Theater chains like AMC never fully recovered, and it’s been a bumpy ride. Now, in an effort to drum up some much-needed revenue, AMC is about to make the moviegoing experience just a little worse for its patrons.
A recent report from Bloomberg confirms that AMC Theatres, the largest theater chain in the world, is about to start playing even more commercials before the movie starts. AMC has reportedly reached an agreement with a company called National CineMedia Inc., which will handle the ads. Starting July 1, AMC will play what is dubbed the “platinum spot,” which is an ad that’s shown right before the start of a film during the trailer portion of the pre-show experience. The theater chain described the money they’ll make from this as “vital revenue.” In an email, the theater chain had this to say about the decision:
“While AMC was initially reluctant to bring this to our theaters, our competitors have fully participated for more than five years without any direct impact to their attendance.”
AMC had actually been the biggest holdout in the exhibition space to avoid doing this. Back in 2019, National CineMedia got Regal and Cinemark on board for this extra ad slot, and those companies have been doing it ever since. While that decision may not have cost them any attendance, or at least not measurably, the heavy ad load before the movie actually starts is an oft-cited complaint against theater-going, one that contributes to the “I’d rather stay home and wait to stream it” issue that theater chains are fighting against.
