AMC Theatres

AMC Theatres, often just called AMC, is a big company that owns many movie theaters around the world. It is the largest movie theater chain in the United States, Europe, and the whole world, with about 860 theaters and almost 10,000 screens. AMC started in Kansas City, Missouri on December 20, 1920, and grew quickly to become a leader in showing movies in theaters.

Over the years, AMC bought other theater companies like Odeon Cinemas, UCI Cinemas, and Carmike Cinemas, which helped it become the biggest movie theater chain. Today, AMC has many theaters in both Europe and the United States.

The company is listed on the New York Stock Exchange with the symbol AMC. It faced tough times during the COVID-19 lockdowns, but managed to keep going with help from investors.

History

AMC Theatres was founded in 1920 by the Dubinsky brothers. They bought a theater in Kansas City, Missouri. Over the years, the company grew by building more theaters, including drive-ins and multiplexes, which allowed them to show more movies with the same staff.

By the 1980s, AMC expanded worldwide, opening theaters in places like the United Kingdom and Japan. They introduced megaplexes—huge theaters with many screens—in the 1990s. Later, AMC faced challenges, including a big drop in business during the COVID-19 pandemic, but managed to adapt and continue operating.

Features

AMC introduced special seat designs, like cup holders and stadium-style seating, where each row is higher than the one in front. They also created comfy "Love Seat" seating without armrests between pairs of seats. In 2009, AMC began changing many screens to show movies in digital 3D, and by April 2022, they planned to update most of their screens to use advanced laser projectors.

AMC offers special movie experiences at some theaters, including Dolby Cinema with powerful sound and comfortable seats, and IMAX with very large screens. Other options include large-screen theaters like BigD, and 3D movies using RealD 3D glasses. There are also theaters with moving seats and effects like wind and water called 4DX, and screens that extend onto theater walls known as ScreenX.

AMC has offered special rewards for frequent moviegoers. The AMC Stubs program lets members earn benefits like discounts, free upgrades, and special offers. There are different levels of membership, including a free option, a yearly paid option, and a monthly option that allows up to four movies a week. Members also get discounted tickets on Tuesdays and, as of July 2025, Wednesdays too.

Some AMC theaters have a bar area called MacGuffins Bar and Lounge, where drinks can be enjoyed either in the bar or taken into the movie theater.

AMC also sells vouchers that can be used for tickets and snacks. These include special discount tickets sold in bulk, gift cards, and snack coupons that can be used at the concession stand.

Banners

After buying Carmike Cinemas, AMC started using three main names for its theaters in 2017.

• AMC is the main name for regular theaters with special features and formats. Some old Loews Cineplex Entertainment theaters still use the Magic Johnson Theatres name as AMC Magic Johnson.
• AMC Classic is for smaller theaters with fewer special features. This name comes from the old Carmike theaters and uses their old logo and slogan, "America's Hometown Cinemas." Some AMC Classic theaters have been updated with better food, new equipment, and comfortable seats.
• AMC Dine-In is for theaters that serve more food, including seats you can reserve and servers who bring your food to your table.

Other endeavors

AMC tried working with Planet Hollywood to create special movie theaters, but this plan failed because Planet Hollywood faced money problems. Only one of these special theaters opened in Columbus, Ohio, in 1999, and it later became a regular AMC theater.

AMC also ran movie theaters inside Disney and Universal parks for a time. Today, AMC helps independent films show in theaters and has worked with artists like Chance the Rapper, Taylor Swift, and Beyoncé to bring their concert films to movie screens. During the COVID-19 pandemic, AMC began selling popcorn online and in stores. In 2022, AMC also bought a part of a mining company that works with gold and silver.

Acquisitions

AMC has bought many other movie theater chains over the years. In 2002, AMC added theaters from General Cinema Corporation and Gulf States Theaters. In 2006, AMC merged with Loews Cineplex Entertainment, adding many more theaters. Over the years, AMC continued to grow by buying more chains like Kerasotes Showplace Theatres, Starplex Cinemas, Carmike Cinemas, UCI & Odeon Cinema Group, Nordic Cinema Group, and several locations from Pacific Theatres and Bow Tie Cinemas. These purchases helped AMC become one of the biggest movie theater companies in the world.

Controversies

AMC made changes to seating in their theaters to help people in wheelchairs watch movies better. At first, the seating made it hard for people in wheelchairs to see the screen comfortably. This led to some legal issues. Later, AMC changed its design in new theaters, but faced more legal challenges about updating older theaters. In 2008, a court decided that AMC did not need to change all its older theaters right away.

In 2017, AMC settled a case about misleading investors regarding the company's finances, paying $18 million.

During the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, AMC first said masks would be recommended but not required when reopening theaters. After many people said this was not enough, the company changed its policy to require masks for everyone.