AMC partners with Walmart for popcorn launch
LEAWOOD, KAN. — Movie theater chain AMC Entertainment Holdings, Inc. is expanding the availability of its retail popcorn line in partnership with Walmart. Beginning March 11, six varieties of AMC Perfectly Popcorn will be available at hundreds of Walmart locations nationwide, according to the company. The launch will feature three popcorn flavors, including extra butter, classic butter, and lightly salted, in both ready-to-eat and microwavable varieties.
The company initially announced its entry into the snack market in November 2021 and launched its first popcorn products at select mall retail locations the following year. After the March 11 launch, which the company has consciously timed just before the Academy Awards ceremony on March 12, the retail popcorn varieties will roll out at more than 2,600 Walmart locations nationwide.
“With the launch of AMC Theatres’ new line of microwave and ready-to-eat popcorn, AMC yet again makes good on a promise made to our moviegoers and our investors,” said Adam M. Aron, chairman and chief executive officer of AMC Theatres. “On March 11, which is Oscars weekend, we will enter the multi-billion-dollar retail popcorn industry with at-home popcorn that features the authentic taste of real movie theatre popcorn. We are especially pleased that we are doing so in an exclusive launch with Walmart, the largest retailer in the United States. We could not have found a better partner than Walmart for this important extension of the AMC experience into the home.”
Consumers can purchase AMC’s ready-to-eat popcorn at the suggested retail price of $3.98 for a 4.2-oz to 5.2-oz bag and the microwavable popcorn at the suggested retail price of $4.98 for a 6-count box.
The popcorn launch received quite a bit of discussion during AMC’s fourth-quarter earnings call on Feb. 28. Mr. Aron said the enthusiasm and excitement for the launch has been “sky high.”
In addition to selling at Walmart stores, Mr. Aron said during the call that AMC plans to explore other potential outlets.
“We are going to sell on walmart.com, which of course, is nationwide,” he said. “I would expect it will sell on amctheaters.com. We’re discussing whether or not we should sell microwave boxes of popcorn at our theaters. Like it’s all new. We haven’t started yet, and the interest level is very high. This is a nice position to be in when you’re launching a new product.
“Let’s put it this way. We’re setting up our production plans to make millions of bags and microwave pouches of popcorn. We think this is a big opportunity for us. Right now, we’re going to launch only in the United States. Canada is a possibility. If we did it in Europe, we would probably not do it under the AMC brand. We would do it under one of the Odeon brands of our cinemas operate with their own distinct brands and several countries across Europe. But right now, we’re you crawl before you walk, you walk before you run. We’re going to start in the United States and see where it goes from there.”