Theater chain AMC Entertainment (AMC) is scheduled to announce its results for the first quarter of 2025 after the market closes on Wednesday, May 7. Due to weak box office in the U.S., AMC’s Q1 2025 revenue is expected to decline 12% year-over-year to $837.1 million. Wall Street expects AMC to report a narrower loss per share of $0.59 for Q1 2025, compared to $0.78 in the prior-year quarter. AMC’s Q1 top-line growth estimate is in contrast to its fourth-quarter performance, when the company delivered its highest quarterly cash flow since the pandemic and reported an 18% year-over-year revenue growth.
According to Main Street Data, AMC’s total attendance in Q4 2024 was 62.4 million guests. This marked a post-pandemic Q4 record for the company, thanks to popular releases, including Moana 2 and Wicked, that helped draw a solid crowd of moviegoers. However, the first quarter of this year lacked such blockbuster releases.
Analysts’ Views Ahead of AMC Entertainment’s Q1 Earnings
Heading into the Q1 results, Benchmark analyst Mike Hickey reiterated a Hold rating on AMC Entertainment stock. The 4-star analyst believes that AMC’s Q1 results will reflect a challenged box office environment, with the domestic industry down 11.6% year over year to $1.42 billion.
Hickey added that Q1 2025 lacked breakout titles, with five of the top 10 films being Q4 2024 holdovers, likely contributing to higher film rental expenses and limited new attendance catalysts. The analyst expects a sequential step-down in revenue and adjusted EBITDA following AMC’s post-pandemic record fourth quarter last year, consistent with management’s commentary that Q1 is traditionally the quietest period of the year.
Meanwhile, on April 24, Citi analyst Jason Bazinet lowered his price target for AMC Entertainment stock to $2.30 from $2.80 and maintained a Sell rating. Bazinet updated his estimates to reflect the Q1 U.S. domestic box office performance and the latest outlook.
Options Traders Anticipate a Major Move on AMC’s Q1 Earnings
Using TipRanks’ Options tool, we can see what options traders are expecting from the stock immediately after its earnings report. The expected earnings move is determined by calculating the at-the-money straddle of the options closest to expiration after the earnings announcement. If this sounds complicated, don’t worry, the Options tool does this for you.
Indeed, it currently says that options traders are expecting about an 11.6% move in either direction in AMC Entertainment stock in reaction to Q1 results.
What Is the Price Target for AMC Stock?
Overall, Wall Street is sidelined on AMC Entertainment stock, with a Hold consensus rating based on four Holds and one Sell recommendation. The average AMC stock price target of $3.10 implies about 15.7% upside potential from current levels. AMC stock has plunged 33% year to date.
