AMC has a major customer problem in its theaters

AMC Theatres, the largest movie theater chain in the U.S., is struggling to overcome a concerning consumer trend, despite the release of highly anticipated box office hit films over the past few months. 

In its third-quarter earnings report for 2025, AMC reported total revenues of $1.3 billion, representing a 3.5% decrease from the same quarter last year. 

Its U.S. theater attendance numbers also dropped by almost 10% year-over-year as the average ticket price in the region reached $12.86, which is higher than the $12.19 average it reported during the same time period in 2024. 

AMC’s average food and beverage price point in the U.S. also reached $8.55 during the quarter, up from $8.49 the year before. 

The drop in attendance follows the release of several box office hits that were released in theaters during the third quarter of this year. 

Top five U.S. box office hits released between July and September 2025:

• “Sumperman” (released July 11): $354,184,465
• “Jurassic World: Rebirth” (released July 2): $339,640,400 
• “Weapons” (released Aug. 8): $151,550,044 
• “Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba Infinity Castle” (released Sept. 12): $133,547,469
• “Freakier Friday” (released Aug. 8):$94,186,236
  Source: Box Office Mojo

It also comes after AMC launched several discounts on ticket prices, and food and drink deals earlier this year to attract price-conscious consumers. 

However, AMC faced backlash from some consumers in June after it announced its deal with cinema advertising company National CineMedia to play more commercials before the start of movie screenings at its theaters. Movies at AMC theaters now start 25-30 minutes after showtime.

During an earnings call on Nov. 5, AMC CEO Adam Aron said the company experienced “a softening third quarter” as the U.S. box office was down 11%. He said that the industry-wide decrease in consumer momentum “should not be a cause for alarm” as the company expects the box office to bounce back due to the upcoming releases of highly anticipated films towards the end of this year.

“We expect that the fourth-quarter North American box office will turn out to be the highest-grossing fourth quarter in six years,” said Aron. “We also continue to believe that the size of the 2026 box office will be dramatically larger than that achieved in 2025.”

Some of the upcoming film releases for November and December include: “Now You See Me, Now You Don't,” “Zootopia 2,” “Return to Oz with Wicked for Good” and “Avatar: Fire and Ash.”

AMC CEO addresses rising prices at theaters 

Aron also revealed during the call that the company has indeed raised its average ticket price in the U.S. and overseas to $12.24, “the highest number” in AMC’s history. 

“If you look at our ticket pricing, it's risen pretty substantially over the past several years,” said Aron. “It's moved at a pace much faster than general consumer inflation.”

He confirmed that in May, the company implemented “across-the-board price increases” ahead of major movie releases in June and July, affecting most U.S. theaters. The reasoning was due to “the laws of supply and demand.”

“It goes back to your very first economics class in the freshman year of college, when you learned the laws of supply and demand and the laws of charging prices in the peak, and charging different prices in the so-called off-peak, charging more in periods of high demand than charging less in periods of low demand,” said Aron. “So we have not been shy in taking prices up at those theaters with the most demand. Have not been shy in taking prices up on Friday and Saturday nights when demand for our theaters is at their peak.”

Aron said that AMC is comfortable enforcing price increases because it is “maniacal in finding intriguing ways to discount prices for bargain hunters.”

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This includes the theater chain’s recent decision to offer its AMC Stubs members 50% off ticket prices and a 50% discount on its small popcorn and drink combo on Tuesdays and Wednesdays. 

“I always say one has to be prudent in not taking prices up too quickly,” said Aron. “But I don't feel any price limitation from our clientele.”

In a statement to TheStreet, RTMNexus CEO Dominick Miserandino said that AMC's decision not to shy away from price increases could be harmful to the theater chain.

"When AMC hikes ticket prices under the guise of pure supply-and-demand logic, they’re effectively betting the house that moviegoers will keep showing up regardless," Miserandino. "But the quarter’s data tell a different story: rising prices, fewer blockbuster hits, and an almost 10 % attendance drop in the U.S. is not looking good."

AMC’s decision to raise prices comes during a time when more consumers nationwide are opting to watch movies at home instead of at theaters, according to a recent survey from market researcher CivicScience. 

How many Americans are dodging movie theaters in 2025:

• About 65% of U.S. adults prefer to watch newly released movies for the first time at home, while only 35% prefer to see them in theaters. 
• ​​Also, 30% flagged “lack of interest in most movies shown” as the main reason for watching movies at home, while 27% said “ticket prices.”
• Even 56% said that they waited to watch a movie at home when it left theaters, using a subscription service to do so.
  Source: CivicScience

AMC has a huge plan to attract consumers 

As this consumer trend gains momentum, AMC plans to implement several significant changes at its theaters to lure consumers away from their homes.

Aron said that AMC will generate more content and take advantage of a “dramatic opportunity” to broadcast live concerts and sporting events at its theaters, given the recent success of concert films from artists such as Taylor Swift and Beyoncé.

More media and entertainment: 

• Disney announces unexpected move as TV customers flee
• Pluto TV sends stern warning to viewers about free content access 
• DirecTV tests convenient new feature for streaming customers

“We intend to make this pursuit one of our highest priorities for 2026,” said Aron.

He also said that AMC will be improving the quality of its IMAX screens, which includes “laser projection, much-enhanced sound, more attractable visual, auditory and aesthetics, and more comfortable seating.”

The theater chain will also be “dramatically” increasing its use of artificial intelligence in 2026 and beyond to make the company “more efficient” and “dazzle” guests. 

In addition, AMC plans to work with Netflix more “on a cooperative basis” to add more content to its screens after its success of playing a sing-along version of Netflix’s hit movie “KPop Demon Hunters” at its theaters during the Halloween weekend. 

“During the third quarter, we opened a new dialogue between AMC and Netflix that led to our show in ‘K Pop: Demon Hunters’ over Halloween weekend,” said Aron. “Not surprisingly, given our array of theaters and our loyal customer base, AMC generated more than one-third of all the U.S. theater guests seeing K Pop last weekend. The talks with Netflix are in their infancy, and we do not know yet the ultimate size there can be for this potential cooperation. There is much still to work out.”

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