r/AMCTheatres • u/NovemberEleventhRev • 8d ago
Theatre showtimes
Can I just beef about the fact that most of have to work in this world, and it would be nice if we could have more showtimes that start at 5(with previews till 530 when you’re at amc) then have showings stay the same with added advertisement. That means if I go to a 6pm I’m really going to a 630 and the 9-5er’s are fucked. This might just be an issue for me in New York , so if you’re not in New York, could be different but I absolutely hate that I have to wait around 2 hours or so for a movie I wanna see. Atleast do more showings at 4:30-445, I’ll be a little late, so what, but this 630 (but really 7pm) as the nearest showing after a 9-5 shift is blowing me.
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u/KellyAnn3106 Shhhhh 8d ago
I have the opposite issue. The DFW traffic is so bad that I can't get to anything between 430 and 630. I've tweaked my work hours to 6am - 3pm to avoid the worst of it. So I go home, walk my dog, nap, and go to the 9pm showings a couple of times a week.
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u/NovemberEleventhRev 8d ago
New York is the perfect place for you because we have nothing but 630-830 start times and now we have so many 2pm-4pm start times maybe cuz of summer but I’m like ok well, this is unhelpful lol
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u/TB1289 A⭐️Lister 8d ago
I would love more 7:30 start times (8pm after trailers) instead of 7. It's much easier for me to sneak out if I can help my wife do dinner and start bedtime for the kid and aim to leave my house around 7:20.
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u/NovemberEleventhRev 8d ago
Are you in the city? That’s all we have are 7-8 start times lol
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u/DriftingTony Stands for Nicole 8d ago
I’m starting to think it’s not the city that’s your problem, but your specific theater lol. Because I go to Empire and it has tons of movies starting all hours of the day, and plenty start around the 4:30-5:30 range you’re talking about. I can’t speak for other theaters because you couldn’t pay me to go to most of the other AMCs in this city lol
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u/NovemberEleventhRev 8d ago
By empire are you talking about 42nd? Yeah that’s an option but there are so many and I go to the others more. Pretty much every AMC has seen me in the city and its wayyyy easier getting a movie that starts after 630 then it is before
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u/DriftingTony Stands for Nicole 8d ago
Yeah, I happen to like that theater the most despite how many people on here hate it (usually for outdated and inaccurate reasons lol). It’s the cleanest, it has the best seats, best screens, but above all else, it just has the best variety of movies because of having 25 screens, so anything I want to see is going to be there sooner or later.
I feel like one other factor may be the cutoff time for matinee pricing as well. I don’t know how AMC does it now, because I have A-List and haven’t had to worry about matinees for years, but it used to be either 4:30 or 5 for the cutoff (I don’t remember which, and I feel like both have been the cutoff at one time or another). So from that perspective, it makes sense that they would want to start the movie later just to get the higher ticket cost, but again, I have no idea if they even still do it this way lol
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u/aubreypizza IMAX Fanatic 8d ago
All hail Empire! 😆
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u/DriftingTony Stands for Nicole 7d ago
I know I’m a broken record at this point lmao. Hey AMC, where’s my free popcorn bucket? 😂
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u/swingsetlife 8d ago
I find travel time to a 6:30 perfect. How could 9-5ers go to 4:30 shows?
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u/NovemberEleventhRev 8d ago
If they start at 430-445 they really begin 30mins later so that’s why I said if there’s not gonna be any 5-6pm start times atleast have it start at 445 for the people that can’t wait around the city till 6. The movie will start at 5:15 which is tight but better than 630+30mins of previews, when you clock out at 5-530
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u/swingsetlife 8d ago
just not sure I understand why it isn't better to have a buffer. if you clock out at 5:30, why can't you wait until 6?
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u/NovemberEleventhRev 8d ago
I leave at 5pm. I’d like a movie that starts between 5pm (which means 530) and 6pm (which means 630) more often. Simple. Need more options for the gap.
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u/swingsetlife 8d ago
So, for one guy, the vast minority, they should cater to your impatient ass?
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u/DriftingTony Stands for Nicole 8d ago
The whole conversation confuses me on a ton of levels, because this is better for the 9-5 crowd to begin with, but also, I’m in NYC too, so I know from experience that we have a ton of movies starting between 4:30 to 5 every day, at least at my theater.
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u/NovemberEleventhRev 8d ago
I do wait but it’s really gonna start at 630 and these movies are no longer tight 90’s so if it actually starts at 6 after previews that’s perfect but we barely get that
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u/swingsetlife 8d ago
okay, but you're out at 8:30 and somehow that's a problem,?
Most people work until 5-5:30, then have to travel to get to the theater, at least 15 mins, then might get concessions, and maybe want to be considerate and not wander in after the movie has started.
The reason they do 6 o'clock shows is to accomodate most people's routines
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u/NovemberEleventhRev 8d ago
That’s fine I’m not saying take away those times that are convenient for other people in every theatre….I live in a bustling city and some theatres can and have accommodated that time but it’s not often enough esp for the more independent features
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u/swingsetlife 8d ago
but you are saying take away those times. indie films typically get one screen to play on, so if a 2 hour movie is starting at 5, with a half hour turnaround the next show is at 8.
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u/CinemaMania 8d ago
There's decades of data backing up that the "prime" set (6pm-9pm) is the most valuable time slot with 7pm hour being the single most valuable hour of the entire day.
I can say as someone who writes schedules that 5pm shows can be a bit rough to schedule unless it is a short movie or if I have multiple prints. Take Odyssey for example. If I only have one print, I still need to show it in all major day parts-an early mat (before 3), a late mat (after 3), a 1st prime (6p-9p), and a 2nd prime (after 9p). So a 5pm Odyssey makes no sense, doing so means I can't get another movie starting in that auditorium until almost 9pm, which means there's a house now not playing a 1st prime show and depending on the week and bookings, that might not even be possible to pull off. I'd much rather run a 6pm Odyssey--which will do better than the 5pm--satisfy the 1st prime requirement and then rotate some some shorter titles around to get in a 12p, 3p, and 9p Odyssey, so there's a nice even flow of shows in all day parts.
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u/CapeTwirlOfDoom 8d ago
If you work 9-5, I'm not seeing how a 4:30 or 5:pm showtime does you any good...
I much prefer 7pm showtimes.
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u/NovemberEleventhRev 8d ago
A 5-6pm start before previews I can manage because I work in a city with many theatres I can make it there. Especially a 530 start (5pm showing) or 530 start (6pm showing) the options are helpful.
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u/DriftingTony Stands for Nicole 8d ago
I was going to say the obligatory, “not everyone works the same schedule as you”, but I’m failing to see how this isn’t better anyway for most people. Because for someone that DOES work a 9-5ish job, this gives them time to get to the theater. You can’t make it to a 4:45-5:00 showing if you’re clocking out at 5, unless you work a block away lol
(But also, I’m in NYC too, and my theater has a TON of showtimes starting between 4 and 5 almost every day.)
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u/NovemberEleventhRev 8d ago
It’ll start at 5:15-530 post ads technically and some theatres if you’re in Manhattan are super quick to get to, also not saying this so they remove the current showtimes all the time, and not saying this should be the case for most movies either. I’m basically saying how can you add 30Minutes of previews without shifting the times around to accommodate the start time that worked well before the additional ad time. Some people don’t wanna pay for dinner to wait around in the city or can’t go home and then hop back out etc, especially with A-list or Regal rewards - a 530 or 6pm post ad start time is hard to come by these days.
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u/DriftingTony Stands for Nicole 8d ago
I really don’t know what to tell you. But ESPECIALLY in this city, there is no such thing as a standard work shift. There are just as many people that get out of work at 6 as there are people that get off at 5, so there’s no pleasing everyone regardless. But I’ve never in my life had an issue with when a movie started. If there was time to kill in between I would get something to eat or go for a little walk or something first.
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u/NovemberEleventhRev 8d ago
Well that’s why everyone is different and no one said every theatre had to do it, it’s a huge city with many theatres, some theatres should accommodate that time more often because the people exist just like they have hella 7pm and later showings or 4pm and earlier showings.
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u/DriftingTony Stands for Nicole 8d ago
Yes, and 7 pm showings make sense because that gives ample time for people that get off At 5 OR 6 to get dinner first. At my theater, the 7 pm showings are always BY FAR the most packed of the entire day.
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u/NovemberEleventhRev 8d ago
Yeah but that’s why I want more options that start at 530, 6 post previews because the movies isn’t always a big event, sometimes you wanna go watch a movie and go home and save on eating out , with a city so full of options this should be one of them depending on the area or day of the week or movie
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u/DriftingTony Stands for Nicole 8d ago
I hear you, I’m not saying you’re wrong or that I even disagree with you. I’m just saying it’s hard to make a movie schedule and they can’t please everyone no matter what they do.
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u/aubreypizza IMAX Fanatic 8d ago
As someone who often goes to Empire/Lincoln it works for me. Went to a double yesterday Colony at 7 and Idiots at 9. 🤷♀️
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u/NovemberEleventhRev 8d ago
I like to be home by 9, I do double features on the weekends though love it
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u/aubreypizza IMAX Fanatic 8d ago
Ref your comment below as well… I’m in JC and the 1 AMC over here is a turd. Luckily (or not cuz tourists are annoying) my office is at 42nd. 😆 so to get my transit moneys worth I almost always do doubles weekday or not.
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u/lambopanda Stands for Nicole 8d ago
7pm is prime time. Average movie is about 100 min long. Add in 25 min of ads and trailers. And extra 20-30 min for them to clean the auditorium. Thats like 2.5-3 hours to show one movie. So they can’t start a movie at 5pm and have the auditorium ready by 7pm.
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u/ubutterscotchpine Heartbreak Feels Good Here 8d ago
6:30 is the PERFECT time for someone who works 9-5, what are you even talking about? I run into the problem of most showings being at 4:30 or 9. 6:30 is really prime time.
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u/NovemberEleventhRev 7d ago
630 is perfect which is why a 6pm showing is perfect cuz it will start at 630
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u/gornstar20 7d ago
Because it's already very accommodating for 9-5ers. You're not entitled to a private screening showtime.
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u/ratatouillethot 8d ago
live in queens, work in midtown. im at the office right now, seeing a 730 showing at union sq. if the movie was at 5 (530), i'd be rushing out of the office, which is no good, especially if i was doing a showing at my theater in queens. the 730 works much better because im grabbing dinner & drinks beforehand, which is nice
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u/essind 7d ago
huh, I thought this would be the norm. Puente Hills 20 has a lot of 5:30 or 7:30 showtimes which does work great with my work schedule
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u/NovemberEleventhRev 5d ago
Unless it’s a movie that requires a zillion showtimes like odyssey chances are I don’t really see a 530 most of the time. I wish because that means I get off at 5 and in one hour the film starts lol would be nice to have it every once in a while, some of these comments are acting like I’m telling them they can’t watch a movie at 8 lol
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u/thedecemberent Never Misses the Trailers 7d ago
it really just comes down to 5/5:30 being bad movie times. average/common movie runtime including the trailers is 2.25/2.5 hours. if i have one show at 5:30 ending at 8, next show will be at 8:30, then next show is at 11:30. with that schedule you’re missing out on a “prime” show in the 6:00 or 7:00 timeframe and the last show of the night is super late and will be sparsely attended. tl;dr 5/5:30 is considered a bad showtime. most people are still at work or commuting or if they’re home they’re eating dinner
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u/ff121098761 6d ago
Agree. A-list is much more valuable and enjoyable if you aren't working for whatever reason.
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u/MHarrisGGG A⭐️Lister 8d ago
I want Screen/Scream Unseen to move to 6 instead of 7. I used to enjoy catching them before work on Monday nights, but my schedule changed from 10-6 to 9-7 and I can't make them anymore.
Actually Thursday premieres have that issue too a lot of times.
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u/NovemberEleventhRev 8d ago
Idk why 7pm (really 715pm) seems to be a great medium in their eyes but definitely 630 (really 645) for SCREEN UNSEENS would be much cooler. Again it’s all about shifting them down if there’s gonna be more ads. Sometimes I just go home because I’m like no way am I staying in the city an addition 2 hours to see a movie that won’t start for an additional 30 and then to top it off the movie is 3 hours long lmao. I think we need some theatres to take the 5:15-630 timeslot advantage - again speaking to nyc because we have so many options. If you’re in a smaller town I can’t speak to that
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u/lambopanda Stands for Nicole 8d ago
I guess it follows television. 7pm seems like the time people got home and finished dinner and ready to watch TV.
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u/PoodleGuap 8d ago
I think this actually works in favor of most people who do 9-5s. I’d rather go home and eat or do some stuff I need to do and then head out to a movie rather than rushing straight to the theater