Cinemark Waco and XD — Attraction in Waco

First time going to Cinemark, & I was shocked by how much I enjoyed it.

For context, I have a fairly overwhelming anxiety disorder, & I have struggled with movie theaters for as long as I can recall, to the extent that they are a staple of my literal nightmares. I have tended to become very overstimulated, and be unable to enjoy watching films, even though I love watching movies, & I want to love watching them on the big screen. Now, I do love it - & I can't wait to go back!

From the moment we pulled up outside, I could tell that the building was nicer than any movie theater I had been to, & I felt like this was what movie theaters were supposed to feel like. When we went inside I worried that my anxiety would flare up, & I found myself dreading the time when we had to make the long trek up to the desk, wait in line, talk to the worker, all to get tickets to a movie I might not be able to watch. THEY HAVE KIOSKS! There was no line, & we were able to hurry through the ticket buying process because we could buy & pay for them ourselves. Employees were roaming around nearby, so if we needed assistance they could help us, but the process was easy, & within a few seconds we had tickets & were making our way in. The room number was printed clearly, so we didn't have to ask for directions, though again we could have, as employees were stationed around the large foyer. The auditorium was really nice-looking, & while in most movie theaters I've been to there was some candy/soda/popcorn residue that they seemed unable to fully get rid of, here there was just a muted smell of cleaners, & the popcorn smell that wafted in from the foyer. My sister & I are both large, and she especially tends to be Very uncomfortable in movie theater chairs due to a botched hip surgery from her childhood: I felt so happy seeing how comfortable she was here. The seats were so pillowy & smooth that they didnt set off my anxiety at all, & helped me to feel way less overstimulated, because there were no points of pressure to trigger me. The room was really spacious, & we never jostled one another during the film, or fought over an armrest or anything. I was busy watching the film, & so it wasn't until afterwards that I found a switch to lean my seat back & put up the footrest, but honestly I was super comfortable throughout, & didn't mind, though next time I will definitely use it. The film itself was very immersive, with sound so strong that it surrounded the room & made it shake a bit, but it didn't actually hurt my ears? For those who are easily overstimulated - whether because of anxiety like me, or autism like my sister - if you bring soft earplugs, you can still hear the film, it just takes off a layer of the immersive auditory stimulation which the neurotypical movie-goers are craving, & makes it easier to not be overwhelmed during the film. By the end of the movie, I already wanted to come back & watch another one. It was so fun, & so distracting from my ongoing stressors, that I could see myself coming back regularly. There was talk about an app, & getting free movie tickets, & I will be looking into that. I didn't get any snacks/drinks, & I might invest in them next time - even though for someone like me they are fairly pricey - because of the ambience, and because I was very hungry/thirsty by the end of the film.

All around the best time I've ever had in a movie theater, & way easier on my anxiety than the experience has ever been. I'm happy to stretch my comfort zone & socialize a bit, without having to be stressed out, & Cinemark made it easy for me. 10/10 Definitely...

Pros: The theater wasn't freezing! And the red chairs (D-Box Seats) that are level to where you come into the theater is where it's at! I'll be honest, I haven't been able to sit in the seats higher up the stairs, or the ones below that level area. My dad is in his 70s with 2 knee replacements so he has some trouble getting around and stairs are particularly difficult. Despite that, we go to the movies as a weekly family thing, so we always sit in the area what's just level upon entering the theater so he doesn't have to climb any stairs. However, the first 2 or 3 rows right behind that area (and up a couple of steps) are nothing but those D-Box seats except for the ones on the ends (which are still reclining seats). The D-Box seats have movements and vibrations that sync with the movie you're watching and you can control the amount of movement effects. They're only available in certain theater rooms in Cinemark. Ok, enough about the chairs. Another pro: the showing of classic movies on certain weekends. I've already gone and watched Alfred Hitchcock's The Birds, the first Jurrasic Park, Close Encounters of the Third Kind, and Blazing Saddles. That's a great time. Cons: the concession prices are unfortunately high... As in, over $40.00 for a Large popcorn, an order of movie theater nachos (which consists of some chips in a little sealed bag and one cup of Nacho "cheese"), one large drink and a bottle of water. The fried mozzarella cheese sticks were nothing to write home about, especially at the price point. Brutal! I get it, they've got to make up for all the money lost during COVID and even now since alot of things are streaming almost immediately after release, but day-um! The fact that they serve alcohol can be put in both pro and con columns. Pro: Alcohol, yay! Con: Price for the amount of alcohol you get, boo. They're not making any top shelf drinks, so You're probably better off with a frozen Jack and Coke or a bottle of beer if you just want to get the experience. All in all though, the theater is a super nice experience with a dash of grimace at the concession check out. I'd recommend going to a matinee (generally before 4 pm) for a cheaper seat price to help counter balance those crazy...

2 bad experiences in a row at this theater. I'm a paid movie member subscriber and have been going to the Temple location for years since pre-pandemic with no issues until they recently opened this Waco location that is closer to my home in Lorena. Last time I came to see Northman and had to retrieve employees to wipe down seats before I could sit down because there was puddled liquid in many of the seats in my row. This time my wife wanted to see Dr Strange 2 for Mother's Day weekend. I purchased prime center of theater tickets in the app to the 5:35 showing of Dr Strange 2 (opening weekend for the film). Arrived and walked into the theater about a minute before showtime only to find the movie already in progress. I legit thought I had walked into the wrong theater. Management was already in the theater hallway and said "I'll explain in a second" and walked away. Once they returned they explained that there had been "technical difficulties and the movie had been started at 5:20 instead of 5:35." I pulled up and showed the app which STILL showed my tickets at 5:35. Management said we could take our seats now, having missed the entire beginning of the movie after waiting for them to figure out what was going on or reschedule. Missing the beginning of the movie was not acceptable so we agreed to reschedule. Management wanted same day rescheduling but all theaters were sold out except front row seats which were unacceptable. We declined rescheduled seats. At this point we have wasted 40 minutes of our time (4 people) due to them starting the movie 15 minutes before the tickets they were selling. Management then offered a refund and 4 ticket passes that are blacked out for opening weekends for the opening weekend tickets they had botched the time on. I cannot fathom why you would start a movie at 5:20 when you have sold tickets for 5:35, regardless of technical difficulties or what you intended the original...