Celebration Cinema Grand Rapids North & IMAX — Attraction in Grand Rapids

Sad I have to share this experience. On Sunday 11/13 we had a private viewing of Wakanda Forever for Black community members and leaders. The event's purpose was to be an uplifting and safe space for Black folks to be in community and watch a film that holds significant meaning to our community. It was supposed to be a special night.

However, some of that safety and specialness of the event was clouded by how our group was treated by Celebration North staff. Overall, staff was very unwelcoming, unaccommodating, rude, and provided poor customer service. We were treated with hostility and disrespect. Here are some examples:

1.) When some of the guests in our party arrived, they told staff they were there for the 6pm private showing. They were rudely told to just "go stand over there", without providing any hospitality or direction. We know that we were responsible for getting guests tickets, but we would expect kindness from staff. 2.) When I arrived to check in for the event, I said I was there to check in for the private event and a male employee stared at me. Another staff member came up and chuckled and said "I'll handle this one." 3.) Even when we provided seat numbers, we were told that staff would not bring concessions into our theatre because they didn't have seat numbers. This seems like an inconsistent practice because they brought concessions into other theatres. An employee did end up bringing concessions to our theatre but told the guest, "We won't bring it in next time and don't ask again". 4.) Overall the theatre was very short staffed even though I told Erin the event coordinator in advance that we had 50 confirmed guests. 5.) When they were bringing the popcorn over to our table I asked the employee if he was also bringing the pop cups. He rudely stated, "I was going to next" and rolled his eyes. He brought the cups and just threw them on our table without any direction or kindness. 6.) When I asked Erin on Sunday morning if she could confirm arrival information for our guests, she just said I was responsible for passing out tickets and didn't provide any helpful information about what the set up would look like.

These are just a few examples but overall we are very disappointed in the service we received at Celebration Cinema. I would like to highlight the kindness and pleasant demeanor of one staff member who was accepting tickets last night (I can't recall his name, he was a blonde young man). He was the only employee who treated us with dignity and went above and beyond.

It is unfortunate that in 2022 there are spaces where we still are not treated like our lives, experiences, communities, and joy matter. I am not sure what a meaningful path forward looks like. I do know you may also hear from other dissatisfied guests in our party because it was a huge theme of the night. However, I'm grateful that our community still took up space and enjoyed the movie despite the poor treatment...

❤️THIS MOVIE THEATER HANDS DOWN IS ONE OF THE BEST MOVIE THEATERS IN GRAND RAPIDS MICHIGAN!!!❤️

Here is my LIST of personal reasons why I feel the way that I feel:

1. The theater looks small on the outside, but the amenities and additional businesses on the inside packs a large punch!

2. The theater has a very nice upscale sit-in bar as soon as you walk in the FRONT entrance.

3. After you pass the bar, you encounter a diner-style ice cream shop with various flavors of pure deliciousness! I was extremely impressed with the friendliness of the individuals who invited us in to have a taste!

4. Jude's barbershop is also connected inside of the movie theater which completely took me off guard. I have never seen a barbershop inside of a movie theater.

5. After passing the ice cream shop and the barbershop, I noticed a castle style staircase that led upstairs to a decorated hall that can be rented...absolutely amazing!

6. The staff at the movie theater were incredibly friendly and they made sure to assist us in giving us extra food vessels to carry our popcorn in.

7. I love how the theater looks on the inside! Moreover, the recliner chairs with a tray attachment extension connected to it are top-notch, phenomenal, and it made our experience even more enjoyable! As a matter of fact, I felt as though I was sitting in a five star style recliner chair!

Overall, my experience at Celebration Cinema North made me feel as though I entered a classy movie theater that delivered a feeling of prestige unlike no other! Grand Rapids Michigan has several movie theaters, but my absolute favorite is Celebration Cinema North located on the NE side of the city.

If you haven't visited this movie theater, DO YOURSELF A FAVOR AND VISIT ASAP!

Side note: If I were you, I would visit this theater at a time when it ISN'T as busy so that you can enjoy the atmosphere without having to navigate...

Pros: Everything technical about the theater was great. Screen, projector, sound, etc, all top notch. Seats were clean and super comfy. Popcorn was good.

Cons: I will try to keep this short - My wife and I went and saw Deadpool/Wolverine and as you can imagine it was full of cursing and gore, great flick with exactly what I signed up for. But here’s where the con come’s in - there was a family (8 or so) with 2 young kids screaming at everything (rightfully so). The one kid had to be around 4 and the other had to be around 2. Yes, you read that correct. As a father and just a common sense person, I was very concerned, not to mention the kids kept saying “mommy I’m scared” and screaming loud enough and often enough to where I had to say something. Now, I’m not the world police and I don’t pretend to be, however I just kept thinking these poor kids. So I finally went and told the staff what was happening and that the whole thing seemed inappropriate, and also that it was ruining what should have been a fun adult night out, and I sure not just for us. They then said that their policy was that as long as the children looked 6+ and were with an adult, that they could be in there. 😳 - I am being generous to say that they were 2 and 4 - Now I remember seeing “Predator” when I was a kid at 8 or so and I turned out fine, but just to compare movies from then to now, seems like there is about 15,000% more adult language and gore. Now I signed up for that, but those kids…..I felt so bad. Not only did it ruin our night, but the fact that the staff of teenagers didn’t really seem to care at all. Then we wonder why kids are so messed up. Do better parents. Do better...