What is the current AMC expected move?

As of May 22, 2026, AMC Entertainment Holdings, Inc. (AMC) has an expected move of 27.87% over the next 27 days, implying a one-standard-deviation price range of $1.10 to $1.94 from the current $1.52. The expected move is derived from at-the-money straddle pricing and represents the market consensus for a ±1σ price move.

What does the AMC expected move mean for traders?

Roughly 68% of outcomes should fall within ±1 expected move and 95% within ±2 under lognormal assumptions, though equity returns have empirically fatter tails than log-normal predicts. Strategies sized to the expected move (iron condors at ±1σ, strangles at ±1.5σ) target the typical outcome distribution; strategies that profit from tail moves (long-vol structures, ratio backspreads) target the tails the lognormal model under-prices.

How is AMC expected move calculated?

The expected move displayed here is derived from at-the-money implied volatility scaled to the chosen tenor: expected move % is approximately ATM IV times sqrt(T / 365), where T is days to expiration. An equivalent straddle-based form: the ATM straddle (call + put at the same strike) is roughly sqrt(2/pi) times spot times IV times sqrt(T/365), so the implied one-standard-deviation move is approximately 1.25 times ATM straddle divided by spot. The two formulations agree once the sqrt(2/pi) constant is reconciled.

AMC Entertainment Holdings, Inc. (AMC) Expected Move

Expected move estimates the probable price range for a given period based on at-the-money options pricing. It reflects the market consensus for volatility over the selected timeframe.

AMC Entertainment Holdings, Inc. (AMC) operates in the Communication Services sector, specifically the Entertainment industry, with a market capitalization near $924.2M, listed on NYSE, employing roughly 2,915 people, carrying a beta of 2.33 to the broader market. AMC Entertainment Holdings, Inc. Led by Adam Aron, public since 2013-12-18.

Snapshot as of May 22, 2026.

Spot Price: $1.52
Expected Move: 27.9%
Implied High: $1.94
Implied Low: $1.10
Front DTE: 27 days

As of May 22, 2026, AMC Entertainment Holdings, Inc. (AMC) has an expected move of 27.87%, a one-standard-deviation implied price range of roughly $1.10 to $1.94 from the current $1.52. Expected move is derived from at-the-money straddle pricing and represents the market's pricing of a ±1σ move. Roughly 68% of outcomes should fall within this range under lognormal assumptions, though empirical markets have fatter tails.

AMC Strategy Sizing to the Expected Move

With AMC Entertainment Holdings, Inc. pricing an expected move of 27.87% from $1.52, risk-defined strategies sized to the implied range structurally target the modal outcome distribution. Iron condors with wings at the ±1σ expected move boundaries collect premium against the ~68% probability that spot stays inside the range under lognormal assumptions; strangles set wider at ±1.5σ or ±2σ target the tails but pay smaller per-trade premium. Long-vol structures (long straddles, ratio backspreads) profit when realized move exceeds the implied move, the inverse trade: they bet against the lognormal assumption itself, capitalizing on the empirically fatter equity-return tails.

How to read the AMC implied-range chart

The shaded range above shows the one-standard-deviation implied price band at each listed expiration, derived from ATM implied volatility scaled to days-to-expiration. The front-tenor expected move is 27.87%, anchoring an implied range of approximately $1.10 to $1.94. Under lognormal assumptions, roughly 68% of outcomes fall inside that band; 95% fall inside ±2σ; 99.7% inside ±3σ. The empirical equity-return distribution has fatter tails than lognormal, so true tail-outcome frequency is moderately higher than these closed-form numbers suggest.

AMC expected move and event pricing

Expected move widens with √time: a 5% 30-day move corresponds to roughly a 2.5% 7.5-day move and a 10% 120-day move. AMC term-structure is in contango (slope 0.034), so longer-dated tenors price in proportionally more vol than √time scaling alone would suggest - typically because long-dated cycles include uncertain macro states.

Sizing AMC structures to the expected move

Iron condors with wings at ±1σ collect the modal-outcome premium; ±1.5σ widens probability of inside-range to ~87% but cuts collected premium roughly in half. Strangles do the inverse trade - they pay against the same lognormal distribution, profiting when realized exceeds implied. Calendar spreads bet on the slope of the term structure rather than the level. AMC put/call volume ratio currently at 0.10 indicates speculative call flow dominates - look for upside-skewed sentiment. The expected move is the inputs the chain is pricing, not a forecast - realized moves above or below are normal under any distribution.

Learn how expected move is reported and how to read the data →

Shaded band shows the ±1σ implied price range (~68% probability under lognormal assumptions) at each expiration; the center line marks current spot. Bands widen with longer DTE since volatility scales with √time.

Per-expiration expected move for AMC derived from ATM implied volatility at each listed expiration. Implied high/low bounds are computed as $1.52 × (1 ± expected move %). One standard-deviation range under lognormal assumptions, roughly 68% of outcomes fall inside.

Expiration	DTE	ATM IV	Expected Move	Implied High	Implied Low
May 29, 2026	7	57.2%	7.9%	$1.64	$1.40
Jun 18, 2026	27	97.2%	26.4%	$1.92	$1.12
Jul 17, 2026	56	100.6%	39.4%	$2.12	$0.92
Aug 21, 2026	91	102.6%	51.2%	$2.30	$0.74
Sep 18, 2026	119	100.4%	57.3%	$2.39	$0.65
Dec 18, 2026	210	102.1%	77.4%	$2.70	$0.34
Jan 15, 2027	238	101.4%	81.9%	$2.76	$0.28
Jan 21, 2028	609	102.4%	132.3%	$3.53	$-0.49

Frequently asked AMC expected move questions

What is the current AMC expected move?: As of May 22, 2026, AMC Entertainment Holdings, Inc. (AMC) has an expected move of 27.87% over the next 27 days, implying a one-standard-deviation price range of $1.10 to $1.94 from the current $1.52. The expected move is derived from at-the-money straddle pricing and represents the market consensus for a ±1σ price move.
What does the AMC expected move mean for traders?: Roughly 68% of outcomes should fall within ±1 expected move and 95% within ±2 under lognormal assumptions, though equity returns have empirically fatter tails than log-normal predicts. Strategies sized to the expected move (iron condors at ±1σ, strangles at ±1.5σ) target the typical outcome distribution; strategies that profit from tail moves (long-vol structures, ratio backspreads) target the tails the lognormal model under-prices.
How is AMC expected move calculated?: The expected move displayed here is derived from at-the-money implied volatility scaled to the chosen tenor: expected move % is approximately ATM IV times sqrt(T / 365), where T is days to expiration. An equivalent straddle-based form: the ATM straddle (call + put at the same strike) is roughly sqrt(2/pi) times spot times IV times sqrt(T/365), so the implied one-standard-deviation move is approximately 1.25 times ATM straddle divided by spot. The two formulations agree once the sqrt(2/pi) constant is reconciled.