'The Batman': It may cost you more to see the movie in theaters
Robert Pattinson stars in "The Batman." Credit: Warner Bros. Pictures / Jonathan Olley
Riddle me this: What’s dark, moody and now costs more than other movies?
The answer: "The Batman," Warner Bros.’ new superhero thriller featuring "Twilight" heartthrob Robert Pattinson in the title role.
According to Entertainment Weekly, AMC Theatres will charge an extra $1.50 for tickets to "The Batman," which debuts Friday. The publication says the upcharge was announced Tuesday by AMC chief executive Adam Aron during an earnings call. Whether the price increase will affect all showings of the film at all AMC venues isn’t clear. AMC is reportedly already charging an extra $1.50 for "The Batman" in Los Angeles. At the ticketing service Fandango, a sampling of several AMC venues on Long Island revealed only a $1 increase for "The Batman" over other movies.
AMC Theatres did not respond to a request for comment.
The extra cost for "The Batman" is part of what’s called variable pricing, a strategy that AMC says it already employs in Europe but which has yet to catch on in the United States. "Indeed, in Europe, we charge a premium for the best seats in the house, as do just about all other sellers of tickets in other industries — think sports events, concerts, and live theater, for example," Aron said, according to the Entertainment Weekly article.
"The Batman," which stars Zoë Kravitz as Catwoman and Paul Dano as The Riddler, runs nearly three hours and has drawn largely positive reviews for an overall score of 86% at RottenTomatoes. The Washington Post panned the film as "laboriously grim," while ABC News praised it as "a grenade of pure cinema ready to blow."
