The now-canceled Sightline plan was being tested in three US markets, and AMC notes that customer response “cleared things up” enough to finalize the pilot. The company stated that it “saw little to no incremental increase in front-row attendance, even with a price reduction applied to those seats” in test markets.
AMC points out, probably most importantly, that its competitors didn’t try to match the scheme, so it’s going in another direction.
Personally, I wonder if moviegoers could have bought the regular or cheaper tickets for less crowded showings a week after the opening, and then just walked to the seats that don’t make them feel like they’re looking at a ViewMaster.
AMC will again try to get people to sit in the peripheral vision test rows by experimenting with new “enhanced roomy front row seats with extensive seat recline,” which it will start testing in late 2023. It matches other theaters that also allow guests in the front to lie back, similar to how people might sit at home while watching movies.
