Emagine Noblesville — Attraction in Noblesville

Disappointing Return to the Movies (after four years): Emagine Movie Theater - Noblesville

⭐ 1 star

Customer Service: Lack of greeting and poor interaction Facility Cleanliness: Disorganized 3D glasses and messy concessions area Overall Experience: Unfortunate return after four years; unlikely to return without improvement

Growing up in Michigan, where Emagine theaters were a staple, I was excited to hear they were coming to Indiana. My wife and I hadn't been to the movies in over four years, partly due to safety concerns at our previous theater. Our usual spot, AMC in Castleton, had declined significantly with recent incidents. So, we were hopeful Emagine would provide a better experience when it opened near us.

We chose Emagine for its newness and nostalgia. We're huge Disney and Pixar fans, so "Inside Out 2" seemed perfect to break our drought in June 2024.

We arrived on a discounted Tuesday, expecting a crowd after the movie's recent release. However, there was no one to greet us upon entering, unlike the clear separation at AMC between ticketing and concessions. Confused, we eventually found someone who directed us to the correct theater room. When I asked for 3D glasses, the attendant pointed to a messy bin near the entrance. Used glasses of various sizes and trash filled the bin, a far cry from the clean, organized distribution we were accustomed to at AMC.

We waited for the movie to start inside the theater without any previews, unlike our previous experiences. The seats were comfortable, with my first encounter with heated seats being a pleasant surprise. However, my wife, feeling unwell, had to leave for the restroom, which she found disgustingly maintained. Meanwhile, I started having breathing issues, prompting us to stand in line at the concessions for a drink, fearing we'd miss more of the movie. The line was long, and behind the counter, the area was disorganized, with popcorn scattered and cleanliness lacking. Hannah, the staff member who served us, barely acknowledged our presence.

A restless patron beside me on their phone in the theater further disrupted the already-disrupted viewing experience. Due to these numerous interruptions, we only caught about 20-30 minutes of the movie's opening and ending. My wife was upset, and I left disappointed. This visit to Emagine Noblesville was far from the welcome back to the movie theater experience we hoped for. The theater's cleanliness, organization, and customer service fell short, reflecting a disappointing decline.

This experience has left us uncertain about returning to Emagine in the future. Unless significant improvements are made to address these issues, we will unlikely revisit this theater.

The worst moviegoing experience to date.

Update

Please also note, that Emagine responded to this review by mentioning to email guest services. I emailed them and there was no response to my email. This further demonstrates the lack of attention and detail in handling complaints. Do not know why I was directed to email if it would...

When Emagine first took over where Imax left off after the Covid vacancy I honestly thought it was just horrible. It was a cheap experience that felt more like a flea market movie theater. Fast forward to now and they have made significant improvements. There are nice heated reclining seats with enough space to sit and feel comfortable and not squished. Each row is a good way from the row below it so you don't have to worry about seeing someone's head in front of you. The movie theaters are not overcrowded like those that were in the 1980s. Buying tickets online allows you the opportunity to select your preferred seating. It's a great place to see a movie. I appreciate not having to go back to the concession stand to stand in line if I want a drink refill. 5 out of 5 stars? Sure. There are some drawbacks I want to mention that I feel can be easily fixed. The box office is on the left side of the main entry back just before the stairs and this is out of the way and needs to be centered and near the entry way. The clerk basically has to yell to get your attention or he/she/they/them/it has to do flips or jumping jacks to get your attention. The way the line was set up this past Sunday made it so that after we figured out the box office checking we then went through concessions and told the clerk who asked us all we wanted for our order but ended up giving us a ticket for the pretzels. We then had to continue in line to another register to pay where we again had to repeat our order- this is a bit excessive and unnecessary. The facility has been clean when we have been and we appreciate that. This place is my favorite movie theater. The real drawback??? The volume is beyond deafening. I have a little hearing loss from working on lawn equipment for 17 years and the volume is so bad it hurts my ears and I can't even hear the ringing in my ears. It is beyond too loud- honestly. Bring hearing protection like a pair of Eargasm noise-reducing plugs or be prepared to possibly experience permanent hearing loss. This has been the case since Emagine took over and I have voiced this concern several times in the past and nothing...

I do enjoy going to the movies - but I honestly hate paying the price to enjoy them while they're at the theater. Spending $10 a person to watch a movie, plus another $20 to get some snacks is a bit much - especially when I can wait for it to hit On Demand or Google Play.

With that in mind - here we are. Last week we saw the new X-Men movie at another theater and today it's "Finding Dori".

My initial reaction to the theater is how big and open the lobby is. Also that they have a bar area. The guy behind the counter was very friendly and we were inside in no time at all. We had just eaten so I didn't really have any plans to visit the concessions stand. But when I saw they had Pepsi Products (more importantly, Mt. Dew) I did a 180 and headed to the counter area.

2 drinks (large and small) and two things of candy rang up to under $20. Which is impressive since at AMC you can spend that on 1 large drink, 1 popcorn, and 1 thing of candy. As we walked towards the theater I noticed that all drinks come with free refills and they have fountain machines off to the side so you can get those yourself. Heck, had I known that I would have sprung for a medium drink.

The theaters are super nice. We were in #14. They have a nice stadium style seating, equipped with reclining leather chairs. We were the first to arrive so we chose in my opinion the best seat in the house - top row, middle!

Not only do the seats recline, but they're actually comfortable! You also get a good amount of legroom before you hit your legs/knee/feet on the chairs in front of you. Because of the stadium style is done so perfectly even a lady stuck in the 80s with big hair won't block your view.

The screen is bigger than most standard screens. Picture and sound quality are top notch.

With all that you get with free refills, comfy reclining seats, no obstructive views of the massive screen make this movie theater a great value! I can see coming back again and again just because of the value I feel I got for the price...