AMC Entertainment Holdings Inc (NYSE:AMC) shares are trading higher Wednesday afternoon after Macquarie highlighted stronger-than-expected movie theater demand and raised its price target on the stock.
- AMC Entertainment shares are climbing with conviction. Why is AMC stock up today?
Macquarie Raises AMC Price Target
Macquarie maintained a Neutral rating on AMC, but lifted its price target from $1.50 to $2, implying upside from recent trading levels. The firm also raised its 2026 AMC adjusted EBITDA estimate to $629 million from $600 million and improved its projected full-year adjusted loss to 24 cents per share from a prior loss estimate of 28 cents.
Box Office Recovery Supports AMC
The move comes as Macquarie said second-quarter U.S. box office admissions revenue reached $2.97 billion, up 11% year-over-year and better than expected. The quarter marked the strongest second-quarter domestic box office in six years, helped by major releases including The Super Mario Galaxy Movie, Michael and Toy Story 5, along with surprise hits such as Obsession and Backrooms.
That matters for AMC because higher attendance directly supports ticket sales, concessions and operating leverage across its theater network. Macquarie also raised its 2026 industry box office forecast to $9.8 billion, up 13% year-over-year.
Still, the firm remains cautious. Macquarie cited rising costs and a slower box office recovery as downside risks, while noting faster box office improvement could support upside for AMC shares.
AMC Stock: Key Technical Levels To Watch
AMC is trading at $1.94, sitting 6.9% above its 50-day SMA ($1.81) and 4.4% above its 200-day SMA ($1.85), which supports the idea that buyers are defending the intermediate trend. At the same time, it’s trading 9.9% below its 20-day SMA ($2.15), so the stock is still working through near-term overhead supply from the last few weeks.
RSI is the cleaner momentum read right now: at 48.82, it’s neutral, suggesting the rally is more “reset and bounce” than a stretched, overbought breakout. For context, RSI measures how extended the recent buying or selling has been, and a mid-range reading often lines up with choppy, level-to-level trading.
The moving-average structure is mixed: the 20-day SMA is above the 50-day SMA (a bullish short-term crossover), but the 50-day SMA remains below the 200-day SMA (a bearish longer-term backdrop). On the longer view, the stock is still down 33.10% over the past 12 months, with key turning points including an oversold RSI dip in March, a swing low in May, and a swing high in June.
- Key Resistance: $2.00 — a round-number area just above current price where rebounds can stall, especially with the 20-day EMA near $1.99
AMC Shares Surge Wednesday Afternoon
AMC Price Action: AMC Entertainment shares were up 10.47% at $1.90 at the time of publication on Wednesday, according to Benzinga Pro data.
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