NCG Cinemas - Midland — Local services in Midland

Summary: Bad customer service, bad experiences, and poor value

We had a 9:45 pm showing on a Friday night and were running late. Around 9:50 pm, I stood at the bar waiting for someone to come over, hoping to get a drink. After a minute or two, an employee, who I later found out from another employee was a manager named Georgia I believe, came over and started doing something at the bar facing away from me while I stood there waiting. She briefly looked back, made eye contact with me, and then returned to what she was doing without saying anything. I didn’t initially think much of it, as there is rarely someone always stationed there. You usually just wait for someone to notice and come over.

When she finished what she was doing, she turned around and asked, “Did you want something from the bar? I just closed it for the night.” I assumed that meant ordering was still possible, so I responded, “Yes,” to which she replied, “Well, I just closed it for the night.” The interaction was confusing and not very pleasant. I ended up sticking to just pop and we proceeded into the theater. Later, around 10:30 pm, I went back out for a popcorn and drink refill but was told that the popcorn machine had shut down at 10:15 pm, so I returned to my seat with an empty bucket.

I checked and saw that every movie showing that day had its last screening around 10 pm. Based on this, I assume the policy is to shut down popcorn 15 minutes after the last showing begins and to close the bar whenever the manager feels like it. That’s an interesting way to run a theater, especially on a Friday night. We were the only people in our theater, and I couldn’t help but hope that everyone else made a better choice by going to Saginaw or Birch Run for an Emagine or Celebration Cinema offering a better and cheaper experience.

I’ve visited the Midland theater probably close to a hundred times over the past 5-10 years. The quality has never been particularly good, and sometimes it has been downright poor, like this night or the previous time when items were hanging in front of the screen during the Nosferatu showing, or other one of the many other times there have been issues. My only hope is that maybe this theater will eventually close and be taken over by a company willing to put more effort. Previously, lower prices could justify overlooking issues, but now it’s somehow more expensive than Celebration Cinema or Emagine theaters, and the experience is dramatically worse at...

We decided to try NCG after their current remodel. We usually drive the 45 min to the emax theater in Birch Run. Upon arriving to the theater I had ordered tickets online. I presented my barcode to the young man at the front desk to which he basically snatched my phone out of my hand without a "Hello" or "How are you tonight". This didn't necessarily bother me until he gave our tickets and asked if we needed popcorn or pops. I ordered our snacks and drinks, which 2 drinks and a popcorn cost well over $20 (I understand they stopped their combos before the remodel and it is ridiculously expensive now). After presenting this man my card, he TOSSED IT BACK AT ME ACROSS THE COUNTER. I have worked customer service for years and would NEVER imagine doing this to anyone. I thought maybe he might just be having a bad day. Upon getting our popcorn and presenting our tickets, NONE of the team members seemed to enjoy their jobs. No smiles, no asking how are you tonight. I will not be coming back to this theater. We will be making the 45 min drive to the emax theater in Birch Run as they have way better, cheaper seats. Our seats were advertised as "VIP" heated seats. They were barely "VIP". The heated seats didn't work, the seats were small, and they had small very awkward "tables". I honestly feel bad for those that had regular seats as it seemed that they had very minimal space between their seat and the one in front of them. I was very hopeful for the remodel for our home town movie theater, and they fell VERY short. The movie was great, but getting up out of the seat, the whole seat came with me! These "VIP" seats are obviously very cheap. I wish I would have taken a picture but I didn't. NCG, you should have taken the time and invested the money in quality seats at the very least. I hope for Midland that they do put a quality theater in the mall. VERY disappointed in this remodel. As a note.. I have never felt compelled to post a bad review, as I am a very understanding, laid back person. But, our service tonight was awful. The grumpy, uninviting team members and lack of a "VIP" experience for the price...

I love the look of the new theatre after the re-model they did. It took a while, but boy was it worth it. Not only is the inside better to look at, but they added self-serve butter dispensers for your popcorn! I've been waiting for more areas to install them. Freeze drinks are all the same price as normal drinks. You simply pay for a size, and you choose from one of the two freeze machines, or their new Coca-Cola machine. The big red touch screen ones, that include normal soda flavors along with added flavors of vanilla, strawberry, raspberry, orange, grape, peach, and more! The bathrooms are totally re-done, with classy tile floor and very nice tile walls. Probably my favorite upgrade to the theatre, visually, is their new floor. A mix of carpet and wood all flowing back and forth between each other. Not to mention the new furniture and seating areas they included in the lobby. My favorite upgrade to the theatre rooms, are their new seats. All leather, very soft and lean back easily. They also added a "VIP" section of seats that are even softer, heated, leather seats, with the option to recline backwards, and put your feet up. A custom food tray with a cup holder that swings to the side, where you can set your snacks and drink. There are even more options to drink besides pop and frozen drinks. They now serve alcohol! Two kinds of domestic and premium beer to choose from. Bud Light and Coors Light, and Blue Moon and Two Hearted. Prices for domestic beer range from $6 for 16oz, or $8 for 24oz. Premium beer ranges from $7.50 for 16oz, and $9.50 for 24oz. They also serve wine! Chardonnay, Pinot Grigio, Red Sangria, and Merlot. Ranging from $6 for 6oz, or $9 for 9oz.The staff is all very friendly, and I'll definitely be coming back here to watch...