Key Takeaways:
- AMC in collaboration with Sony to release Spider-Man NFTs ahead of upcoming film.
- To be eligible, one must purchase or reserve their ticket through AMC’s website or mobile app.
- The promotion is only valid for showings on December 16 at AMC theatres in the United States.
- Over 100 Spider-Man-themed NFT designs will be available as codes redeemable via the Wax platform, an energy-efficient, decentralized blockchain wallet.
AMC is going all-in on blockchain technology. Earlier this month, the movie theatre chain announced that it would begin accepting cryptocurrency payments, and now it’s giving out NFTs as free ticket pre-orders for the new Spider-Man film. On Sunday, AMC announced a collaboration with Sony Pictures to give away up to 86,000 NFTs to Stubs Premiere, A-List, and AMC Investor Connect members who reserve or purchase an advanced ticket for “Spider-Man: No Way Home” opening-day showings. NFTs are digital collectibles that have quickly become Silicon Valley bros and mega-obsession brands, with some selling for millions of dollars.
To be eligible, one must purchase or reserve their ticket through AMC’s website or mobile app. The promotion is only valid for showings on December 16 at AMC theatres in the United States. In addition, over 100 Spider-Man-themed NFT designs will be available as codes redeemable via the Wax platform, an energy-efficient, decentralized blockchain wallet. On December 22, recipients will be emailed a code and have until March 1, 2022, to redeem their NFT.
In a press release issued on Sunday, AMC called the collaboration “the first of its kind from a major theatrical exhibitor.” After that, investors embraced several other troubled retailers, including GameStop and Nokia, as meme stocks. Then, earlier this year, the company began investing heavily in cryptocurrency. Retailers helped keep AMC afloat after the effects of the pandemic nearly drove it bankrupt in 2020 by sending its stock prices skyrocketing. According to AMC CEO and outspoken crypto fanboy Adam Aron, these shareholders now own more than 80% of the company.
AMC CEO Adam Aron tweeted that
“Our AMCFirstEverNFT with SonyPictures and Spider-Man: No Way Home caused AMC’s online ticketing traffic Sunday night/Monday morning to soar, to the highest ever in AMC’s entire history. Oh, did we sell tickets! But we are sorry wait times got long with the unprecedented volumes”.
Following in the footsteps of AMC, rival theatre chain Regal announced last week that it would accept cryptocurrency payments for its 500-plus theatres across the United States. It will accept the same tokens as AMC and accept Dai, USD Coin, and Gemini Dollar.
