Stock surge, end of Wanda Group control
On January 26, 2021, AMC stated that it had raised $917 million in new funding, including $506 million in equity and new common shares, and commitments for $411 million in debt financing. The company stated that this new funding "should allow the company to make it through this dark coronavirus-impacted winter".[71][72] The next day, as part of a wider series of short squeezes coordinated by the Reddit community r/wallstreetbets (which primarily targeted video game retailer GameStop), AMC experienced a major, 300% surge in its share price to a peak of $20.36.[73][74] The surge triggered Silver Lake Partners' convertible bonds; on January 28, it reached an agreement to convert $600 million of its debt holdings in AMC to equity at $13.51 per-share.[75] Mudrick Capital Management made nearly $200 million in profit off its holdings of AMC debt.[76]
On February 5, 2021, a U.S.-based subsidiary of Wanda Group issued a filing with the SEC, stating that it had converted its Class B common stock to Class A shares to permit their sale. While Wanda remained AMC's largest single shareholder, the conversion, as well as AMC's financing efforts taking its stake below 37%, effectively surrendered its majority control since Class A stock only provides one vote per-share.[57][77]
During its fourth-quarter earnings call in March 2021, the company reported that its revenue had fallen by 88% year-over-year. CEO Adam Aron stated that AMC was facing the "most challenging market conditions in the 100-year history of the company", but cited progress on COVID-19 vaccinations, decisions to allow cinemas in New York City and Los Angeles to re-open, and a "significant" number of upcoming blockbuster films as signs of optimism.[77] Aron also confirmed that Wanda no longer had majority control, and the company would now "be governed like most other publicly traded companies with a wide array of shareholders".[57][78] On May 21, 2021, Wanda filed a 0.002% stake with the SEC, largely confirming the end of their involvement in AMC.[9]
In June 2021, retail investors once again poured into AMC stock, propelling shares to an all-time high of $77.26 in another alleged short squeeze.[79] Short sellers betting against AMC incurred losses of over $2.8B as a result.[80] AMC issued more shares during the surge, but warned potential investors against buying the shares "unless you are prepared to incur the risk of losing all or a substantial portion of your investment". The cinema chain operator said it believed current prices reflected "market and trading dynamics unrelated to our underlying business". In the year to date, AMC shares soared 2,421 percent despite the closure of theatres during the pandemic.[81]
In August 2021, the company revealed plans to begin accepting cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin for purchases in the future,[82] which it did in November 2021 for online purchases via PayPal.[83][84] In April 2022, AMC added integration with BitPay as a payment provider to its mobile app, allowing customers to use crypto payments such as Dogecoin and Shiba Inu.[85]
On August 4, 2022, AMC took Wall Street by surprise with the announcement of its "AMC Preferred Equity Units" after market close, a new preferred share class. The units were to be listed on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol "APE," a nod to the individual investors who turned the company into a meme stock, who often refer to themselves as "apes". Over 516 million APE units were subsequently issued to AMC shareholders in a 1:1 special dividend, with the units wielding similar economic properties as common shares.[86] AMC stock gained 19 percent to $22.18 at the close on Friday after initially falling following the announcement of the new units on Thursday. The preferred shares began trading under the "APE" ticker on the New York Stock Exchange, starting August 22.[87]
In February 2023, AMC announced plans to test a dynamic pricing model for tickets for showings that occur after 4pm based on seat location. Seats located near the front of the theatre and select ADA seats will be priced less than other seats and will only be made available to members of the Stubs rewards program and seats in the middle of the theatre will be priced more than the other non-front row seats. In addition, AMC Stubs A-List members will be able to reserve the expensive middle seats at no additional charge.[88][89] In July 2023, AMC chose to abandon dynamic pricing after testing showed that customers were still not likely to choose front-row seats despite their lower prices, with most customers still sitting in the middle of the theatre or other non-front seats despite the upcharge. This made AMC believe their prices were less competitive as competitors did not also adapt dynamic pricing. The company also stated that it would test seats that recline further back in the front rows that would potentially allow better views.[90]
On July 31, the company reported their highest single-week admissions revenue in company history due to the Barbenheimer craze.[91] On September 6, AMC announced that it had planned to sell $40 million in shares.[92]