AMC Declares War On Empty Seats With 50% Midweek Discounts—Genius Or Desperation?

by Chris Katje Benzinga Staff Writer

Movie theater leader AMC Entertainment Holdings AMC is doubling down on a discount movie ticket promotion originally scheduled for Wednesdays. The company will now offer 50% off movie tickets on Tuesdays and Wednesdays for its Stubs loyalty members.

Here's a look at what this means for the company.

What Happened: Movie fans who want to see the newest releases like box-office dominating "Jurassic World Rebirth" and don't want to pay the top movie ticket price might consider waiting to go to the movies until Tuesday or Wednesday.

AMC Theaters announced that it is offering 50% off tickets on Tuesdays and Wednesdays, starting July 8, for its AMC Stubs members. The company is also offering a small combo (popcorn and drink) at 50% off on both days.

"Following the overwhelmingly positive guest response to our announcement of 50% Off Wednesdays ticket pricing, two things became clear. First, our Discount Tuesdays program will benefit from clear, concise messaging that resonates with value-seeking moviegoers. So, we are changing our Tuesday prices," AMC CEO Adam Aron said.

Moviegoers can get 50% off tickets for premium theaters and experiences as part of the promotion.

The discounts could put pressure on other movie theater chains like Cinemark Holdings CNK.

AMC has 36 million members in its free-to-join AMC Stubs loyalty program.

Why It's Important: The news from AMC on more discount movie days comes after the movie theater chain announced it would be running more advertising ahead of movies on the big screen.

AMC partnered with National CineMedia Inc. to run more advertising, including a "platinum spot" before the start of each movie, with the movie theater company getting a cut of the advertising revenue. While this could be good for AMC, it also means there could be around 30 minutes of ads before a movie starts.

Discount movies could be one way to offset the increase in advertising, as moviegoers still see value several days a week.

While AMC is offering a discount on its small popcorn and drink combo, there is also a high likelihood that the chain sees more food and beverage purchases on Tuesdays and Wednesdays, as moviegoers use the savings they received on tickets to splurge on food items.

AMC has boosted its revenue per patron in recent quarters by increasing movie ticket prices and offering more concession options.

The promotion from AMC comes as the chain continues its recovery from COVID-19, with the company stating that April marked the start of a turnaround.

“Since April 1, movie theater demand has been booming. The April 2025 industry-wide domestic box office was double that of April 2024," Aron previously said.

Aron said May was pacing strong at the time.

The Memorial Day holiday weekend was the company's third-biggest revenue total for a five-day period in more than 10 years.

With a rebound in attendance, higher advertising revenue and promotions that could increase attendance on slower days, AMC could be doing many things right in its recovery.

AMC Price Action: AMC stock is up 1.5% to $2.92 on Tuesday versus a 52-week trading range of $2.45 to $5.76. AMC stock is down 28.9% year-to-date in 2025.

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