AMC Vancouver Mall 23 — Attraction in Vancouver

MOST DISAPPOINTING MOVIE EXPERIENCE EVER! Before I launch into my detailed review, here are the high (rather low) lights: Poorly functioning/misleading website Freezer meal quality food at outrageous theater prices (DO NOT GO THERE HUNGRY, I implore you!) Not enough staff Under stocked/unclean concession area Distractingly squeaky theater seats with light left on in exit hallway which took away from the dark theater experience Details: I hadn't been to a movie in at least 6 months and wanted to splurge by taking my daughter and granddaughter to see Little Women. I went online the night before to purchase our tickets. I chose the Living Room theater because I know from experience (with the much beloved and greatly missed Cinetopia) that they are the nicest seats. The website let me purchase 2 adults and one child. No where did it alert me that the child would not be allowed to sit there (21 and over). So, when I got up to the box office, I was informed and the difference in price was refunded on a gift card to be used at concessions. Next, I had told the girls that I would be treating them to dinner with our movie. Since our theater was downstairs, we waited in that concession line. At 7 pm there was ONE worker! She took forever to work out a gift card issue (had to call her manager--who didn't stay to help her with the ever lengthening line of customers) and then proceeded to preparing all the food for this family of 6. We were now closely approaching the start of our movie. Thankfully we were 2nd in line and ordered. We chose chicken sliders and curly fries and were informed that: "our fryer is upstairs so we can't do that here". We opted for regular beef sliders and a pepperoni pizza and I got popcorn. The pictures you see online of their food selections? Laughable!! The food was unappetizing looking--nothing like the mouth watering pictures online (Cinetopia......why did you leave??) and tasted just like it looked. We ate it, however because THAT WAS OUR DINNER! All three salt shakers were all empty (turns out it didn't need it anyway) and my shoes were sticking to the floor in front of the soda machines. Ick. My popcorn was so salty and just "meh" that I ate several handfuls and threw it away after the movie. Luckily, we made it to our seats just in time to see the opening credits. The last two irritating issues (and it didn't take much 'cause I was already very irritated) was the very squeaky chairs and the exit hallway to the left of the screen that was illuminated the whole time. I get that the exit signs must be lit and easy to find, but it was distracting from the movie (the opposite exit hallway light was not on). On top of that, the people in front of us had to check their social media several times during the movie (I realize this is not AMC's fault, but it just proves how addicted this culture is to their devices....sad). To sum up, I will NEVER go back to this theater again. The next movie I will take them to will be at The Kennedy School. That place is awesome (if you haven't been there yet). Cozy couch seating and delicious food served to you at your seats. As a "P.S." Go over to Yelp if you REALLY want to read reviews that are more indicative of the actual sad decline of this theater since the monster AMC took over. Reading some of these Google reviews, you have to wonder, "are we reviewing the same...

TLDR: Experienced clean theater but painfully horrific sound systems and/or sound mixing in smaller screenings.

In 2019, we went and viewed "Tolkien" in one of the living room screenings. The chairs were run down with holes in them, there were a few pixels out, and the sound was not mixed properly for the film and space of viewing.

We went back to try again this week, October of 2021, viewing "Dune" in screen seven. The chairs were new but very uncomfortable. To sit straight requires flexing your quads and propping yourself up, as the seat bottoms angle down at about fifteen degrees in attempts to dump you onto the, admittedly pristine, concrete floor. This forces you to recline, but the tension in the seat back spring is also too tight, and the bottom is stiff and domed so that your weight sits on your tail bone.

The bigger complaint is still the sound mixing. "Dune" is a loud movie in many parts and it was downright painful in this theater. Three of us spent a quarter to half of the film plugging our ears while a couple in the front of the theater left and did not come back during the first action sequence. During the climax of the movie, I stepped out to ask the friendly staff if they could turn the volume down a little. A cheap sound meter app on my phone did not register unsafe levels but it also did not change after returning for the rest of the movie. (Screen on my phone was off on a seat next to me while it took decibel readings only, as to not disturb the seven other patrons. The data was checked once the screening ended.) My assumption is that the sound system in this screen is sub-par and the sound system has not been properly mixed for this room and film. When viewed at a boutique theater the following night (for less money than AMC charged me, personally), "Dune" was impressive in it's sound design and a very enjoyable experience. An antithesis to the night prior in screen seven at AMC Vancouver Mall 23. This is not a fault of the film's sound design as would be the case for "Tenet", but the theater's own shortfalls.

These experiences, in addition to the distasteful history of AMC's requisition of Cinetopia locations after counter-legislating Cinetopia to closure, make me very wary to attempt another viewing here. My recommendation would be avoid the smaller screens at AMC Vancouver Mall 23, and hope that the GXL screens are better mixed than the others; or stick to small, quality businesses where available.

NOTE: This review is OPINION ONLY and not to be taken as statement. All critiques and commendations held in said review and its auxiliary data should be viewed as personal opinion. If legal concerns arise over this posted review or auxiliary data, please contact me directly for remediation before definitive legal actions...

I received two AMC gift certificates a couple of years ago and went to see a movie. I presented the certificates to the cashier and she tried to say they don't accept them. I asked why, and she said they were too old and the system won't accept them anymore. The certificates had no expiration date. She tried to call the manager for permission to take them - great customer service - and they still wouldn't accept them. I asked to speak to the manager personally.

A young woman with dark hair named Olivia actually said to me, "once you buy the certificates they are now in your possession, their your property and we can't verify them."

I responded, "so therefore, operating off of your logic, my cash and my debit card are also my property and in my possession, so therefore you can't verify those forms of payment either?"

She made a very audible huff and did a hard eye-roll at me before she proceeded to glare at me like the wicked witch of the West who just got caught in the rain. I must have deserved it, because I had the audacity to call her out on an utterly preposterous statement. I told her unless she's the manager, I'd prefer not to speak to her.

Finally the manager, a very kind gentleman with an orange beard and slightly balding came out and attempted to explain since these certificates were slightly older, I have to go online and request new ones be mailed out. Again, in a very kind and respectful tone, said if I had gone online first and read the "frequently asked questions" page I would have known I needed to do that before visiting the theater.

I replied, "my friend, who reads a F.A.Q page before going to the mall or the movies? If anything people read reviews just like these to check the cleanliness of the business and how good the customer service is. What you need to do, is accept these clearly valid gift certificates, let me buy my popcorn, and you can talk to your district manager and sort this out later."

The manager agreed, saw the movie. The theater was very clean, there's a full service bar you can order drinks while you watch the movie. All in all, this is a great place to go, and the manager is wonderful person.

Olivia, however, is...