AMC buys theater chain; Carmike Cinema rebranded in Albany

ALBANY — Albany movie-goers may have noticed a few changes at the former Carmike Cinemas location in Albany now that AMC Theaters, one of the largest movie theater chains in the world, has taken over ownership of former Carmike properties.

AMC announced in March of 2016 that it would acquire the Carmike Cinemas theater chain in an acquisition worth a reported $1.1 billion. But the change has only recently trickled down to the Albany location which, as of Monday, had the new AMC sign in place, even though the location’s 2823 Nottingham Way marquee remained covered.

“Yeah, people were kind of freaking out a little bit when we closed down for a day and began taking down all of the Carmike stuff,” Albany AMC Theater Manager McKeshian Matthews said. “But we are hoping this change will mean an upgrade for our location.”

Carmike for years has billed itself as “America’s hometown theater,” and many of its 276 cinemas were located in largely rural or suburban areas such as Albany.

The acquisition of Carmike’s 2,954 screens nationwide makes AMC, owned by China’s Dalian Wanda Group’s Wang Jianlin (China’s richest man), the largest retail movie theater chain in the world with a combined total of 8,280 screens.

According to Matthews, the changes at the Albany location have, so far, mainly been cosmetic, although ticket prices have increased slightly.

“So far, the changes have mainly just been the signs, and we have the new ‘Stubs’ program that gets you deals (that are) way better than the incentives were from Carmike,” Matthews said. “Ticket prices have gone up just a little bit, about 20 cents, but we all kept our jobs and we just have on different shirts now.”

Matthews offered details about the AMC Stubs rewards program.

“We used to have the Carmike card, where every dollar you spend you get a point and they add up,” Matthews said. “Now we have the AMC Stubs program. AMC’s is actually a little bit better. We have the free one and the annual one. The annual one costs, but you get so much more for it vs. the free one. Instead of 20 points for every dollar you spend, you get 100 points.”

The Stubs program allows movie-goers to build up points that can be redeemed for food and beverages. Other benefits of the program include discounted ticket prices and free refills.

“We no longer have the stimulus Tuesdays,” Matthews said. “Now to get the discounts, you have to be a member. We have, however, continued things like our ‘Kids Series,’ which is still going on.”

The Summer Kids Series began with Carmike and runs on Thursdays from June through August. A select family-friendly movie is shown at 10 a.m. each week. Tickets are $4 and a ticket purchase includes a small drink and special popcorn, according to Carmike’s last posting about the series.

“We still have matinees,” Matthews said. “Now, AMC has taken away some of the concessions, but they will be bringing in new stuff.”

According to Matthews, business has been slower since the change of ownership.

“It has slowed down because of the AMC change,” she said. “I think it kind of scared everybody off, but I am sure it will pick back up. We are pretty much the same. We are open at the same times — that has not changed — and we still have great movies and great service.”

For more information about show times, visit amctheaters.com.