AMC expands open captioning on movies in its US theaters

AMC has expanded open captioning on some film showings to 240 cinemas in the US, including select showtimes for all of its newer releases. The expansion of support in its theaters across the US — which has been extended to more than 100 markets — is AMC’s most significant push into captioned showings to date.

A spokesperson told The Verge prior to the summer and fall of 2021, just a handful of AMC’s US theaters supported open captioning (which is viewable to everyone in the auditorium and separate from AMC’s closed-captioned assisted moviegoing initiative, which is available at all of its theaters nationwide).

Again, not all AMC showings will include open captioning, but AMC said that theaters that do offer open captioning screenings will do so for any new releases. (Markets with at least two or more AMC theaters will support open caption screenings, according to the company.) Showtimes will be a mix of matinee, evening, weekend, and weekday showings, and the company said it will adjust based on demand for the format and customer feedback.

“Initial consumer response has been very positive, and we anticipate strong demand with growing awareness of open caption showtimes at AMC,” Elizabeth Frank, EVP, worldwide programming and chief content officer at AMC, said in a statement.

Frank added that expanded support for open captioning will help its cinemas “become a more welcoming place for millions of Americans who are deaf or hard of hearing, as well as many for whom English is not their native language.” At the same time, the change comes at a pivotal time for cinemas — and specifically for AMC, which has expressed interest in innovating its moviegoing experience.

Those interested in finding AMC showtimes with open captioning at their nearest theater can do so right here, or clearly marked on the AMC website and mobile app.