‘Batman’ AMC Surge Pricing Postmortem: Exhibitor Not The First Major To Hike Ticket Prices On A Superhero Pic; Making Sense Of The Madness

deadline.com:

EXCLUSIVE: In the wake of AMC CEO Adam Aron’s announcement during a recent earnings call that he’s raised ticket prices specifically on The Batman, there are some studio executives and producers who are miffed.It’s an audacious move at a time when moviegoing is desperate for a rebound following a financially disastrous pandemic, which saw circuits shutter for arguably a year.However, there are an array of opinions on this topic, ranging from Aron’s move being a “nothing burger” to filmmakers and producers thinking that a new caste system of movie classification is on the horizon, i.e.

if you’re not the director of a Marvel Cinematic Universe or DC title, well then you’re Ed Wood, and there’s no reason for the greater populous to buy a ticket to your movie.Let’s all calm down.First of all, AMC’s price surge (that’s what it is, I’m told — not variable, no dynamic) on The Batman is nothing new.

In fact, Regal and Cinemark already hiked prices during Spider-Man: No Way Home’s opening weekend (see the chart from Box Office Analytics firm EntTellgence below), and they did so again for The Batman.

Note, the major studios have no input or sway in regards to what exhibitors charge ticket-price wise for movies.And if you’re pondering, ‘Well, duh, high ticket prices kept people from seeing Batman this weekend’, the answer is absolutely ‘No’.The Batman with $128M is the second best opening of the pandemic behind Spider-Man: No Way Home‘s $260M (that movie already the 3rd highest ever at the domestic B.O.