Bottom line: Assuming there aren't any hidden charges, AMC's rate - at least, for older flicks - is pretty reasonable, especially if you have a large family or get a big group of friends together. Still, there's no hiding the fact that this is a temporary patch. Theaters won't be able to persist by bringing in such little revenue long-term.
AMC isn't going out without a fight. Less than a week after revealing that it could run out of money by the end of 2020, the theater chain announced it will now allow guests to host private screenings starting at $99 plus tax.
Interested parties can reserve an auditorium for one to 20 people and can choose from a variety of classic and newer films including Shrek, The Nightmare Before Christmas, Tenet, Honest Thief, The Conjuring, Jurassic Park and The New Mutants, just to name a few.
As always, you'll want to read the fine print to identify any "gotchas" ahead of time.
Cost is based on the movie you select. Most of the older films are priced at the advertised $99 although some newer flicks range in price from $149 to $349 plus tax. It's also unclear if the movie rate covers ticket pricing. Alamo Drafthouse, which launched a similar rental program over the summer, made each viewer purchase a movie ticket on top of the flat fee for the auditorium rental.
Similarly, we don't know if there are any hidden charges related to the concession stand. Conveniently, AMC's FAQ page isn't loading properly as of this writing.
Image credit: Mark Zhu, Jacob Lund