AMC theaters drop plans to charge extra for good seats

NEW YORK (CNN) – AMC theaters said Thursday they are ending their “Sightline” tiered pricing pilot it launched earlier this year, in which moviegoers who sat in front of the theater right next to the screen paid less per ticket compared to those who opted for more desirable seats in the center of the theater.

In February, AMC (AMC) said the initiative would be rolled out to all of its approximately 1,000 theaters by the end of the year.

The company said at the time that AMC cinemas would offer three levels of ticket pricing, with the highest “preferred” level in the middle of theaters costing a “slight premium” over its “standard” level.

This standard tier will be sold at “traditional ticket price”, he said. The third level “Value” will be the tickets with the lowest price for seats in the first row.

AMC has stated that it is now phasing out Sightline and will not distribute it nationwide. Instead, he will test a new type of front-row seating process after the results of the Sightline pilot project showed that people still don’t want to sit right in front of the audience with their necks up to the screen right in front of them, even with a small ticket discount.

The company also said that the tiered pricing test showed that the majority of moviegoers who previously sat in the preferred section of the Sightline continued to choose those seats, even with an additional charge, and most customers continued to buy tickets while seated in the preferred section or elsewhere in the theater.

Moving forward, AMC said it is preparing to test more spacious front rows with reclining seats in theaters across the country later in the year.

– Jordan Walinsky of CNN contributed to this story.