• Home
  • Latest
  • Fortune 500
  • Finance
  • Tech
  • Leadership
  • Lifestyle
  • Rankings
  • Multimedia

Exclusive

An hour in the Oval Office with President Trump Fortune Editor-in-Chief Alyson Shontell sat down with President Trump in the Oval Office for an hour. Tariffs, Intel, AI, Boeing, Iran—and the question every CEO eventually has to answer: who's next?

An hour in the Oval Office with President Trump Fortune Editor-in-Chief Alyson Shontell sat down with President Trump in the Oval Office for an hour. Tariffs, Intel, AI, Boeing, Iran—and the question every CEO eventually has to answer: who's next?

An hour in the Oval Office with President Trump Fortune Editor-in-Chief Alyson Shontell sat down with President Trump in the Oval Office for an hour. Tariffs, Intel, AI, Boeing, Iran—and the question every CEO eventually has to answer: who's next?

An hour in the Oval Office with President Trump Fortune Editor-in-Chief Alyson Shontell sat down with President Trump in the Oval Office for an hour. Tariffs, Intel, AI, Boeing, Iran—and the question every CEO eventually has to answer: who's next?

An hour in the Oval Office with President Trump Fortune Editor-in-Chief Alyson Shontell sat down with President Trump in the Oval Office for an hour. Tariffs, Intel, AI, Boeing, Iran—and the question every CEO eventually has to answer: who's next?

An hour in the Oval Office with President Trump Fortune Editor-in-Chief Alyson Shontell sat down with President Trump in the Oval Office for an hour. Tariffs, Intel, AI, Boeing, Iran—and the question every CEO eventually has to answer: who's next?

An hour in the Oval Office with President Trump Fortune Editor-in-Chief Alyson Shontell sat down with President Trump in the Oval Office for an hour. Tariffs, Intel, AI, Boeing, Iran—and the question every CEO eventually has to answer: who's next?

An hour in the Oval Office with President Trump Fortune Editor-in-Chief Alyson Shontell sat down with President Trump in the Oval Office for an hour. Tariffs, Intel, AI, Boeing, Iran—and the question every CEO eventually has to answer: who's next?

An hour in the Oval Office with President Trump Fortune Editor-in-Chief Alyson Shontell sat down with President Trump in the Oval Office for an hour. Tariffs, Intel, AI, Boeing, Iran—and the question every CEO eventually has to answer: who's next?

An hour in the Oval Office with President Trump Fortune Editor-in-Chief Alyson Shontell sat down with President Trump in the Oval Office for an hour. Tariffs, Intel, AI, Boeing, Iran—and the question every CEO eventually has to answer: who's next?

FinanceAMC Entertainment

Why AMC’s plunging stock price could keep on plunging

By
Aaron Pressman
Aaron Pressman
Down Arrow Button Icon
By
Aaron Pressman
Aaron Pressman
Down Arrow Button Icon
February 2, 2021, 6:23 PM ET

Our mission to make business better is fueled by readers like you. To enjoy unlimited access to our journalism, subscribe today.

Like an audience subjected to a bad blockbuster movie, investors streamed out of theater chain AMC Entertainment on Tuesday, sending its stock price down 41% to close at $7.82.

The stock is down 61% since peaking last week at $19.90 in a wave of buying inspired by investors from the Reddit forum WallStreetBets, who also boosted GameStop, BlackBerry, and other companies targeted by short-sellers. Now with the short-sellers largely vanquished, the Reddit crowd appears to be moving on.

On the other hand, AMC’s stock price is still up 289% since the beginning of the year, when it traded for only $2 per share, before Reddit users even noticed that the company was struggling to remain solvent amid the pandemic.

The improvement may be the result of AMC management cleverly using the temporary stock mania to boost its shares, raise more money, and strengthen its balance sheet, analysts say. While back on Dec. 11 the company had warned it might soon run out of cash, last week CEO Adam Aron was crowing to Variety that “imminent bankruptcy is completely off the table. We believe we have the runway we need to get through this pandemic.”

That’s partly because when AMC’s stock was on the rise, thanks to the Redditors, AMC sold 63 million shares and raised $305 million of cash. And private equity firm Silver Lake converted a $600 million debt obligation owed by AMC into stock and sold the stock, effectively eliminating the debt.

Analysts agree the company should now have enough money to avoid bankruptcy and meet its debt service for at least the next year. “We now expect AMC’s liquidity to be sufficient for 2021 and possibly through 2022,” Goldman Sachs analyst Jason Kim noted on Jan. 28.

Getting through 2022 will require theater attendance to rise and that landlords further delay or reduce outstanding deferred rent owed by AMC, totaling $450 million.

Still, while the recent fundraising can carry the company through current conditions of low attendance, there may not be enough profit, even after the pandemic ends, to boost the stock price at all, some analysts say.

“The emotion behind the #SaveAMC movement could carry the shares higher in the near term, but we believe this valuation-be-damned momentum is not sustainable over the long term,” analyst Eric Handler, at MKM Partners, wrote on Monday. He downgraded the stock to “sell” with a $1 price target.

AMC’s box-office take could be severely depressed throughout 2021, even as more people are vaccinated against COVID-19, Credit Suisse analyst Meghan Durkin noted last week. Blockbusters won’t arrive in theaters until late in the year and will stay in theaters exclusively for a shorter time before hitting streaming services, she wrote.

“While exhibitors are excited about the pent-up demand once consumers are vaccinated, we see pressure on attendance,” Durkin wrote. “If consumers are slow to return to the movies due to these market dynamics, management’s assumptions may prove unachievable.” She rated the shares “underperform” with a target price of $1.55.

While the Reddit crowd was taking down hedge funds that shorted stocks like AMC, at least one hedge fund that invested in the theater chain made big profits. Mudrick Capital, which lent money to AMC in December, made a $200 million profit, mainly from bonds it bought last year at depressed prices, the Wall Street Journal reported.

About the Author
By Aaron Pressman
See full bioRight Arrow Button Icon

Latest in Finance

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025

Most Popular

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Fortune Secondary Logo
Rankings
  • 100 Best Companies
  • Fortune 500
  • Global 500
  • Fortune 500 Europe
  • Most Powerful Women
  • World's Most Admired Companies
  • See All Rankings
  • Lists Calendar
Sections
  • Finance
  • Fortune Crypto
  • Features
  • Leadership
  • Health
  • Commentary
  • Success
  • Retail
  • Mpw
  • Tech
  • Lifestyle
  • CEO Initiative
  • Asia
  • Politics
  • Conferences
  • Europe
  • Newsletters
  • Personal Finance
  • Environment
  • Magazine
  • Education
Customer Support
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Customer Service Portal
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms Of Use
  • Single Issues For Purchase
  • International Print
Commercial Services
  • Advertising
  • Fortune Brand Studio
  • Fortune Analytics
  • Fortune Conferences
  • Business Development
  • Group Subscriptions
About Us
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • Facebook icon
  • Twitter icon
  • LinkedIn icon
  • Instagram icon
  • Pinterest icon

Latest in Finance

trump
EconomyCurrency
China will remain an ‘incomplete superpower’ until it can catch up with U.S. financial might, market veteran says
By Jason MaMay 18, 2026
4 minutes ago
David Solomon
SuccessCareers
Goldman Sachs’ CEO once scooped ice cream at Baskin-Robbins—he picked up a second job at McDonald’s after his dad gave him a time management lesson
By Preston ForeMay 18, 2026
12 minutes ago
Top CD rates from major banks May 18, 2026: Chase CDs, Bank of America CDs, Citibank CDs, and more
BankingCertificates of Deposit (CDs)
Top CD rates from major banks on May 18, 2026: Chase CDs, Bank of America CDs, Citibank CDs, and more
By Danny BakstMay 18, 2026
2 hours ago
Current price of Ethereum for May 18, 2026
Personal FinanceEthereum
Current price of Ethereum for May 18, 2026
By Joseph HostetlerMay 18, 2026
2 hours ago
Current price of Bitcoin for May 18, 2026
Personal FinanceCryptocurrency
Current price of Bitcoin for May 18, 2026
By Joseph HostetlerMay 18, 2026
2 hours ago
haidt
AIGen Z
A record number of 18-year-olds are set to graduate into an economy designed against them
By Nick LichtenbergMay 18, 2026
3 hours ago

Most Popular

Microsoft AI chief gives it 18 months—for all white-collar work to be automated by AI
AI
Microsoft AI chief gives it 18 months—for all white-collar work to be automated by AI
By Jake AngeloMay 16, 2026
2 days ago
The top foreign holders of U.S. debt may soon dump Treasury bonds and bring their money back home, potentially spiking borrowing costs
Economy
The top foreign holders of U.S. debt may soon dump Treasury bonds and bring their money back home, potentially spiking borrowing costs
By Jason MaMay 17, 2026
23 hours ago
The Bezos family just donated $100 million to help achieve one of Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s top campaign promises
Politics
The Bezos family just donated $100 million to help achieve one of Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s top campaign promises
By Jake AngeloMay 12, 2026
6 days ago
'No one was coming to save me': How Reese Witherspoon built a $900 million company from a problem Hollywood wouldn't fix
Success
'No one was coming to save me': How Reese Witherspoon built a $900 million company from a problem Hollywood wouldn't fix
By Sydney LakeMay 17, 2026
1 day ago
SpaceX heads into a record-shattering IPO with the 'deepest moat that exists today' as investors vow to 'never bet against Elon'
Innovation
SpaceX heads into a record-shattering IPO with the 'deepest moat that exists today' as investors vow to 'never bet against Elon'
By Jason MaMay 16, 2026
2 days ago
Gen X is the most indebted generation in America. Their employers can fix that
Commentary
Gen X is the most indebted generation in America. Their employers can fix that
By Mary MorelandMay 17, 2026
1 day ago

© 2026 Fortune Media IP Limited. All Rights Reserved. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy | CA Notice at Collection and Privacy Notice | Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information
FORTUNE is a trademark of Fortune Media IP Limited, registered in the U.S. and other countries. FORTUNE may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.