Latest news with #movie theater
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
AMC Entertainment Holdings, Inc. (AMC): A Bear Case Theory
We came across a bearish thesis on AMC Entertainment Holdings, Inc. on by sabordesoledad. In this article, we will summarize the bulls' thesis on AMC. AMC Entertainment Holdings, Inc.'s share was trading at $3.4400 as of July 21st. AMC Entertainment Holdings (AMC) continues to face structural headwinds in the movie theater business, which was in secular decline even before COVID-19, with the pandemic accelerating negative trends. Per capita attendance has been falling since the early 2000s, and while box office sales have recovered post-pandemic, gains have been driven by ticket price hikes and higher concession sales rather than audience growth. Pixabay/Public Domain Casual moviegoers, a crucial demographic, are increasingly dissuaded by shortened theatrical windows—now averaging around 32 days versus 80–90 pre-pandemic—and the ease of streaming releases. The industry is also contending with a reduced volume of film releases (675 in 2024 vs. 900+ in 2018–2019) and an increasing concentration of box office revenue among a handful of blockbusters. AMC, despite weaker fundamentals and a highly leveraged balance sheet, trades at a premium valuation: 9.9x NTM EV/EBITDA and 11.4x 2025 consensus EBITDA of $449M versus Cinemark's (CNK) 8.2x and 8.6x, respectively. With $4.1B of debt and annual cash interest expense of $400M, AMC remains reliant on equity issuance to de-lever. Revenue in 2024 was still 15% below 2019 levels despite significant price increases—tickets +23% and concessions per attendee +50%—a dynamic that erodes affordability and risks further suppressing attendance. Capex has been cut by 50% to $25k per screen, suggesting underinvestment in maintenance to conserve cash, yet free cash flow remains consistently negative. With only 2M shares left under its current authorization, AMC is expected to seek an expanded share authorization at its 3Q25 AGM, providing a clear catalyst for downside. Previously we covered a on Netflix, Inc. (NFLX) by Margin of Sanity in May 2025, which highlighted the hidden value in Netflix's content library, where amortization accounting obscures the enduring revenue potential of older titles. The company's stock price has appreciated by approximately 5.6% since our coverage as resilient viewership supported the thesis. sabordesoledad shares a contrarian view in AMC, emphasizing structural headwinds from declining attendance, shortened windows, and streaming competition. AMC Entertainment Holdings, Inc. is not on our list of the 30 Most Popular Stocks Among Hedge Funds. As per our database, 17 hedge fund portfolios held AMC at the end of the first quarter which was 20 in the previous quarter. While we acknowledge the potential of AMC as an investment, we believe certain AI stocks offer greater upside potential and carry less downside risk. If you're looking for an extremely undervalued AI stock that also stands to benefit significantly from Trump-era tariffs and the onshoring trend, see our free report on the best short-term AI stock. READ NEXT: 8 Best Wide Moat Stocks to Buy Now and 30 Most Important AI Stocks According to BlackRock. Disclosure: None. Sign in to access your portfolio
Yahoo
21-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Movie theaters are in trouble. Gen Z is here to save them.
When young people turn out at the movie theater in droves, they make headlines for flinging popcorn and screaming. Accused of being antisocial homebodies, some theaters have tried to lure them off their couches and into their seats by letting them keep their tiny beacons of light and distraction out during phone-friendly screenings. Some say they're willing to turn their hallowed halls into amusement parks with bowling lanes and roller-coaster-esque 4DX screenings, all to boost their offerings and keep the hallowed tradition of theatergoing alive in the digital age. But as ticket prices rise and at-home streaming options proliferate, what if Gen Z is the movie theater industry's greatest hope? According to a Yahoo News/YouGov Survey conducted May 22-27, 2025, Americans surveyed say they prefer to wait to see a new movie when it's available on streaming (61%) rather than seeing it in theaters (23%). But young adults under 30 are the age group most likely to head to the cinema, according to the poll. About half (49%) have seen a movie in a theater in the past six months, and 60% in the past year. And when a new movie comes out, respondents under 30 were the most likely to say they'd see it in theaters (31%) vs. waiting for it to become available on streaming (53%), compared to adults 30 and older. So what's enticing them to put their phones down, travel to the theater and give the big screen their attention for a few hours? 54% of Gen Z-ers surveyed said they want 'an experience I can't get at home.' More than half of poll respondents under 30 said an interesting plot (56%) and lower ticket cost (55%) could persuade them to get their butts in seats too. 'The most coveted demographic' Though assumptions about Gen Z's affinity for phones and hatred of spending money might lead some people to believe that they might not love theatergoing, it's actually an organic part of the young adult experience. George Huang, a filmmaker and professor at UCLA, tells Yahoo it makes total sense that younger generations are more likely to go to the theater than their millennial, Gen X and boomer counterparts. They typically spend less time fretting about work, kids and taxes, Huang says. And Hollywood knows this. 'The most coveted demographic has always been young adults … economically, they have the most spare time,' he explains. 'And movies, in comparison to sporting events or live concerts, are still the cheapest ticket around.' Young audiences are also 'trendsetters and cultural arbiters of cool … and let's face it, who doesn't want to be cool!' Huang adds. 'A decline in Hollywood films' Studios have long had an eye out for young adults. Susan Doll, a film historian who teaches at Ringling College of Art and Design, tells Yahoo that the industry has prioritized reaching young moviegoers since the 1980s. In the years leading up to that decade, the artistic ambitions of legendary filmmakers like Martin Scorsese and Francis Ford Coppola led "to excesses in budgets and shooting schedules," which corporate conglomerates that bought film studios weren't particularly fond of. As a result, new executives focused on budget control and commercial franchises to boost profits. They noted the financial success of 1975's Jaws and 1977's Star Wars, and a 'fascination and then dependence on blockbuster movies' began. Executives also took note of the fact that young viewers would go to the theater to see movies like 1978's Superman and Halloween multiple times, creating a fan base that would carry over to sequels and series. 'These beloved films tended to be viscerally sensational, relying heavily on action, fast pacing, and special effects. They were also uncomplicated, and without irony or moral ambiguity,' Doll says. The young demographic then became the primary demographic. In Doll's opinion, the 'dominance of formula, the adherence to genres driven by expensive special effects, the embracing of the clichéd heroes played by costly stars and the acceptance of costly marketing strategies … please a young demographic, [but] the end result is a decline in [the quality of] Hollywood films,' she says. 'This generation of moviegoers ... is really smart' Still, the industry needs money to survive, and box office numbers don't lie: Audiences are flocking to see movies made for the youngest theatergoers. Five of the 10 biggest films at the domestic box office in 2024 — Inside Out 2, Wicked, Moana 2, Despicable Me 4 and Kung Fu Panda 4 — were rated G or PG, suggesting they were targeting young audiences that include children younger than Gen Z. But all 10 of them — even the PG-13-rated, Oscar-nominated Dune: Part Two and expletive-filled, R-rated Deadpool & Wolverine — were constructed from familiar intellectual property and involve the heavy use of special effects that studios have long used to target young people. Not every Gen Z theatergoer wants to see a blockbuster based on well-known characters. Multiple theater owners tell Yahoo that they were moved by the success of director Ryan Coogler's film Sinners, which is among the top three most successful movies at the 2025 domestic box office to date. Box office stats can't capture the trend in seeing older, classic movies that theater owners say they've noticed. When David Lynch died in Jan. 2025, the nonprofit Belcourt Theatre in Nashville screened his offbeat hits Mulholland Drive and Eraserhead. Those movies are accessible — and popular — on streaming services, but young people turned out in droves to see the auteur's masterpieces on the big screen, just as Lynch would have wanted. Stephanie Silverman, Belcourt's executive director, tells Yahoo she sees a lot of young people at the theater, and she's not alone. She spoke at a conference of European independent cinemas in 2024, where she heard that young audiences across the globe are showing up for the rereleases of prestigious classics like The Seventh Samurai and Princess Mononoke. 'This generation of moviegoers … is really smart. Whether it's spending time on [movie review social media site] Letterboxd during the pandemic, or having a curiosity about past filmmaking and how it connects to current filmmaking,' she says. 'They come in curious, wanting to see films that are recognized as important that they could watch on their televisions at home, but they want to see them in community.' This is a massive victory for theatergoing, Silverman says, because it creates lifelong customers. As these Gen Z-ers start families, they might have less time to go to the movies at first, but could pick that back up when the kids are old enough to go to the theater. 'Our fractured digital selves can feel whole' Since Gen Z was raised with easy access to technology and the internet, they spend that excess of alone time online. They still crave in-person events, though, seeking a sense of identity and community in an ever-fractured world. Theatergoing can provide that. Jack Goodson, a Gen Z expert known as the Identity Consultant, tells Yahoo that 'cinema isn't just a format — it's a ritual, and rituals matter more when identity is unstable.' 'Gen Z isn't saving cinema. They're reminding it what it's for — collective myth, emotional cohesion and the rare moment where our fractured digital selves can feel whole,' he says. But since Gen Z's moviegoing habits are driven by their desire to develop identity, some experts say studios could do a better job making movies that make them feel represented on-screen. Michael Tran, who co-authored UCLA's annual Hollywood Diversity Report in 2025, tells Yahoo that 'racial/ethnic and gender diversity has unfailingly remained a key predictor of success at the box office' — but younger moviegoers aren't rushing to the theater as much as they could because they're 'hesitant to see films that do not cater to them.' According to data from the UCLA report, young adult women, particularly those of color, are vital consumers. Studios and filmmakers not tapping into that demographic is leaving money on the table. Barak Epstein, operator of the Texas Theatre in Dallas, tells Yahoo that young people naturally flock to their cinema. They saw a lot of success last year with Sean Baker's buzzy, Oscar-winning Anora, and again this year with a movie called F***toys that hasn't been picked up for distribution yet. Filmmaker Annapurna Sriram is 'going on tour with it like a rock band,' and young people are turning out with enthusiasm, Epstein says. I saw this firsthand at a 4DX screening of A Minecraft Movie. The enthusiasm of Gen Z and Gen Alpha viewers led to theaters creating special "chicken jockey" screenings that featured sanctioned chaos. It was delightful. For Gen Z, moviegoing is a ritual. It's an easy and relatively inexpensive way to access community and celebrate identity. Now they just need other generations to catch on and keep that experience alive. 'Sometimes I'm like, 'How do I find older people?' Epstein laughs. __________________ The Yahoo News survey was conducted by YouGov using a nationally representative sample of 1,560 U.S. adults interviewed online from May 22-27, 2025. The sample was weighted according to gender, age, race, education, 2024 election turnout and presidential vote, party identification and current voter registration status. Demographic weighting targets come from the 2019 American Community Survey. Party identification is weighted to the estimated distribution at the time of the election (31% Democratic, 32% Republican). Respondents were selected from YouGov's opt-in panel to be representative of all U.S. adults. The margin of error is approximately 2.9%.
Yahoo
19-07-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Wedbush Just Upgraded AMC Stock. Should You Buy, Sell, or Hold Shares Now?
Although AMC Entertainment (AMC) is far from its meme stock heyday, it seems a positive plot twist is unfolding for the movie theater operator. Wedbush analyst Alicia Reese upgraded the shares of the world's largest theater chain to 'Outperform,' raising the price target to $4 from $3. Reese's optimism stems from the fact that there is a slew of strong releases over the next several quarters, and AMC, with the 'most premium screens in North America,' is expected to be a natural beneficiary. More News from Barchart Insider Trading Alert: Here's Who Bought Nvidia and AMD Stock Before the U.S. Chip Deal with China Dear Tesla Stock Fans, Mark Your Calendars for July 23 Robinhood Keeps Hitting New Highs. How Should You Play HOOD Stock Here? Markets move fast. Keep up by reading our FREE midday Barchart Brief newsletter for exclusive charts, analysis, and headlines. About AMC Stock Founded in 1920, AMC Entertainment operates about 870 theaters and 9,700 screens globally. Its revenue streams include box office sales, concessions, advertising, and the distribution of concert and artist films. Valued at a market cap of $1.5 billion, AMC stock is down 10.7% on a YTD basis. So, should you follow suit and buy into Reese's bullishness around AMC? I would advise not to, and here's why. Other Avenues of Entertainment Mark Structural Shift Away From Theaters Momentary spurts notwithstanding, the shift towards streaming platforms such as Netflix (NFLX), Prime Video, and Hulu, among others, is a reality. Further, short-form content in the form of Instagram Reels and videos on YouTube and TikTok has seen massive growth in engagement over the last decade. All this has gradually but consistently eaten away at the share of theater chains like AMC as consumers increasingly opt for in-home forms of entertainment. It's not that the management has not been innovative. In fact, the company has made visible efforts to reinvigorate its theater business, both through operational upgrades and strategic rollouts. In April, it debuted two of its XL at AMC auditoriums in Kansas. These locations are equipped with expansive 40-foot-wide screens and advanced 4K laser projection, forming part of its broader AMC Go Plan. By the end of the year, the company plans to scale this offering to as many as 50 sites. Earlier in the same month, AMC also wrapped up major renovations at two of its theaters, involving several million dollars in investments. The upgrades focused on comfort, with installations of over 4,000 AMC Club Rocker seats. These offer up to 23% more width and extend legroom by as much as 10 inches, directly enhancing customer experience. Yet, these improvements appear incremental in nature and may not be sufficient to reignite consistent theater attendance. The issue isn't just foot traffic. AMC also finds itself contending with an evolving media landscape. Instant access to a vast library of content across streaming platforms has reshaped viewer behavior. Moreover, with the company's revenue often hinging on the quality and cadence of film releases from major studios, its reliance on third-party content pipelines continues to be a structural disadvantage. In fact, analyst Reese, despite turning bullish on the stock, sounded a note of caution about the theater business when she said, 'To be clear, we do not see substantial growth in 2025, 2026 or beyond. Over the next few years, we anticipate mid-to-high single-digit [percentage] growth rates in box-office revenue, followed by low-to-mid single-digit growth rates thereafter.' And then there is the case of AMC's financials. AMC Financials Are a Horror Movie AMC's financials would put any blockbuster horror movie to shame. To start, its shares are down 91.3% over the past five years. Compare this with Netflix's share price rise of 165% in the same period, and the difference is stark. In the most recent quarter, AMC continued on its path of declining revenues and widening losses. Total revenues of $862.5 million denoted a yearly decline of 9.3% with net losses widening to $202.1 million from $163.5 million in the year-ago period. Total attendance fell to 41.9 million from 46.6 million in Q1 2024. Attendance declined in both its core market of the U.S. (26.9 million, -11.8% YOY) and international markets (14.9 million, -7.1% YOY) with the average number of screens also dwindling from 9,703 in Q1 2024 to 9,430 in Q1 2025. Average ticket prices also fell to $11.30 from $11.38 in the previous year. Lastly, the company closed the first quarter with a cash balance of $378.7 million. This was considerably lower than the company's huge debt burden of $8.3 billion. Analyst Opinions on AMC Stock Overall, analysts have deemed AMC stock to be a 'Hold' with a mean target price of $3.32. This denotes downside of about 5% from current levels. Out of seven analysts covering the stock, Reese is the sole analyst with a 'Strong Buy' rating, five have a 'Hold' rating, and one has a 'Strong Sell' rating. On the date of publication, Pathikrit Bose did not have (either directly or indirectly) positions in any of the securities mentioned in this article. All information and data in this article is solely for informational purposes. This article was originally published on
Yahoo
13-07-2025
- General
- Yahoo
30 Insufferable Main Character Types From The Last Month That Made Me See Red
tourists, who forgot that people actually live in Greece: mom, who thought this was okay to do at a movie theater: people, who decided the sign didn't apply to them: Related: woman, who clearly wanted attention: adults, who kicked children off a public court: parent, who forgot the cardinal rule of a library: being quiet. If you can't read the above, it says: AITA for taking my kids to the library?(throwaway for privacy reasons)Not here to cause drama or play victim, but I genuinely left the library today feeling humiliated and judged, and I want to know if I'm actually in the morning around 11, I took my three kids to our local library. It's not school holidays, so I thought it'd be a great time for them to pick some books and have a calm morning inside for once. We usually go to the park, but I was tired and just wanted to sit with a were in the kids' section, the area with toys, picture books, soft mats, etc. My toddler was toddling around the tables squealing with two blocks in hand, occasionally jumping off the reading cushions. My 6yo was throwing Duplo around yelling 'lava monster' (he's obsessed with dinosaurs right now), and my 8yo was under the table making cat noises and swatting at ankles as a joke (not touching anyone, most people laughed). I was supervising and making sure they weren't hurting anyone. They were just energetic not they played, I sat down and FaceTimed my sister (who recently had a facelift and is stuck inside recovering). She wanted to say hi to the kids and show me how things were healing. I didn't have headphones so I had her on speaker, but the volume wasn't loud. We chatted for about 25 minutes while a cartoon was playing on the TV nearby so it's not like it was dead my toddler had a few screaming moments over sharing, and my other son dumped out a box of picture books to 'build a trap.' But again this is a children's area. What do people expect?Anyway, an older woman (maybe 60s, floral blouse) came over and in a very passive-aggressive tone asked, 'Could you please take the phone call outside?' I explained I was talking to my sister post-surgery and we'd be done soon. She walked off shaking her head and a few minutes later was whispering to the staff.A staff member came over and told me they'd received 'several complaints.' I was asked to end the call, supervise the kids more closely, and was also told that food wasn't allowed (my daughter had a half-eaten muesli bar in her hand, which I was going to clean up when I was off the call). I was polite, but I honestly felt singled out. There were other noisy kids but I guess because I have three, I'm apparently not supervising properly?We left early, and I just felt so judged. I'm a single mum doing the best I can. My kids are high-energy, creative, and not robots. I'm not going to apologise for them being curious and playful in a space meant for that. If you want complete silence, maybe don't sit in the toy-filled kids' corner and expect a spa AITA for letting my kids be themselves in the children's section and taking a FaceTime call which was not that loud, or was everyone else just being dramatic? terrible, terrible person, who trashed a soup kitchen for views: parent who let their kids ruin the park for everyone else: If you can't read the above, it says: Hello Neighbors,We have a problem we hope you can help us with… for the past 6-8 weeks there has been quite a bit of destructive behavior happening at The Art Park. We have seen it on our surveillance videos and a few kind neighbors have reached out to notify us of what they have seen. It appears to be young children that walked to our campus to play on the playground unaccompanied by an adult. Neighbors and community members are welcome to use our playground, but children MUST BE SUPERVISED and act problems we have noticed include: children defecating and burying the feces on our playground where toddlers play, running around without pants on, children riding bikes in our parking lot/driveway when cars are pulling in, toys from the playground thrown into our koi fish pond, student artwork that was drying outside destroyed and hundreds of landscaping rocks thrown into the parking lot. If this behavior continues, we will be forced to lock up our playground after business hours; this is not an idea that we relish as it will cost us unnecessary funds and the neighborhood will not be able to enjoy the playground any longer. Thank you for any help you can provide in stopping this disrespectful behavior. passenger, who decided her "cleanliness" (you can wipe your seat down or do literally anything else!!!) was more important than the person behind her being able to use their seatback tray: wildly entitled woman, who thought "pick what you want" meant "steal full bushes": Related: man, who BROUGHT HIS OWN HOSE TO A CEMETARY so he could WASH HIS CAR there: selfish person, who couldn't let someone else have something nice: customer, who expected a military discount at a swimwear shop: of these selfish passengers: horrible person, who was either very dumb or a major jerk: Related: driver, who took up FOUR SPACES at a Starbucks: customer, who thought Starbucks employees should be ashamed of themselves for getting a name slightly wrong: "friend," who clearly thought being a dick was funny: attendee, who got up on stage during a watch party just so people would look at them: person, who clearly was trying to pass off their dog as a service dog: If you can't read the above, it says: They do not allow certified service dogs which is absolutely illegal.★☆☆☆☆ Reviewed 22 Jun 2023I spoke with someone at the front desk earlier today to inform them I will be bringing my trained service dog, they said that was fine. The manager called my mom later on to inquire more and started off by asking if I had a disability. Under the laws of the ADA, any person with disabilities have the right to be accompanied by a service animal wherever the person is allowed to go. It is ILLEGAL to refuse service to people with a service dog. I am not able to attend my family weekend away because I cannot bring my service dog. We will not be staying here ever of stay: June 2023Trip type: Travelled with family Response from Guest Services / Front Office at The Grand HotelResponded 20 Jul 2023Dear elyse1433,Your review is simply not true. We do allow service animals and we have had service dogs over the years. No one asked if you had a disability. You did not have a reservation with us so we did call your mom because the reservation was in her name. Your mom asked if you could bring your dog and we asked if it was a service dog, your mom informed us that it was not a service dog. Your parents had no problem with this, they still came and were absolutely lovely. When they checked out they said what a great stay they had and that they will be back. We look forward to their return and we wish you the best in wherever you end up staying next time you come to Ogunquit. this entitled reviewer, who got mad a baker didn't have availability: woman, who hogged the tire inflator area to clean out her car: Related: curmudgeonly neighbor: this terrible neighbor, who thought they were entitled to the parking space outside their house when, as commenters pointed out, they could've parked on the street and given their driveway to their mother: If you can't read the above, it says: Being young & able-bodied, surely it would cause you little trouble to park a few houses down the street?Instead, you force my mother to do so, despite the large amount of pain & grief it causes isn't about the law. This is about consideration, respect & care for the elderly, frail & disabled.I hope your parents are treated with more respect than you are be frank, your lack of regard is should be embarrassed of yourself. neighbors, who decided it was fine to block the sidewalk: whoever runs this car dealership, who also blocked the sidewalk: truck driver, who didn't care about anyone else: reviewer, who wanted a restaurant to stay open after closing on SUPERBOWL SUNDAY: subway-goer, who not only brought a giant, loud speaker on the subway, but also definitely created a safety hazard by getting all up in people's business: finally, this entitled person, who was literally Dudley Dursley: Also in Internet Finds: Also in Internet Finds: Also in Internet Finds:
