Cinepolis Luxury Cinemas Inglewood IMAX — Attraction in Inglewood

On 8/1/2023, we were looking forward to go to this complex since I was watching every step of the project of Hollywood Park, but what a huge disappointment it was. We went to see Oppenheimer movie at 6:30 PM which is 3 Hrs. movie, staff were nice when we entered, the screens were ok and nice to see everything was clean and new and at that point, I was going to give them 5 stars.

After the movie finished, 1Hrs and 45 minutes of agony started where people and I were trapped on what seemed to be a nightmare and worst experience going to see a movie in my life and others. I understand they are new and they have a learning curve, but this was beyond anything excusable.

As it says in their ads and website that they validate your parking ticket, we took the ticket with us and validated inside with the movie ticket, as people were leaving at the gate, it was asking people that they have a balance of $15 where it was supposed to be free and people were backed up at the gate because they kept calling the buzzer at the gate and no one was answering, people started backing up and have to go back to the parking structure to go inside the theater to see why the validated ticket didn't work out. They told us because they only give validations for 3 Hrs. only and the movie was 3 Hrs, and after that, it is $10 Hr. and it is normally works, but since the movie is 3 Hrs long, there will be more to pay for additional time and that is fine if it was the policy, but they should have indicated that on their website, not see all parking tickets will be validated.

They did admit that it was a mistake and they have already raised it up with their management since it happens with long movies, but they haven't done anything about it. The issue was raised with the theater manager since people were aggravated and they wanted to leave and it was already 10 PM. The theater manager called so many numbers trying to help us to open the gate for us from the complex management, but there were no answers as he tried to call from the parking tickets machines and there was no answer. He tried to go to the complex management office and they were all close. After a long wait of calling at that point for 50 minutes, someone answered and said he was coming to open the gate.

After a long wait, a parking attendant shows up guy and a despicable collogue of his said that the policy says after 3 Hrs they have to pay $10 per hour and everyone of us has to pay and they were not apologetic about what happened as they placed the blame on everyone waiting. It seemed as it was a horror movie and were were in some third world country and they were holding everyone hostages to pay ransom and cars were trapped and you can't back up. Some very old ladies stated screaming and they threated to call the cops because they are being held against their wish. The theater manager had already left everyone before that once he heard parking that they were coming to open the gate. Then they started being selective to let older people go and open the gate but they had trouble to manage people to back up their cars and I refused to back up since I was the second car because that is the worst reverse age discrimination I have witnessed and it was about principle to me at that point.

At that point I was outraged when she scanned my parking ticket and it was already $20 because they wasted our time because they didn't answer their call which she lied and she said they answered and I told her to look into their cameras to see how long were people called and were waiting and to go see and ask the the theater manager to see how long we have been dealing with this. People started screaming and I started recording things on my cell video and I told them that I am going to the media to expose their ways of extracting money from people. At that point they opened the gate at let everyone out.

I will never go back...

I should have read the reviews first.

I am familiar with Cinepolis theaters and have been a regular patron of the Westlake location for years. Unfortunately, I was deeply disappointed by my recent experience at the Inglewood location.

To begin with, after pressing my call button, it took an unusually long time for someone to respond. When a young man—who appeared to be a high school student—finally arrived, I asked if I could purchase the rather pricey bottle of Prosecco. I requested that the bottle be opened in front of me, as I am a former bar owner and prefer to see a bottle opened in my presence to ensure authenticity. He seemed confused by the request, said he would check with someone, and never returned. I found this to be highly unprofessional.

The theater itself was uncomfortably warm and smelled musty, clearly due to reduced air conditioning. Even more concerning, there was trash everywhere. See the picture. For a theater that advertises itself as a luxury experience, this is simply unacceptable.

There are two entrances available for servers to use, yet the servers appeared to all use the entrance on the right of us. As a result, servers repeatedly walked across our line of sight during the movie to serve guests seated on the far side of the theater. At Westlake, servers use the appropriate entrance closest to the guest, which minimizes disruption. At that location when servers are delivering refreshments or otherwise entering the auditorium, they generally stick to the aisles and side pathways to avoid navigating directly in front of guests. Entering from the left or right aisle helps minimize crossing the entire auditorium, which can block views or cause unnecessary interruptions—especially during the movie. Here, I counted over 100 instances where servers crossed in front of us, which made it nearly impossible to focus on the film. This could have been easily avoided with basic training and common sense.

We eventually ordered the Prosecco from a different server who was professional and efficient, and the bottle arrived quickly. However, it was already opened upon arrival, which I found inappropriate. Wine or champagne should always be opened in front of the guest. In today’s climate, where concerns about food and beverage safety are more heightened—especially after watching videos online—it is reassuring to see your bottle opened in front of you.

Finally, there was a large, noticeable stain on the movie screen, which appeared to be from someone having thrown something at it. This blemish was distracting and took away from the overall viewing experience.

This Cinepolis is a fail, sorry do not go here, it is a...

Extremely Disappointing Experience – I’m Done Giving This Place Chances

I’ve been to this theater about 10 times, and sadly, at least half of those visits were disappointing. Some past issues included: never receiving a menu, requesting a refill 40 minutes before the movie ended and never getting it, incomplete orders, not receiving the check, and then having to wait in a line to pay before leaving. But this most recent visit was the final straw.

I took my nephew to see Lilo & Stitch and we arrived early. The movie started at 3:30 PM, and we never received any service—not once. Meanwhile, the rows in front of us were being served without issue. We were patient, but it became incredibly frustrating, especially since our service light was on the entire time and no one even checked in with us. We skipped lunch with the plan to eat at the theater, so by halfway through the movie, we were hungry and disappointed.

I got up to speak with someone and was met with attitude. I approached two young employees and asked if we could get service. One of them responded dismissively, saying she had just started her shift. When I asked if I should talk to someone else, she said, “Go ahead.” I went into the hallway and found no one except another guest who was also waiting—for a refill. At least she had received something to begin with.

Eventually, a young man came by and offered to take us to a manager. On the way, he asked a staff member (who was apparently assigned to our auditorium) if she was working there, and she completely ignored him and walked away with a rude expression.

We finally found the manager, who was busy at the register processing refunds for a different group. I was fifth in line. I explained I was still in the middle of my movie and asked how I could get service. He said the kitchen was backed up and I’d have to wait—but that if I didn’t get anything by the end of the film, I could come back. By this point, I had already missed 15 minutes of the movie.

I’m sorry, but isn’t this supposed to be a luxury theater? I would honestly prefer to stand in a regular concession line if it meant I was guaranteed service. The only times I’ve had a decent experience here were on weekday mornings when the theater was nearly empty. It’s disappointing that after all this time, the service has only gotten worse.

I did receive a refund for the movie, but it’s unfortunate that it had to come to that. I will no longer be supporting this establishment—there are too many better options out there that actually value...