AMC Is Offering Up Private Theaters For $99*
Apart from not being afraid of breathing the same air as somebody else, the thing I miss most about pre-coronavirus life has been movies. Remember movies? Hollywood sure doesn’t, they’ve kept pushing back release dates for hot new titles and the industry has come to a complete stand-still as theaters hemorrhaged money amid closings. AMC Theater has come up with a private-rental idea that could bring back some life to the flatlining American box office.
AMC has suggested that coronavirus might be the nail in their coffin and end their business for good, but they’ve also suggested some ideas for comeback promotions to help get back on their feet. Well, a private screenings promotion is AMC’s newest hope at resurrecting their business. The Verge says that for $99 plus tax, you and 19 friends can rent a whole theater and enjoy a private big-screen experience. Theaters like Cinemark and Alamo Drafthouse had already been offering similar promotions earlier in the summer, so AMC is actually behind on this gameplan. This came after news that last week AMC had warned investors it could run out of money by the end of the year, with second-quarter revenue plunging by 98 percent.
The private screenings will be for mostly older movies, but the few new movies out, like Tenet and New Mutants, will also be on the menu.
But wait because there’s always a catch–this is capitalism. The older movies will be $99, but if you wanna watch Tenet, it will cost between $149 and $349 plus tax. And there are extras on extras and they are WILD.
AMC is also selling a host of extras. Bringing in outside food costs $250, while getting access to the auditorium beyond fifteen minutes prior to a film’s start costs $250 for each half hour. A microphone to welcome guests costs another $100.
If you’re interested in booking a screening, you can fill out an inquiry form on AMC’s website— you’ll be contacted within three days. The promotion is available across most of the US, according to CNN, excluding New York, Alaska, and Hawaii.
I’d split $99 20-ways and watch an old movie in a private theater. I don’t know who the fuck is paying $250 to bring in food, though. Someone’s gonna pat you down on the way in? It’s a private show–that is thee time to sneak food in. The smell of your chicken fried rice won’t be suspicious when you’re the only people in there. But listen, I wish this would save the movie industry, but I think we all know that this will quickly devolve into people hosting AMC Theater orgies. Give people a dark room where they have semi-privacy and eventually it will lead to sex–it always does.
Pic: Twitter