Kelsey decided she’d seen enough with AMC Theatres — and wanted everyone else to see it too.
Kelsey, a Columbus, Ohio-area TikToker, wasn’t there to review the film. She was there to document what $60 bought her and a guest at their local AMC Theatre.
“Hey, AMC,” she began, camera rolling across the auditorium seats before the previews even started. “Just wanted to document the conditions for the movie that it was $40 for the two of us top tickets, and then we got drinks, and it was $60.”
No popcorn. No combo upgrade. Just two tickets and two beverages and a theater she clearly felt wasn’t holding up its end of the bargain.
“And I just want to document that this is the condition of the theater prior to the movie,” she continued, panning the camera to showcase what she was sitting in.
What was wrong with the AMC theater?
The state of the theater, in particular the seats, left many commenters appalled. Her video shows velvety red seats, many with visible signs of wear.
One person suggested going to the competition. “AMC is disgusting,” they wrote. “Cinemark is the move.”
Another person said, “Yeah, I don’t use AMC at all. Definitely has gone down over the years.”
Some people noted the age and material of the seat covers.
“Wait, theaters are still using cloth seats?” one person asked. “All the ones I’ve been too around here are leather. This is crazy.”
What customers are sitting in might matter more than what they’re paying. A 2024 study published by CleanLink found that the average cinema seat harbors roughly 1,864 colonies of bacteria — approximately 14 times more than a typical toilet seat. Cupholders fared even worse: the average cinema cup holder contained around 2,396 colonies, with mold discovered in at least one of the samples tested.
This issue is not specific to AMC, however.
Is AMC in trouble?
Kelsey’s frustration with the seating arrives at a particularly loaded moment for AMC, the world’s largest theater chain.
In April, AMC raised its Stubs A-List subscription to $29.99 per month — a $2 increase from the previous hike just a year earlier. CEO Adam Aron framed the adjustment as a necessity, telling subscribers in an email that A-List “continues to offer [moviegoers] exceptional value.”
Meanwhile, the company is still struggling under nearly $4 billion in debt while attendance remains stagnant amid greater inflationary forces keeping people away from moviehouses.
The Big Lead reached out to Kelsey via TikTok message and comment and AMC via email.