AMC Bayou 15 — Local services in Pensacola

It was on a steamy Tuesday evening that two of my friends and I visited AMC for a viewing of the delightfully mediocre film, “Barbie.” The screening of this film AMC scheduled to begin at 6:15 pm. Normally I would be eating at this time, but I fashioned a Violife grilled cheese sandwich on multigrain bread prior to embarking. It was a tasty sandwich. As is my wont, I arrived with my friends in a timely fashion, allowing for plenty of time to locate our seats, settle in comfortably, and not think about how many heads have shared my assigned seat. I cannot help myself but think of the hundreds of heads that have rested where I did also rest my (lice free) head. 6:15 came and went. For some time I was anxious, wondering if our cinematic feature would ever begin. Finally at 6:17 the lights went down, signaling that the onslaught of advertisements, most of which were for a sugary beverage, would soon cease. However, such was not the case. For the following 23 minutes we were assaulted both visually and aurally by a cacophony of advertisements for what can best be described as animated films for humans(?) with the attention span of a gnat. The overwhelmingly loud and unpleasant soundtrack transported me to the deepest reaches of hell, and I forgot all about my pleasant sandwich and the company of good friends. What I felt was recognizable only as unparalleled cosmic isolation amid a clashing combination of flashing hues and indiscernible voices. I knew then what hell was, and that I was there. Would I emerge? Would I have another sandwich? Would I be forced to subsist on popcorn (in which case I should purchase free refills)? For 23 minutes my grip on sanity steadily slipped, and just as I was nearly lost forever in a cruel symphony of confused storylines, squeaky voices, and ear-piercing noises our feature film began. It took about 30 minutes for my cortisol levels to return to normal and emerge from a desperate place of helplessness and dread. In short: if the movie is scheduled to begin at 6:15, start the movie at 6:15. Previews don’t need to rival in volume a city being devoured by planet-eating beast. 23 minutes of advertisements following the scheduled screening time is ridiculous. At least publish the actual start time of the film so viewers can make an informed decision on whether to suffer this cinematic consumerist hell or take their seats just before the film...

Update 9/2025: Still no complaints. Concessions are expensive (as expected) but the adult beverages (21+) are... astronomical. 19$ for a strawberry margarita?! Ouch! (I don't know how it was made or what was used but it was AWFUL. I have NEVER tasted something like it. It was NOT any margaritas I have ever tasted and I hope to never taste that again. The FULL drink went in the garbage). Comfortable seating with great sound and crystal clear video! Many don't know this but the armrests actually swing up to move out of the way if you want to lean toward a spouse or significant other too :) The ticket line moves quickly with easy to read movies and showtimes. Concession line moves rather quickly as well. Prices are pretty high though so be prepared to spend 20$ for a small popcorn & small drink. •••••✓••••• Tip: Here you butter your own popcorn which is cool too! I recommend you ask for popcorn to only be partly filled, go to the side and add as much (or as little) butter as you want, then return for it to be filled all the way and add more butter to the top! This ensures more even distribution of the liquid gold goodness we know as popcorn butter 😂 Climate in the movie was comfortable (was a bit warm the 2nd visit because the theater was only a few seats shy of being completely full). The lighting is sufficient to see walking up or down the stairs during the movie and walkways are well marked for easier visibility when lighting is dimmed during movie showing. There's even special seating areas for those in wheelchairs too! •••••✓••••• this facility is VERY compliant & friendly to those in wheelchairs, limited mobility, physical impairments, etc. I love going here on date night with my husband...

My mother takes my young siblings to this location WEEKLY because she enjoys family time that way. I personally tell her that it's a waste of money, due to streaming nowadays, but she's adamant about the movie theater experience. Fine. We bought $40 of concession stand food (which everyone KNOWS is a rip, but again, my mother enjoys the movie theater experience). After biting into the nachos, they were stale; the expiration sell by date was MAY 2020 and it is end of AUGUST 2020. When I brought the nachos back to he stand, Cheryl immediately threw them away, apologized and went to get another tray, but I could see that she was digging around the other nachos and they were ALL EXPIRED. She spoke with the manager Maria and Maria had the audacity to say "they should still be good though". Cheryl comped me a drink and we waited for the manager to bring out new nachos. The fact that a manager didn't care about the expired nachos is the only reason why no one should go to this location. With everything that is going on right now, and for my mother to want to spend a decent time with her kids at a run down location anyway, you'd think that human beings in general would be a bit more hospitable than that. If you're okay with selling our of date nachos, who's to say how old the popcorn, candy, hotdogs, other snacks aren't out of date? The money that people pay for the over-priced snacks should at least, at MINIMUM, be of quality. I am severely disgusted with Maria and this AMC location. Do better with your hiring process and who you choose as management. We aren't coming...