Who will pay extra fees for the ideal seats in a movie theater?

Last month's issue included an article about dynamic pricing. One type of dynamic pricing is segmented pricing - different prices for different seats based on their desirability, such as at a concert or on an airplane.

AMC Theaters has announced that they are rolling out a new plan to change prices after 4 pm based on the sightlines seats have. Standard Sightline seats will be traditionally priced. Value Sightline seats are typically in the auditorium's front row and will have a lower price. Preferred Sightline seats generally are in the middle of the auditorium and will cost more than Standard Sightline seats. AMC's Stubs, A-List members will have the Preferred Sightline premium waived for all reservations

Americans, as a whole, are skeptical of AMC's plans. A new Morning Consult survey last month found that about half of U.S. adults (51%) believe the seat-based pricing model is inappropriate, compared with 36% who say it's appropriate.

More than half (54%) also said they would not pay an extra $1-2 for a more desirable theater seat. Younger adults, however, were more accepting and most likely to pay additional fees for the ideal seats in a movie theater. A slim majority of Gen Zers (54%) and 46% of millennials said pricing schemes like AMC's are appropriate, while majorities of both groups said they'd be willing to pay a few bucks more for a theater's best seats.

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