AMC Plainville 20 — Local services in Plainville

I visited this IMax theater because they had a film in the Imax format that I wanted to see, and it was not at my local theater. The experience was overall quite good.

Upon entering, there was ample parking in the front. The signage was clear and we found a parking spot. More trees and shady spaces would've been great but it's your typical theater.

The check in process is the main part that could've been improved. We had online tickets and apparently didn't have to do anything but we didn't know that. There were self checking kiosks but most of them were out of order, so everyone was queuing for the single clerk at the counter. They were very nice and helpful ant told us we were a set just proceed to the entrance. Wish we'd known! In all it was probably about 5 to 7 mins so not a huge issue.

We opted to get some refreshments. As with most theaters they want you to purchase in house only, and there's a hefty markup. We got 2 fountain sodas an it came to about $15. They were about a liter each, so quite large but I could get a 2L at the grocery store for a lot less. So be prepared, all the snacks likely have similar markup. The person in line ahead of me told me the machine wasn't correctly mixing the carbonation. That's actually just how I like my soda but I'm sure others may have Bern underwhelmed with their $7 flat soda. Other machines were working as expected. We got through the line quickly and they had a good selection of candies and popcorn.

Getting to our screening was easy. We showed them our e tickets and were good to go. There was no line to speak of. They pointed to our screen which was easy to locate and well marked.

We had been able to book specific seats. This meant the experience in the theater was orderly and we knew where yo sit. I was impressed with the size which I'd estimate sat about 150 people. It was opening weekend of a new summer movie, so it was relatively full but we could see and hear great. Another theater I've been to in New Haven recently had sofa like plush seats; these were not that, but plenty comfortable and roomy. We noticed one less cup holder than seats in our row which could cause an issue, and confusion whether to use left or right. Our row was not full so we were fine.

Midway through the lengthy feature nature called after having a few droughts of my 1 liter of soda. I needed a restroom visit! The lighting to exit was sufficient and the stadium seating meant I disturbed few people walking out. Interestingly the restrooms are on the lobby side of the clerk checking the tickets. I actually had to ask where it was. I'm not sure how they'd know who legitimately paid and went to the lobby and came back, and I didn't have the e-tickets as proof. The clerk was totally fine with it but I could see trouble cropping up especially if it got busy.

The restroom was okay. I'm a bit of a germaphobe. It isn't the cleanest place with water splashes around and looking like ... well, a public restroom. I was glad they had hands free dispensing.

Getting out of the parking lot took a while. I guess several films got out simultaneously. The routing of the traffic seemed suboptimal with just a single exit and a stop light. People were polite but this was about 10 or 15 mins. We realized there may be a second exit at the far side of the plaza to the side street we were going to. Had we been more regular attendees we would probably know that although few seemed to use it as we drove by, or they had long since left. There were also a few 4 way stop signs and the opposing traffic was not honoring this. Luckily they woke up and we avoided a fender bender. Next time I'd hang out with snacks afterwards and head out later to just avoid the hassle.

Overall the movie experience was terrific, and that's the reason we went. The imax was great, and the sound and rumbling enhanced the experience. I enjoyed not only the movie, but also the theater itself. Next time, I'd be glad yo know that with e tickets we can just go in, I'd probably still get snacks, and leave...

I am extremely disappointed with the experience I had at AMC Plainville this evening. My family and friends are avid movie goers; most of have AMC A-List and after tonight's experience, we do not know if we can continue to support AMC.

A group of 12 of us went to the movies to see the new Captain America movie; we all were in the same row but entered the theater at different times since some of us ordered from the concessions.

One hour into the movie, an AMC worker entered the row and asked my friend to follow her out of the theater. Security was waiting at the front of the theater. A few minutes after my friend did not return, his girlfriend, my dad and I left the theater to see what was going on.

We walked to the lobby to see 7 AMC workers surrounding my friend. We immediately walked over and asked what was going on, in which my friend told us that they are accusing him of recording the movie on his phone. The only evidence they had was a picture of a screen which was incredibly grainy, and you could only see the back of a person's head holding a phone. The picture was so grainy, you couldn't really even identify this person at all. They stated that the person in the video recorded the first 35 minutes of the movie, including the previews. My friend and his girlfriend MISSED the previews since they were ordering $70 worth of concession stand food (they have the receipt to show the time when they ordered the food) so obviously the person in the video could not have been him. Even the young woman who served them the concession stand food (who was one of the AMC workers surrounding my friend, which again why did they need to have 7 workers, including a security guard, surrounding him for allegedly recording a movie) confirmed that she served him at concessions. My friend also showed the AMC workers his photo library to show them that he did not record the movie at all and they said that he could of already "sent it, emailed it, or send it to the cloud." They told my friend that he needs to leave the premises or they would call the cops. My friend asked them to call the cops. The police officers arrived and even said that they don't think it was him in the picture (because even grainy, looks nothing like my friend), but said unfortunately since AMC is a private company they have the right to have people removed from the premises. My friend was being extremely respectful and understood that there was nothing that can be done other than contacting corporate at this point.

Extremely, extremely disappointed in AMC. Like I mentioned, we are avid movie goers. Even during COVID, we would rent out private theaters so we can still continue to support and it's something we always look forward to doing. This has tainted our experience so much. AMC workers absolutely profiled my friend as someone who would record movies illegally and I'm writing this review to warn others. They escorted him out of the theaters and as they were walking to the lobby, my friend politely asked them who they were looking for and they were silent. They literally treated him as a criminal without having any legitimate proof that he did anything wrong. They also surrounded him in the center of the lobby area, as many people walked by and it was extremely humiliating for my friend.

We are considering never supporting AMC again unless this situation is rectified. We have spent thousands of dollars at this theater just to be treated like criminals...

Picture Show in Berlin is less expensive, but AMC’s recliners are more comfortable (they recline further than others), and that’s important, especially for someone with spine issues. But I should’ve just followed my instincts and gone to Berlin….because it was just one issue after another at AMC.

It began BEFORE we even reached the theater. I needed to call the theater and speak with a human. Not at all possible! There is NO ONE attending to the phones. And if I’m calling, it’s definitely because what I’m inquiring about cannot be found online.

I needed to buy an extra ticket when I arrived at the theater, but it took a considerably long time since only ONE ticket kiosk was in operation. An entire row of machines that need not require human interaction, and only one was up and running. Because of this, we missed the previews…..the theater was pitch dark…. And it was difficult getting situated.

We tried ordering refreshments (via the app) a few minutes after the movie started but couldn’t because when selecting the auditorium we were in, we could only select 1-19—and we were in auditorium 20! There was no way to order anything! TWICE we left our seats to go in-person, and TWICE we were forced to returned to our seats since the line was extremely long. The movie was only 90 minutes long, and we would’ve spent substantial time just waiting in line and missing the movie. So, we remained thirsty throughout the entire film. But if there had been more ticket kiosks open to begin with, we would’ve had some extra time for concessions (before) the movie started.

The temperature in the theater was very warm and stuffy. There was no air moving at all which made the experience that much more unpleasant.

Lastly, it’s a shame seeing lazy and inconsiderate patrons leaving their trash strewn about their seats and floor, but it’s also unacceptable when the theater employees allow the trash receptacles to become overflowing. Napkins, cups, popcorn buckets and candy cartons were piled high in the bins at the entrance to (the majority of) the auditoriums. Popcorn and straws littered on the floor.

I used to find AMC to be a cut above the rest, but it’s not really that way anymore. To spend the amount of money we do to see a 90-120 minute film and not fully enjoy the experience makes us less inclined to return.

Picture Show in Berlin is just as good of a theater but less expensive ticket/food prices, with less wait time for concessions, multiple, fully-operable ticket kiosks, live customer service assistance, and grounds that are consistently tidy and clean. I do love AMC, but the theater needs to step...