Is AMC on the Verge of Resurrecting Another Short Squeeze?

AMC Entertainment (NYSE:AMC) stock is currently up over 100% this year-to-date. Thanks to a booming box office and debt restructuring plan, the company may be on the verge of another short squeeze potential, or at least another major run that solidifies the company’s standing on Wall Street.

Unlike 2021’s short squeeze, AMC’s current short interest sits at nearly 5% (delayed data by Fintel).

This means short sellers aren’t very confident in shorting the company anymore like they were during the pandemic era where AMC’s future was extremely uncertain; at least in Wall Street’s eyes.

Despite many retail investors feeling wronged by CEO Adam Aron, AMC Entertainment still have a very strong and loyal fan base.

Granted, stimulus checks aren’t providing American investors with purchasing power and inflation today isn’t helping ‘feed the monster’.

But the company’s fundamentals have improved over the years, primarily due to AMC’s dilution of its investors.

Investors have kept the company afloat and allowed it to beat Wall Street projections.

But it came at a dire cost. At first, AMC investors experienced massive gains from AMC’s short squeeze. Popular YouTube channels such as Trey’s Trades became a hit for technical analysis and live streaming of the stock’s price action.

It was only after AMC’s stock price peaked that shareholders slowly began to hold long enough to see profits come down, break even, and eventually suffer losses from dilution.

Today, shareholders who have dollar-cost-averaged over the years have begun to break even again, and some even profit.

But for those who weren’t part of the original momentum play, those who didn’t go through the pain of making massive gains and losing it all, the stock has never looked more attractive.

AMC Stock Is Up More Than 100% This Year-To-Date

AMC stock is now over 100% this year-to-date, thanks to a variety of positive developments.

In late September 2026, AMC completed a massive $3.97 billion refinancing package that successfully restructured roughly 97% of its near-term debt.

For example, pushing maturities out into the next decade (2031–2035) eliminated immediate insolvency fears and removed a multi-year overhang that had heavily depressed the stock.

This is a big development for new investors looking to buy into a popular retail stock that once crippled Wall Street and major short seller hedge funds.

AMC stock, like Tesla, has faced major opposition over recent years.

Like Tesla, it has also shut its opposition down.

For years, Wall Street analysts and legacy media swore Americans would never return to the big screens. They were wrong.

Moviegoers returned to multiplexes at rates not seen in years, driving domestic box office collections up 21% compared to the same period in 2025.

Here are the North American domestic box office totals from 2021 through 2026 so far:

• 2021: $4.48 billion (Top film: Spider-Man: No Way Home)
• 2022: $7.37 billion (Top film: Top Gun: Maverick)
• 2023: $8.91 billion (Top film: Barbie)
• 2024: $8.57 billion (Top film: Inside Out 2)
• 2025: $7.08 billion (Final calendar total)
• 2026 (Year-to-Date): $8.61 billion (Top film so far: Spider-Man: Brand New Day, tracking to finish the year above $10 billion)

AMC also posted continuous revenue beats across several consecutive quarters.

Its Q3 2026 earnings report for example highlighted a dramatic shift, turning a net loss of $298.2 million in the prior year’s quarter into a net profit of $109.3 million, alongside strong free cash flow generation.

Short Sellers Are Losing Confidence

With AMC’s current short interest at roughly only 5%, it’s a sure sign that Wall Street isn’t willing to take risky bets towards the downside again, at least for now.

This leaves retail investors with a free runway to capitalize on gains as more confident investors begin to buy the stock en masse again.

The question is, will investors start to pour in like they did during the ‘meme stock’ frenzy of 2021?

If you were part of that event, that movement, that community during that time, you understand just how special and unique that blip in time was.

Moments like that are difficult to replicate. However, it’s not to say bullish momentum can’t take AMC stock to higher price levels.

AMC stock has broken past the $3 range and has tested $3.50. The next big psychological level will be $4 per share.

AMC Entertainment will need to become a much more valuable investment to attract new money.

It can do this in a few ways:

• By becoming completely debt free
• Continuing to beat year-over-year records
• And eventually offer a dividend that pays its investors every quarter

This is where AMC Entertainment stock becomes a must-hold in every standard portfolio, similar to the likes of Apple, Tesla, and others.

More AMC Stock News:

• AMC Now Gets Massive Upgrade by Fitch Ratings
• The Price of AMC Stock is Now ‘Severely Undervalued’
• AMC’s Stock Chart Now Has To Break Major Key Level
• See All →

While it might not become part of the ‘Magnificent Seven’, it can become part of a diversified portfolio for the next generation of retail investors.

But I’m curious to know what you think — is an AMC short squeeze still the power play? Or is it AMC’s impressive recovery and growing fundamentals? Are you a long-time shareholder or are you looking for new stocks to add to your portfolio?

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