How I Made $5000 in the Stock Market

AMC Stock Snaps 11-Day Losing Streak as Box Office Concerns Loom

Dec 24, 2025 13:50:00 -0500 by Angela Palumbo | #Media

AMC stock has fallen 99.5% from its all-time closing high of $339.05 on June 2, 2021. (Victor J. Blue/Getty Images)

Key Points

AMC Entertainment Holdings on Wednesday snapped an 11-day losing streak, the company’s worst since 2022.

Shares closed flat on Wednesday at $1.68 apiece, after spending most of the shortened trading day in the red.

AMC has had a tough month as shareholders contend with mergers that could shake up the theater industry and a disappointing year for the box office.

AMC is no stranger to challenges: Shares dropped in 2020 as movie theaters were forced to shut down operations because of the Covid-19 pandemic. AMC in 2021 became a “meme stock,” and received a massive amount of attention from retail investors on social media. Amid the meme frenzy, the stock reached a record closing high of $339.05 on June 2, 2021.

The stock has since fallen 99.5% from that level as the meme fever has faded. This month has been especially tough: Shares have dropped 31% in December, and are on pace for their worst month since January 2024.

Multiple catalysts drove AMC shares down in December.

Streaming company Netflix announced on Dec. 5 that it has agreed to buy Warner Bros. Discovery in a nearly $83 billion deal that includes the film and TV studio assets of Warner Bros., plus HBO and the streaming service HBO. AMC stock fell 2.6% that day as shareholders feared what this acquisition might do to the movie theater industry—especially after Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos made a comment on a conference call that hinted towards changing the time frame Warner Bros. movies would be available in theaters.

“Over time, I think the windows will evolve to be much more consumer friendly to be able to meet the audience where they are quicker,” Sarandos said.

Netflix has since made other comments to try and ease these concerns. Management said at the UBS Global Media and Communications Conference on Dec. 8 that “we’re deeply committed to releasing those movies exactly the way they would release those movies today.”

Movie theater chains have also dealt with a slightly disappointing 2025 box office performance. Some films, among them A Minecraft Movie, Wicked: For Good, and Superman, were smash hits. But the 2025 gross domestic box office performance of 2025 is $8.24 billion so far, according to Box Office Mojo — below last year’s $8.57 billion.

“Our prediction of a so-so third-quarter industry box office turned out to be true, as the North American box office declined some 11% following the tough comparisons against last year’s strong third quarter,” AMC CEO Adam Aron said in the company’s Nov. 5 earnings call. “But when evaluating AMC’s performance in the context of the third quarter’s challenging industry-wide environment, I see our company firing on all cylinders.”

Created with Highcharts 9.0.1AMC and Cinemark Stock​Performance This YearAMC and Cinemark stocks have both​taken a hit in 2025Source: FactSet

Created with Highcharts 9.0.1Cinemark Holdings Inc.AMC Entertainment Holdings Inc. Cl A2025Dec.-80-60-40-20020%

Fellow movie chain Cinemark Holdings has also felt industry-wide pressures. The stock has dropped 17% in December and is on track for its largest monthly percent decline since December 2022. Shares are down 27% this year.

It is possible things pick up for these stocks in 2026.

The Netflix merger still needs to gain shareholder and regulatory approval—which won’t be an easy feat. Paramount Skydance is also very interested in owning Warner Bros. Discovery, and has made its own competitive acquisition offer. Paramount CEO David Ellison has said when it comes to the future of movie theaters, “we do not plan to reduce theatrical output—we intend to grow our slate to over 30 films each year.”

Highly anticipated movies, such as Warner Bros.’ Supergirl, Universal’s The Super Mario Galaxy Movie, and Lionsgate’s The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping, are also scheduled to release in 2026. These releases could boost ticket sales and investor sentiment.

Investors are going to be watching closely to see if a new year leads to a new beginning for movie theater stocks.

Write to Angela Palumbo at angela.palumbo@dowjones.com