AMC Empire 25 — Attraction in New York

My girlfriend and I decided to watch Abigail. We’re into scary movies and Abigail was what was playing that time (May 11th 2024 - a Saturday at around 9pm). We wanted chicken tenders before the movie started and I guess they didn’t have any ready - a lot of people were waiting for food that wasn’t candy or popcorn so there was a line. My girlfriend was #6217 in the queue line and told me 6213 was called. She didn’t get the tenders until maybe 20-30 minutes. (I went to get our seats and put our stuff in the theater).

After which, she got in the theater and the movie just started after those movie trailers. It was really dark, there didn’t seem to be floor lights or they were too dim. Long story short, The people waiting for the hot food to be made sort of bumped into each other, including my girlfriend and the tenders all fell on the floor, along with her. She wasn’t hurt besides a slight bruise on her shin.

She was really upset about it because she missed the beginning of the movie, along with basically lost the food and got hurt after waiting for such a long time for them to fry up the food.

Luckily, I knew that meant they still had a batch hot and ready, (cus no way they’d just fry like 3 tenders and 10 fries for 30 minutes right?) so I went to the concession stand and asked for a replacement for free since it wasn’t our fault they spilled. And they gave it! Along with 3 extra tenders. Really saved the movie experience.

One thing I don’t like about this theater in particular is that you can never really tell which kinds of seats you’re going to get. It’s got tons of theaters in the building, it’s really big after all. So there are all kinds of seats, and it’s hard to keep track of which theater has which type of seat. It always says “plush rockers” (hate those) or “AMC Signature Recliners” (there’s like 3-4 different kinds of those. Red ones, black ones, ones more plushy, skinny ones, wider ones, ones with the controls on the side of the armrest, ones with the controls on top of the armrest). I wish there was a way to tell exactly which signature recliner you were getting. Each one has a different level of comfort, some recline more/less than others, if the controls are on the side and you move your thighs, you move your seat on accident mid-movie… that type of stuff.

As a tall guy, I definitely like the ones known as “full AMC signature recliners” because those are bigger and with more room. I don’t feel as cramped in them - like a big fish in a sardine can. Also, since my girlfriend loves watching movies with me, the full ones allow you to lift an armrest in the middle to make it almost like a 2 seater couch. It makes it more intimate because I can put my arm around her without an armrest digging in my ribs and during scary movies, it saves my funny bone in my elbow (I slam it a lot during...

Avoid the AMC New Year’s Eve Event in NYC!

Do not waste your money on the New Year’s Eve party at AMC in New York City. This event was extremely poorly organized and far from worth the exorbitant price tag.

We were advised to arrive an hour early for the event, which started at 7 PM. We got there at 6 PM, only to face chaos at entry. After waiting almost an hour, we were finally let in at 6:50 PM. The staff seemed disorganized and there was minimal communication, both among themselves and with guests.

After getting our wristbands, we were taken to a table for four on the 5th floor—right next to the bathrooms in the corner. The table was not set up, had no number or name on the table, and the staff member who escorted us seemed unsure about where we were supposed to be. She promised to fix it, but nothing happened.

My mother eventually approached another staff member to clarify where we were meant to sit, as we had paid for the Platinum 6th Floor experience. This was a chain of confusion amoungst staff, where we were moved multiple times between the 5th and 6th floors. My 80-year-old grandmother had to stand the inter time while they tried to figure things out.

Finally, one staff member attempted to set up a table for us on the 6th floor, but was reprimanded by another staff member for helping us. Meanwhile, I was approached by a staff member who escorted me to the manager, Daniel, who wished to “speak” with me in a stairwell, where I was surrounded by over five staff members. As a young woman in my mid-20s, this was intimidating and completely inappropriate.

After showing Daniel our Platinum 6th Floor tickets, he admitted we were meant to have a shared table. He offered an “upgrade” to the main area of the 6th floor, which we should have had in the first place. This was not a favor—it was simply delivering what we had paid for: a table in the advertised area.

Throughout the night, we saw others experiencing similar issues. Guests were forced to eat on the floor, some tables were only set up after complaints, and staff often looked confused and unhelpful. The balconies, supposedly reserved for Platinum ticket holders, were accessible to everyone as no one was checking wristbands and the movie cinema chairs were wear stained and broken.

Overall, this was an appalling experience for my family and me. We had hoped for a once-in-a-lifetime New Year’s celebration, but instead, we were met with stress, disappointment, and poor service. Save your money and...

One of the busiest theaters in the world

Times Square became the epicenter for large-scale theater productions between 1900 and the Great Depression.

"one of the best art houses in the country"

Empire 25 had two million guests per year or an average of 40,000 guests per week. By contrast, the average multiplex in the United States had a third as many visitors.

The facade of the Empire Theatre is made of terracotta and is square in shape, with relatively little ornamentation compared to other theaters of the time. The center of the facade contains a three-story arch, which was intended to resemble a Roman triumphal arch; a fourth story was used for offices. The theater had about 900 seats in its auditorium, spread across three levels. It was decorated with ancient Egyptian and Greek details, as well as a sounding board depicting three dancing women. Most of the original detail was restored when the theater building was repurposed in 1998. The former auditorium serves as a lobby and lounge for the AMC Empire 25.

Woods leased the site in August 1911, and the Eltinge Theatre opened on September 11, 1912, with the play Within the Law. In its early years, the Eltinge was known as a "lucky house", with many long-running plays. The theater was less successful during the 1920s and was leased to various theatrical personalities. During the Depression, when legitimate productions were scarce, the Eltinge was leased for burlesque by Max Rudnick from 1931 until 1942. Bud Abbott and Lou Costello, then burlesque comedians, first performed together at the Eltinge early in 1935. After its tenure as a burlesque house, the Eltinge became the Laff-Movie movie theater operated by the Brandt family and leased to J.J. Mage. The Brandts renamed the theater the Empire in 1954 and continued to present movies there until the late 20th century. The city and state governments of New York acquired the theater as part of the 42nd Street Redevelopment Project in 1990. Forest City Ratner developed an entertainment and retail complex on the site in the 1990s, relocating and renovating the Empire. Architect Thomas W. Lamb 234 West 42nd Street New York City United States originally the Eltinge Theatre Opened:...