The price of movie tickets is receiving a drastic, though conditional, decrease at a major theater chain. While recent years have seen major box office hits including 2025’s Lilo & Sтιтch (which is on track to make more than $1 billion) and 2024’s Inside Out 2 (which briefly became the highest-grossing animated movie ever), theaters have struggled throughout the 2020s.

After the COVID-19 pandemic resulted in the global shutdowns of theaters at various times throughout 2020 and 2021, theaters took some time to recover. However, the dual Hollywood strikes of 2023 also impacted the industry as writers and actors fought for fair pay from the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers, among other issues.

One way that AMC Theatres has reacted to this shifting marketplace is the recent announcement that tickets would be 50% off on Wednesdays for members of their rewards program AMC Stubs. However, per Variety, the theater chain has announced that the 50% off deal will now be extended to Tuesdays as well.

This will be replacing the chain’s prior Tuesday deal of $5 tickets for Stubs members. There will be exclusions for holidays and for specific movies. Additionally, surcharges for online ticket purchases, 3D tickets, and premium large format tickets will still apply. The new ticket pricing for Tuesdays and Wednesdays is already in place at the time of writing.

The chain’s small popcorn and drink combo will also be discounted on Tuesdays and Wednesdays. Below, read the full announcement from AMC CEO Adam Aron:

Following the overwhelmingly positive guest response to our announcement of 50% Off Wednesday ticket pricing, two things became clear. First, our Discount Tuesday program will benefit from clear, concise messaging that resonates with value-seeking moviegoers. So, we are changing our Tuesday prices and our Tuesday consumer communications such that Tuesdays and Wednesdays will both feature the same 50% off pricing offer.

And second — those moviegoers are also seeking value on concessions. While moviegoers are not required to purchase any food or drink to take advantage of the ticket price discounts, there is an opportunity to add incremental snack purchase revenues for AMC on Tuesdays and Wednesdays.

What This Means For AMC Theatres

The Value Of The New Discount Has Complicating Factors

The fact that these ticket price changes are only affecting Tuesdays and Wednesdays means that AMC is still only targeting the days of the week that tend to be the weakest for the theater business. Many theaters already have Tuesday discounts, so the innovation for AMC is the fact that the discount has been extended to last for two days.

However, by replacing their $5 ticket deal, AMC has actually raised their ticket prices on Tuesdays for Stubs members. For instance, their new discounted ticket price for a regular adult evening ticket in Los Angeles is $9.24, which is almost double the price of their previous Tuesday deal for Stubs members.

That price is also more expensive than the current Tuesday deals at AMC’s major compeтιтors. Below, see a breakdown of the average non-discounted weekend adult ticket price at the three biggest major theater chains in the United States compared to their average discounted ticket price for rewards members on Tuesdays in Los Angeles:

It also remains to be seen how many тιтles will not have this discount applied. It is so far unknown if the discount will be available for major 2025 blockbusters such as the upcoming Avatar: Fire and Ash on non-holiday Tuesdays and Wednesdays, or if the discount will only be waived in special circumstances.

Circumstances that have affected ticket prices in the past include the release of the 2023 concert documentary Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour, which generally had prices set at $19.89 in honor of Taylor Swift’s birth year.

Our Take On The AMC Theatres Ticket Price Change

It Could Start A Trend

While the ultimate value of this new discount is questionable, the fact that it applies during two out of seven days most weeks could shake up the industry. If it proves to be successful for AMC, other theater chains could follow suit.

Generally, chains react relatively quickly to new trends around buying movie tickets. For instance, many major chains, including AMC Theatres, developed their own monthly ticket subscription plans in the wake of the initial success of MoviePᴀss, which offered a similar plan for users before filing for bankrupcty and later being relaunched in a more limited form.

Source: Variety