The movie theatre industry is no longer struggling to attract movie lovers back to the big screen.
While pandemic lockdowns threatened the existence of thriving cinemas, rapidly growing numbers of attendees have continued to grow over the past two years.
The only thing movie theatres are missing is more movie titles, says CEO of AMC Entertainment Adam Aron.
Last year, the industry leader had a 33% increase in attendees from Q3 of 2021, seating more than 53 million guests in Q3 of 2022 alone.
The company has also shown massive progress as debt is substantially cut every year.
AMC’s debt seems to be the #1 problem for Wall Street.
If AMC is able to eliminate this burden, the company might be able to offer more incentives to its shareholders again, such as a cash paying dividend like prior years.
AMC and APE Shares Bounce Back from Record Lows
AMC and APE shares are making a big comeback beginning of the new year already.
AMC Entertainment Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:AMC) shares have managed to rise above its low of $3.86 to $5.80, respectively.
The movie theatre’s equity APE (NYSE:APE) fell below $0.70 in December but has managed to rise to current levels around $3.
Shares of AMC are up more than +47% in the past month while APE’s are up nearly +115%.
AMC Entertainment stock has been a buy for quite a while now given the high probability that it has bottomed.
Although shares can always come back down to retest key levels, an increase in trading volume is suggesting that more investors have begun to buy the movie theatre stock again.
Related: How to Buy AMC Stock (2023 Guide)
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Streaming Services Aren’t Enough
As “Avatar: The Way of Water” gets closer to the $2 billion mark at the worldwide box office, James Cameron says it’s a reminder that moviegoers still value the theatrical experience in an era of streaming dominance.
“I’m thinking of it in the terms of we’re going back to theaters around the world. They’re even going back to theaters in China where they’re having this big COVID surge. We’re saying as a society, ‘We need this! We need to go to theaters.’ Enough with the streaming already! I’m tired of sitting on my ass. Source: Variety.
In recent news, Netflix’s showing of Glass Onion in movie theaters cost the streaming service $200 million for taking it out too early.
In October, AMC announced its first ever Netflix showing in 200 theatres.
Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery starring Daniel Craig was released in the U.S. as well as the UK, Ireland, Italy, Germany, and Spain.
The film earned $15 million at the box office but CNBC says the showing could have made $200 million if it had been kept in theatres longer.
The sequel to Johnson’s popular “Knives Out” opened in nearly 700 theaters, the largest release of any Netflix original film to date, 200 of which were AMC Entertainment theatres.
Unfortunately for the online streaming platform, hundreds of millions of dollars were left on the table.
Box office analysts say Glass Onion could have earned much higher earnings if Netflix had opted for a traditional wide release of 2,000 to 4,000 theaters.
The strange release for “Glass Onion” also prompted industry insiders to question the streamer’s theatrical release strategy.
CNBC stated, “Netflix has backtracked on its previous policies, including by introducing an ad-supported subscription option, leading many to wonder whether the company should rethink its resistance to the traditional Hollywood movie release model as it looks for new ways to grow revenue. “
Amazon is Investing Billions in the Movie Theatre Industry
Amazon plans to invest more than $1 billion per year into theatrical distribution releases per Bloomberg news.
Amazon.com Inc. will be investing billions of dollars to produce movies that will release in theatres, according to people familiar with the company’s plans.
This is the largest commitment to the movie theatre industry by an internet company, says Bloomberg.
The world’s largest online retailer aims to make between 12 and 15 movies annually that will get a theatrical release.
Amazon is still sorting out this strategy said people who asked not to be identified.
That number of releases puts Amazon on par with major studios such as Paramount Pictures.
CNBC says this is a positive sign for the movie theatre industry.
“While a $1 billion annual investment for film development is on the lower end of what major Hollywood studios spend each year, it’s a positive sign for the movie theater business, which has struggled in the wake of the pandemic.”
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