Boxoffice - October 2018

LEVERAGING INNOVATION
b r o u g h t t o y o u b y
Interview by Matthew
Bakal, Co-Founder,
Atom Tickets
Interview with
Stephen Colanero,
Executive Vice President
& Chief Marketing Officer,
AMC Theatres
In this column, Atom Tickets features conversations with executives and influencers in the cinema
industry, sharing insights into how the latest technologies and innovations are transforming the
moviegoing experience. In this edition, Atom Tickets Executive Chairman & Co-Founder Matthew
Bakal talks to AMC Chief Marketing Officer Stephen Colanero to learn how the world’s largest
exhibition circuit focuses on digital innovation to enhance the moviegoing experience.
STEPHEN COLANERO
2018 has
been a great
year for AMC
Theatres. In
what ways has
the moviegoing
experience
been enhanced
at your circuit?
How have the
changes been
received?
About a
decade ago,
AMC shifted
its focus to the
future, which
meant putting a
heavy emphasis
on what gets
moviegoers
excited about
coming to our
movie theatres. The AMC Signature Recliner renovations
helped revolutionize the industry, with
more than one-third of the AMC circuit now
offering these incredibly comfortable and popular
recliners in at least one auditorium. Our food
and drink offerings have considerably widened
through the introduction of our expanded menu
with AMC Feature Fare, as well as our MacGuffins
adult-beverage concept, which has expanded
from fewer than 10 in 2010 to nearly 300 today.
AMC has more IMAX screens than anyone in
the world, and our Dolby Cinema at AMC experience
is available in 115 locations nationwide.
We vastly improved our website, added a mobile
app, and enhanced our online ticketing process
through not only our own platforms but through
our great partnerships, like Atom Tickets. And
most recently we launched AMC Stubs A-List,
which allows AMC moviegoers to see three
movies a week in any format for one monthly
price. A-List is a huge hit with moviegoers, as
sign-ups continue to grow at a much faster rate
than our initial expectations. In fact, we recently
announced that A-List members can obtain their
tickets through Atom Tickets. All these areas
touch a different part of the overall moviegoing
experience, but what they all have in common
is a focus on and commitment to providing the
best possible guest experience, and the response
from moviegoers has not only helped AMC, it’s
helped lead the entire industry.
It was recently mentioned that online ticketing
represents 40 percent of tickets sold at AMC.
What do you think is driving that growth?
We’re living on our phones now. Everyone and
everything is mobile, and the expectation is that
everything must be accessible and convenient.
The rise in online ticketing, especially the last five
to 10 years, really mirrors the rise in online retail
growth. People can go online and order just about
anything, and because it’s so prevalent, it is only
natural that has occurred in this business as well.
Specific to this industry, the increase in reserved
seating and AMC Signature Recliners has played
a big part in the rise of online ticketing. It’s much
more common and convenient now for moviegoers
to not just check the time of the movie, but check
how many seats are left, which seats are left, and,
while they’re there checking, make that decision to
purchase tickets. Online ticketing is a huge convenience
and we’re happy to continue to make that
process as easy as possible for our guests.
90 BOXOFFICE ® OCTOBER 2018