A Hollywood box office slowdown led AMC Entertainment Holdings to post sharply lower first quarter revenue and a quarterly loss in the first quarter of 2025.

The parent of AMC Theatres recorded revenue of $862.5 million for the three months to March 31, which is down 9 percent from a year-earlier revenue line at $951.4 million. The mega-exhibitor also widened its first quarter loss to $202.1 million, down nearly 36 percent from a year-earlier loss of $163.5 million.

AMC Theatres had a tough comparison with the first quarter of 2024, when Dune: Part 2 and Kung Fu Panda 4 played on its screens. During the latest financial quarter, tentpoles like Disneys Snow White failing to perform well left it to Christmas holdovers like Moana 2 and Wicked to drive recent box office. Across the exhibition sector, the domestic box office in the first quarter fell 11.5 percent year-on-year. AMC Theatres CEO Adam Aron in a statement told investors to look beyond the first quarter box office slowdown to better prospects anticipated for the rest of the year.

Setting aside those first quarters directly impacted by Covid and its aftermath, the January to March industry box office in 2025 was the lowest it has been since 1996. If that level of activity were to continue, of course it would be highly problematic for movie theatres. But to the contrary, since April 1, movie theatre demand has been booming, Aron said in a statement that accompanied his latest financial results.

During the first quarter, AMC Theatres, the latest cinema chain worldwide, saw admissions revenue fall to $473.5 million, against a year-earlier $530.5 million. And concessions sales also tumbled to $283.4 million, which compares to $321.2 million in the first quarter of 2024.

During the latest financial quarter, AMC reported global attendance at 42 million patrons, down 10 percent from 46.6 million customers during the year-ago period. The U.S. attendance came in at 26.9 million patrons, down 11.8 percent from 30.4 million customers in the same period of 2024, while international markets recorded 15 million patrons, down 7 percent from a year-earlier 16.1 million customers.

AMC continues to take part in an industrywide box office recovery, even as the fallout from the dual Hollywood strikes in 2023 appears to still linger with the company.

And AMC is still contending with a hefty debt load and changing consumer habits in the age of streaming. The cinema chain giant is also looking to refinance its borrowings to run the business as Aron looks to impress shareholders with progress on a number of fronts to ensure the survival of the company.