Beginning this month and lasting until January 31, AMC Theatres will host discount Tuesdays for just $5 plus tax as a holiday gift to movie lovers everywhere — including the Dallas area.
The $5 promotion includes all films, such as the highly anticipated Black Panther sequel, Wakanda Forever. However, a premium experience fee — starting at $5 — will be charged for movies at IMAX, Dolby Cinema, and PRIME venues.
Moviegoers can grab a small popcorn and either a 21-ounce ICEE or a small drink for just an additional $5.
In order to participate in the $5 Tuesday promotion, guests must register with one of AMC’s three Stubs programs: A*lister, Premiere, or Insider. The Stubs Insider is free-to-join and allows members to earn points toward future AMC purchases.
The new promotion may be an effort to attract moviegoers to the silver screen, which has been suffering due to the pandemic and streaming services.
During the pandemic, many cinemas suffered immensely due to forced closures. Moreover, many film fanatics remained reticent to flock to their favorite features even as the country reopened. Many chains closed their movie houses even after the country reopened, including two of Regal Cinemas Dallas locations in 2020.
More recently, the last dollar theatre in North Texas closed permanently just before its 30th year of operating as a result of inflation and lack of attendance.
For AMC, stocks and movie attendance exceeded pre-pandemic 2019 levels in the summer of 2021. AMC poised itself for a renaissance and picked up several empty theatres. AMC’s stock price peaked at $72.62 per share in June 2021.
However, the temporary spring in box office sales proved unsustainable. By December 2021, AMC lost 40% of its price per share. The trend continued downward throughout the summer. As of early November 2022, AMC stock costs a mere $5.21 per share.
Even before the pandemic, however, movie theatres had been battling with streaming services over the public’s attention. The Hollywood Insider reports that the reasons people are opting to stream a new release rather than go to a theatre include the cost of a movie ticket and that movies are often released to streaming services after only airing in theatres for a short period of time.
Only time will tell if AMC’s last-ditch effort to revive sales and excite cinephiles in its battle against streaming giants such as Netflix and Hulu bears fruit. In the meantime, $5 for a new release is an excellent way to spend a Tuesday night.
