The Landmark at Merrick Park — Attraction in Coral Gables

Very disappointed on how this movie theater has been kept. Prior to the pandemic I would come here two to 3 times a month. I went back last night and saw how it has degraded in 3 years. Let's start in order. The concessions are sooo slow. And the kitchen takes way too long to get food out. We got there 35 min before the movie start time. Took us 15 min to order 4 sodas, 2 popcorn, chicken tenders, and a flatbread pizza. They said it would take over 20 min and directed me to go sit down at the screen and come out when the movie starts to see if is ready. So now I'm thinking I gotta miss part of the movie because this people can't manage their kitchen orders. We wait a bit and decide to go to our designated screen and is now 5 min before the scheduled start time. As we are approaching our seats, a lady from the staff is yelling at us in Spanish waving her arms in the air saying that we gotta get out because she needs to clean the room. Our group looked at each other and asked her if it will be ready in 5 min which was the scheduled start time. Other groups of people were also in disbelief how this lady was kicking everyone out. Very rude! The previews started and everyone still outside waiting for this lady to finish. We finally get in after missing a couple of previews but wait, I still need to get the chicken tenders and the pizza. So I go back to the concessions and ask if my food is ready. The guy there goes to the back and comes back 5 min later (yes, I timed it) with the food. From the moment we ordered to the time we got our food was now almost 30 min. I finally go to seat and then find that the seats on this place are is such poor condition. Honestly it is a disgrace that such a high end mall has a theater with seats that make any movie theater in the hood appear luxurious. I only missed a few minutes of the start of the movie so no big deal on that part. Although I do enjoy the movie previews. So to summarize the experience, wait in line for a long time to get anything from the concession, wait even longer for food (pro tip: don't order anything from the kitchen), deal with rude staff, and sit on destroyed and nasty looking seats. Guess what? I'm avoiding this movie theater at all costs going forward, definitely not worth it. If you are wondering about the movie itself... The Haunted Mansion. It was more entertaining than I had expected and what appears to be a Disney movie in 2023 without any controversy or hidden agendas. Worth a watch ... just not at...

This is not a luxury theater. It's a theater inside a luxury shopping center, and that’s where the illusion ends. Everything else is disappointing, especially compared to Cinepolis just a few minutes away.

Let’s start with the basics. They charged $6 for a Dasani. Not spring water. Not mineral water. Just Coca-Cola’s repackaged tap. That should have been the first red flag.

The auditorium felt like it was designed by someone who hates movies. Harsh white ceiling lights and bright blue LEDs stayed on during the entire pre-show. They spilled onto the screen, washing out the trailers and making it impossible to see. I asked an employee to turn them off. He said they only go dark once the movie starts. That response completely misses the point. My experience doesn’t begin when the film does. It begins when I sit down. If I can’t see the screen, why am I here?

Then the movie started, and somehow it got worse. The screen was shockingly small for a theater this expensive. It felt closer to a large TV than a cinema-grade experience. The image was dim and cloudy, like the projector lens hadn’t been cleaned in months. Either the bulb was weak or the equipment was outdated. And to top it off, a flickering white light on the ceiling blinked through the entire film. Not occasionally. The entire time. It was like watching in a room with a strobe light.

The sound was also flat and underwhelming. It felt like all the audio was coming from the front with no surround depth. We watched Final Destination Bloodlines and it had zero impact. If your home TV and built-in speakers deliver a better experience, what exactly are you paying for?

Final note. Not Landmark’s fault, but it matters. The audience had no sense of theater etiquette. Talking. Whispering. Phone screens lighting up. If you can't stay quiet for two hours, go hang out at the food court. This isn’t community improv night.

Landmark needs to stop branding itself as a premium theater. Right now, the only thing upscale is...

We always go there and used to like the place, BUT we had a pretty bad experience - and even worst treatment. We had bought tickets in advance for a given movie. Arriving 10 minutes in advance, were let in by the person responsible to check tickets, without any warning that there was an issue. The room we were sent to did not have our purchased seats, because there was a last minute reshuffle and they used a smaller one. Which is fine, problems happen, but there was no support. After leaving the room, with the movie about to start, and asking, we were told about the issue, the person said he would “figure out” our seats - when the movie was beggining. We took our chances and sat somewhere. The owner of that position appeared. We sat elsewhere. Other people arrived. We left the room and went after an explanation, the movie already started (a pretty complex story, btw). One guy showed up, and made ZERO effort to accomodate. When, frustrated, we said we wanted our money back, he said ok. Not a minimal effort to manage the situation, explain, or (most important) apologize. Complete dismal for the perception of a customer. When they learned we bought from Fandango, not even the refund was possible. Another gentlemen showed up, gave us replacement tickets, and some explanation of what’s going on. Overall, a very, very unpleasant experience, and a textbook demonstration of desdain for a customer - in an industry that suffered enormoulsy during the pandemic, and should be working hard to recover customer loyalty. We were there many times when masks were mandatory and the rooms had very little occupation. Very...