AMC Theatres Will Charge More for THE BATMAN Tickets

AMC Theatres is changing its model for marquee movie events. And Matt Reeves’ The Batman is its first test subject. According to Deadline, the movie theater chain will charge a dollar more for the blockbuster movie. That kicks off when screenings begin on March 3. AMC Entertainment CEO Adam Aron made the announcement during a webcast on Tuesday after an earnings call. It’s certainly a shift in ticket sale strategy in the US. The company does, however, already vary prices between weekday and weekend screenings.

The Batman opens just days after Aron revealed the new variable ticket pricing for the movies. But it makes sense that the company would want to keep this under wraps for as long as possible. Deadline noted that it checked ticket pricing for AMC’s Times Square theater for The Batman and a few other movies to confirm a price difference. I, too, checked and The Batman is indeed $18.99, while Uncharted and Nightmare Alley were each $17.99 for showings at AMC 25 around 6:30pm.

“Currently, our prices for The Batman are slightly higher than the prices we are charging for other movies playing in the same theaters at the same time,” he said. “This is all quite novel in the United States, but actually AMC has been doing it for years in our European theaters. Indeed, in Europe we charge a premium for the best seats in the house—as do just about all sellers of tickets in other industries—take sports events, concerts and live theater, for example.”

Interestingly, Aron didn’t share any details about what the variable pricing entails. For instance: How long does this price difference last? Scouring the AMC website, it appears the price increase runs for a single week. This means by Friday, March 11, tickets are down to $17.99 (at least at the theater we checked).

A dollar isn’t too much of a difference for new releases. Still, the comparison further demonstrates the wildly high movie theater ticket prices as a whole in large cities. But for those willing to shell out the extra buck to The Batman opening week, AMC Theatres has one more trick up their sleeve. The company will also sell six-inch Batman-head popcorn holders. An RBatz popcorn holder? You got me there, AMC.