IMAX Melbourne (Museums Victoria) — Local services in Melbourne

Although I love IMAX Melbourne cinema, I’m giving it a 5 star review purely for the fantastic customer service I received tonight, July 13 A few weeks back I got 3 premium seating for superman tickets through my big league membership. I got the best seats tonight, in the middle at the very back. It was my first time taking my 6 year old daughter to IMAX and I was super excited. Unfortunately I did not notice any information stating that children under 15 were not allowed to use premium seating, the reason for this I found out tonight is that the seats don’t register the weight of children, so if they have their seats reclined it will automatically go back to their original position and may cause injury if their legs are in the wrong position. Because I have a 6 year old and a 2 year old and no relatives to help baby sit, me and my wife very rarely go out. The last time was to go see dune part 2 in imax. So the session time was at 5:50, after I got my drinks it was around 5:57, the movie was 3 minutes away from starting. The young woman at the entrance to rows 24-45 scanned out tickets, was paying attention and noticed that I had a young child with me and said that she couldn’t sit in premium seats, explained the reason and offered to give me a full refund. As this outing is very rare for me, my wife and my daughter, I explained that I had paid $120 for a baby sitter for my 2 year old son and this night would go to waste so she called her manager straight away to help out, the manager came immediately, another young woman, and she said that same thing as the ticket usher, I asked if we could find 3 people in the row in front to swap seats, she was more than happy to try so she led us in, jumped in the row in front, found 3 people to swap seats, she called us over and we were given seats second last row in the middle all in the space of two minutes. Because there was a big difference in price, the wonderful manager offered some snacks, I said no but she insisted, I asked for a choc top for my daughter, she came back with a choc top and a bag of malteasers so fast that she made it back before the movie started. Like I said, going out is a rare treat, I didn’t notice that the premium seats were for over 15 year olds and our night would have been ruined if it weren’t for the fast acting ticket usher and the manager, I didn’t get a chance to get their names because of the rush but I am super grateful that IMAX has such professional workers with amazing positive attitudes, that you...

Had a fantastic time watching avatar in 3d and here are my opinions on my experience:

Pros:

1. Love the screen size, it’s amazing to watch a movie with such clarity and a fantastic sound system

2. The 3rd technology has improved over the years so even if you need a break from wearing glasses, the movie is still watchable to an extend

3. I had no issues with the seats, there are some complaints that it was uncomfortable, but I had no issues

Cons

1. There was some dirt occasionally appearing on the projector which could be spotted on the screen itself, so maybe they should keep it clean at least

2. This is just picking but the volume was too loud at times

3. The gap in front of the seats is quite slim so getting in and out during a movie could be a challenging experience

Tips

1. Seating is very important when it comes to this cinema because it's not as big compared to Hoyts etc., I feel aisle J or K would be perfect right in the middle

2. If you don’t get those aisles or seats, I suggest waiting till they are available in coming sessions because other seats won't personally give you the same experience as the screen is massive

3. Try going in after 4 pm since evening parking at the museum will be at a fixed rate of 7 dollars

4. Parking is easy to find just drive around the museum and you will spot a P sign on the left

5. Make sure to check the 3d glasses before walking in, just in case they have scratches or marks on them

6. If you are someone who experiences migraines or headaches because of watching it 3rd I suggest watching it in 2d as 3 hours will be quite long and stressful for you

Overall, a fantastic experience I have watched the movie both in 2 and 3rd and I highly suggest watching it in 3rd first (only if you can tolerate it...

Poor form on IMAX behalf to have a policy that is so 'money grabbing' as to have a 'no refunds or returns' policy. Is it any wonder IMAX becomes a once every blue moon event instead of a regular thing! In todays times you would think they have a 'customer is king' policy and put their needs first. Afterall, as a family we attend Village movies every other week and if ever someone can't come, they happily refund the ticket price no questions asked. But NOT IMAX - no way. Once they have your money there is 'no giving it back'. We bought 13 tickets and paid a small fortune and my 9 year old daughter ended up not being able to attend, and upon presentation of my ticket at the box office it was met with "we have a no refunds policy" - what? are you kidding? Before the show started, and they would not refund. A manager even intervened and eventually suggests they "might be able to offer me a voucher to attend another session" - wow, how gracious of them. By that time was so surprised at the lack of empathy and poor policy that I wanted to leave and not come back. No, the truth is that's just a poor policy and does nothing to foster return business and customer loyalty. No way in the world would I drop hundreds of dollars now suggesting we go to IMAX knowing that if for some reason we cant use a ticket - they are too selfish to credit you for unused tickets. Other than that, TOP GUN MAVERICK is the best film you'll see at IMAX all year, its as great, but selfish ill-thought policies like that will never win you loyal business that sees me bring my family to IMAX on a regular basis... and that's what you really. need to stay in business. Its not too late, do the right thing and just change that stupid policy and put the...