AMC Theaters is offering new benefits to members of its loyalty program. Customers who pay a monthly A-List or Stub Premier fee have priority access to the best seats in the building.
The program is expected to begin in 2026, company Chairman Adam Aron said on an earnings call Tuesday. The change comes three years after AMC tested (and later discontinued) Sightline at AMC, a ticket pricing initiative based on seat location within the auditorium.
“Later this year, AMC will be introducing Priority Premier Seating. At no additional charge, AMC will block and reserve the best seats in the theater for initial access only to A-List and Stub Premier members (i.e., the two VIP tiers within the Stub program),” Aaron said during the call. “We ensure, first and foremost, that we have the best seats in the auditorium for our best customers.”
Of course, seating preferences can be subjective, and AMC Theaters doesn’t define which rows are considered the “best” rows. But in AMC’s Sightline pilot program, customers paid more for middle seats with unobstructed views and less for front-row seats. New initiatives may follow a similar pattern.
In 2025, AMC will increase the price of Stubs A-List to $27.99 per month in New York and California, and from $19.99 to $25.99 per month in the rest of the country, depending on the state. Under the highest membership level, patrons can watch up to four movies per week in any format. Premiere — the lower tier of A-List that offers online ticket fee waivers, popcorn upgrades and other benefits, but does not include the four-movie per week benefit — costs $17.99 per month.
“This is a huge benefit for consumers, and we believe our most frequent guests will notice and greatly appreciate it, further strengthening their brand loyalty to AMC,” Aaron added.
Earlier this week, AMC Theaters reported that the chain’s quarterly revenue fell 1.4% from a year earlier to $1.28 billion, and that attendance would decline 10% by the end of 2025. AMC has been testing all sorts of initiatives to attract more customers. Last summer, the company began offering 50% off movie tickets on Tuesdays and Wednesdays as part of its AMC Stubs benefits program.
Despite a late start to 2026, Hollywood studios and theater owners are bullish that upcoming blockbusters such as Christopher Nolan’s “The Odyssey,” the Marvel adventure doubles “Spider-Man: Brand New Day” and “Avengers: Doomsday,” and Disney and Pixar’s “Toy Story 5” will help push the domestic box office to pre-pandemic heights. Across the movie theater industry, box office companies are struggling to recover from the pandemic, double labor strikes and the growing popularity of streaming services.
“AMC is in a very good position to take advantage of the recovering box office,” Aaron said. “And as we’ve said many times before, the not-so-secret formula for a full recovery at the box office is simple and straightforward: We need more great movies from our studio partners.”
More to come…
