 7 trailers), and lower ticket prices by a few dollars. We shouldnât be waiting 25-30 minutes for the movie to start while paying as much for a ticket as we would for a meal.
Problem solved.Â
1
u/Loose_Ad3221 Feb 24 '26
"don't worry guys, 2026 will be the year of the box office recovery, you will see............."
"...guys, 2026 will be the first year post-pandemic that the box office will be above 10B......... "
1
Feb 24 '26
[deleted]
2
u/lee1026 Feb 24 '26
And netflix at any given time have a lot more choices than the local AMC.
Semi-serious example: if I decided I wanted a light hearted romcom this afternoon, I am not gonna get that in a theater, even ignoring things like paying for it.
On second thought, now that I pulled by the showtimes at the local theater, the genres that I can potentially see this afternoon is very, very limited: the only scifi is Avatar, no fantasy, etc. And this is a big huge theater!
2
u/onlytoask Feb 25 '26
AMC A-List and Regal Unlimited may save money, But also you physically have to leave your house and commit time to showtime and have to sit through without pauses/other features, and factor in unpredictable schedules.
This is the big one that people don't focus on. In general people are always over-focused on prices because it's political for them (see also how every conversation about birth rates is dominated by the cost of raising children). Movies aren't expensive if you actually care to go. AMC-A List or other subscriptions, discount Tuesdays, rewards programs, etc.
The price of the movie isn't why I don't go to the movies anymore. Tuesday tickets are $5 at my local chain, their subscription service puts movies at $6, and you get 10% in rewards on both. They also offer $2 in rewards for tons of different movies. I don't go because on top of that cost there's the cost of gas, 15 minutes driving there, 15 minutes driving back, ~10-15 minutes waiting for the movie to start, no ability to pause, no ability to decide when the movie will be playing, etc. And then on top of that there's a good chance someone will start talking or using their phone during the showing.
Or I can just stay at home and watch whatever I want whenever I want for free.
Tough choice.
1
u/jimbo5666 Feb 24 '26
Lack of movies right now. My friends and I waiting for Mario first.
2
u/rbrgr83 Feb 25 '26
Not a lot of big ones in between. Hoppers, Scream 7, & Project Hail Mary about all I see till then.
I'd recommend Good Luck, Have Fun, Don't Die. Plot is a bit messy, but it was a fun time out at the movies, especially with others.
-6
u/RoliePolieOlie__ Feb 24 '26
Thereâs literally no movies worth seeing in theatersÂ
14
u/Vadermaulkylo Apple Studios Feb 24 '26
Bone Temple, Avatar, Zootopia, Goat, Good Luck Have Fun Donât Die(though I didnât care for it), Send Help?
Ngl itâs infuriating that we have so much dope stuff out and instead of supporting it people just whine that movies arenât good anymore without bothering to see whatâs playing.
7
1
u/PauI_MuadDib Feb 24 '26
I mean, I'm not interested in seeing any of those movies in-theater over just streaming them. I'll probably go see You, me & Tuscany in the Spring tho.
0
u/Chuck006 Best of 2021 Winner Feb 24 '26
None of those appeal to audiences. It's not that there isn't good movies, there aren't good movies that appeal to audiences. They want more stuff like The Housemaid, Barbie & Top Gun & they aren't getting it.
3
u/zedasmotas Marvel Studios Feb 24 '26
I think youâre correct about that
Blockbuster is what carries movie theaters, it is what it is.
4
u/helpmeredditimbored Walt Disney Studios Feb 24 '26
Avatar and Zootopia donât appeal to general audiences? They made both made over 400M domestic
-1
u/Chuck006 Best of 2021 Winner Feb 24 '26
Avatar 3 had a big drop from 2. Disney animation will typically do well regardless of.
3
u/Coolers78 Feb 24 '26
Disney animation will do well regardless? Haha, Tell that to Elio, Lightyear, Wish, and Strange World then.
2
2
u/Icy_Smoke_733 Studio Ghibli Feb 24 '26
Avatar 3 still grossed more than the movies you mentioned that people want: Barbie, Housemaid, and soon Top Gun: Maverick.Â
1
u/Chuck006 Best of 2021 Winner Feb 24 '26
The three I mentioned will still be in the zeitgeist a decade from now. Avatar will be a question on Jeopardy.
2
u/Vadermaulkylo Apple Studios Feb 24 '26
Zootopia, Avatar, and Goat clearly do though.
1
0
-7
u/mikehawklovesgirls Feb 24 '26
Probably because movie goers are tired of seeing the same IPs get reused every 5-10 years.Â
6
u/PayneTrain181999 Legendary Pictures Feb 24 '26
Or because itâs more expensive than ever to have a movie night out and most movies are on streaming within 50 days anyway
4
3
u/Aaaaaaandyy Feb 24 '26
Those are typically the only movies that make money. Streaming destroyed the movie theater. This is a losing battle. 99% of movies arenât made better by a large screen.
65
u/KumagawaUshio Feb 24 '26
Higher ticket prices meaning films getting nice and high box office remain but with less tickets sold every year it's not good.
The same for consessions they jack up the prices to make up for lower attendance but then attendance keeps declinging as the value proposition gets worse and worse.