AMC Westbank Palace 16 — Local services in Gretna

To Whom It May Concern,

I am writing this message absolutely furious and deeply disappointed after the treatment my wife and I received at one of your theaters. We had purchased tickets in advance for a movie we were very excited to see together. As any parent knows, it’s not easy to find time for ourselves with a new baby at home—but we made it work. We brought our 4-month-old infant with us, who was peacefully asleep in her carrier and posed no disruption to anyone.

When we arrived, we were shocked and humiliated to be told we couldn’t enter the theater because we had our infant with us. Let me emphasize—she was sound asleep, we were fully prepared to step out if needed, and we were not taking anyone else’s experience for granted. Yet the staff treated us like we were causing a scene simply by existing.

They were rude, dismissive, and incredibly disrespectful. When we asked why we were being turned away, they told us it was AMC policy that no children under 6 are allowed into R-rated movies after a certain hour. That alone is absurd. But what’s worse is nowhere—NOT on your website, NOT in the app, and NOT at the theater itself—is this policy posted or made clear before or during the ticket purchase. We were blindsided and treated like we had broken some obvious rule that was kept hidden until it was convenient to use it against us.

I asked to speak with the manager, hoping for some level of empathy or common sense. Instead, he was equally cold, dismissive, and flat-out rude. No apology. No understanding. Just “I can’t let you in,” delivered with an attitude that made it clear he didn’t care about our experience or concerns.

To be very blunt, we left the theater feeling like we were being targeted and harassed, not because of any policy violation, but because we are a minority couple with a child. The way we were treated was dehumanizing. We were made to feel unwelcome, and frankly, discriminated against. There was no flexibility, no compassion, and no effort to handle the situation with decency.

This experience was deeply upsetting. AMC, a national brand, should hold itself to a far higher standard. We expected better—and we deserved better.

If AMC has policies that affect ticket holders, especially ones that would result in refusing entry after purchase, then those policies need to be made explicitly clear—up front, at the point of sale, not sprung on families at the door. And under no circumstances should your staff treat paying customers like second-class citizens for trying to enjoy a quiet night out with their family.

I urge you to look into this matter seriously. We were not just inconvenienced—we were embarrassed, disrespected, and mistreated. I hope AMC takes responsibility and makes this right.

Sincerely, A deeply disappointed and...

So let me start off by stating that I am a premiere STUBS card holder and that I visit this establishment at least 2-3 times a month. Normally, I never have an issue here but last night I was astounded by the disrespect of an employee. My spouse came to see the 10:35 p.m. showing of unforgettable, we arrived at 10: 23, proceeded into the building and walked up to the concession stand where there were 2 workers behind the counter, and a couple, and one other gentleman in line ahead of us. Ad we were approaching I noticed one of the 2 concession stand workers behind the counter stating she could help the next customer in line. I pointed & said to my spouse, " look Bae she can take us" ( the couple infront of us did not hear her) as we proceeded to walk up to her register, she turned her head and started to walk away. We both stopped in astonishment and thought maybe I misunderstood, a second later she repeated herself and again we went to approach her register. We were literally a foot away, she looked at us, and then at the couple whom again did not hear her and she said " no I was talking to them, they were first" I was shocked bc I have never experienced something like this before. My spouse kindly proceeded to pull out our stubs card to show her that in all actuality we would have, and should have been assisted prior no matter what; she rudely and abruptly stated " um didn't you hear what I said they next, " my spouse then said calmly " well actually we walked up before they ever heard you so can we order please " what proceeded after was just plain disrespectful. She continued to decline our order as she proceeded to call out to this other couple to come to her register and she would help them. We were not going to argue with this young lady so we asked for her manager and she flat out said no! All while this other couple is standing there, not being served just like us. The other employee called the manager and when she came out , the rude employee turned to her and said" what, you not gonna hear my side first, REALLY, " & a few other disrespectful choice of words. Needless to say the manager was quite upset and a little shocked that she did not follow protocol for stubs members. Even if I didn't have the membership, it's how this girl handled it, attitude from the very start. Had she been kind, and simply said " I'm sorry they were ahead of you let me help them and then I will be more than happy to help you" we would have never thought twice. I tried calling 5 times today to see that the GM is aware bUT I am unable to get a live person on the phone. Customer satisfaction should be the number 1 priority of the employees, and last night they failed horribly. That young lady needs to take classes as to how to treat...

This is the AMC theater that is closest to me so by default this is the one I venture to when I need my movie fix. I absolutely love movies as they provide an escape from the stressors of my job and the recent renovations to the theater have just elevated the enjoyment of my movie going experience. I have not been in all of the theaters yet, but most, if not all, have the reclining leather seats except the IMAX theater. The seats are very comfortable and the theaters are very clean. Unfortunately, although recently updated, the carpets are already beginning to show stains from recent spills which is really sad since the new decor is really nice. The bathrooms were upgraded as well which is a nice improvement over the old ones. If you like to purchase refreshments, the prices are on par with most theater food pricing but menu options are increasing although they do not have a lot of healthy options available. Overall, I am pleased with this theater and and love the recent improvements. The reserved seating eliminates the need to arrive early to get your preferred seating option but pay close attention to how the seats are arranged when you make your seating selections. In most of the non IMAX theaters the seats are in pairs to provide a love seat option, you can raise the middle arm rest between the two seats to create a kind of love seat option. When at the movies solo, I have had someone purchase the seat next to me that is coupled up but the arm rest stayed down so everything was A-OK and it was just an normal movie experience. If I had one recommendation, it would be for more than one person to work the ticket office. This is the norm for this location and sometimes it delays the ticket buying process but this is to encourage more online purchases. Parking is abundant and never an issue. If you have stayed away from theaters, give this one a try especially while the renovations are still apparent and can be readily...