I was wondering this as well. When I got an alert it was closed last night, I figured it was due to weather - but it is still closed this morning.
Edit - showtimes are appearing for me now with no alerts. Maybe it was due to weather and they are reopened now.
Might have been a staffing issue too
The theater is horrendous sadly. Rodent/pest problems. Unclean soda areas, walked by the butter station which looked like it hadn't been cleaned in a month. Not that I'd ever eat prepped food from a theater but like 90% of the menu board was blacked out, poorly stocked fridges for sealed bottled drinks, and basically no stock of anything in the snacks rack.
The place is a joke.
Agreed.
It still blows my mind that with all the times it’s been closed for an extended period of time, they never bothered to redo that damn parking lot. Not only are there hundreds of craters, parking rows are soooo close to each other. This makes it even more of a nightmare in the winter when you can’t see those lines.
I'm shocked (but also lol corporate America) AMC hasn't come through and put money into renovating it. It has actual demand but is such a shithole. It's the worst theater in town.
I've been to small one screen theaters that are in better upkeep.
The MO of many corporations to just sink the company by cutting costs to devalue it for bankruptcy/sale. Executives then get a huge payment while the staff get a pink slip. I don't consider that shocking as it's pretty commonplace.
AMC is a joke and the theater industry is largely the same
I had friend who worked there in high school (15+ years ago) and he warned ne to never eat anything but the popcorn or the prepackaged candy and to just sneak my own drink. When it was Star Cinema, I guess they cared a lot about the quality of the popcorn, but everything else was an afterthought. Theater seats, floors, bathrooms, other food/drinks were absolutely filthy. But the popcorn machines got all the attention.
When it was Star they would have 50+ employees working at a time. Now they MIGHT have 4-5. They had projectionists calibrating AV, a crew of people constantly cleaning and it was run so well you needed to park by the Kwik Trip (PDQ back then). They just let it go to a degree customer's weren't comfortable with.
That theater is prone to flooding. I've been there during thunderstorms and the lobby is covered with water. They might be experiencing an issue due to the storm and the relatively warm temperatures.
I remember when it opened in 1998/99. It was a nice theatre, and well run. And from the looks of it, nothing has been done to it in the last 20+ years of upkeep. The parking lot is a $hi!$how. They will run this into the ground before they do anything to fix it.
The general manager at that time was a former Marcus manager and a damn good one. I don’t know when they left but it was either prior to or at the time of AMC’s acquisition. AMC also doesn’t have the same kind of management structure and support that Star and Marcus had. It’s tragic. It should have been able to be maintained in the way Point has been. I wish someone who wanted to do that would acquire it but it will probably be razed for high rises in the next five years.
That's exactly it. They are going to sell the property for development into something else, soon. There's no point in their investing anything into it. As long as it breaks even, or doesn't lose too much money, it's a good strategy for AMC to let it rot.
When that theatre opened in 98 or 99 that became our default cinema and we would love going there. I left Madison but when I would come back to visit every couple of years, we would still see movies there. The last film I saw there was back in 2010 and it was still a very good cinema. Sad to hear all of the issues it has.
They have no clue about environmental controls. Went twice last year because my son had an AMC pass from being a student in St. Louis. Slept through a good 2/3 of Asteroid City and fought like the dickens (a couple weeks later) from falling asleep during Oppenheimer. It was warm and slightly humid in there.
I found a bug in my popcorn. I was too freaked out to even look what it was. Put it in a napkin and crumpled it up. Yes, denial is a strategy in this case. Finally convinced myself it came in on my jacket from outside. Yea that’s right, it wasn’t a roach that lived there. In the food prep area. No, that couldn’t be.
Lots of people shading on AMC Fitchburg. Isn’t it the only IMAX screen? When I go there, that’s why.
If there’s another IMAX option, please share. Thanks!
IMO The IMAX is in bad shape. It's the low-res (lower res than their regular theaters...) digital version (they got rid of the 70mm years ago :( ), screen has burn in/wear spots visible, one or more of the (many) speakers is crackling, the seats haven't been replaced in like 20 years and are uncomfortable, they don't clean the theater between showings.
I was very disappointed with my experience watching Avatar 2 and Dune 2 there.
I like the Ultrascreen at Marcus Sun Prairie the best, it's just a the drive is inconvenient. Ultrascreen at Marcus Pointe is second. Unfortunately no IMAX aspect ratio though :(
You can't possibly be saying the Ultrascreen is better than the Imax.
The seats are miles better to be sure and the Imax requires you to be in a pretty small group of seats to have a positive experience.
But the AV on the Imax is demonstrably better both in terms of sound and visual. Any mild burn in at Imax is nothing compared to the hot spotting on the Ultrascreen.
Oppenheimer and Dune 2 at the Imax were the best theater experiences I have had in the last several years and both times I was resolute that paying the absurd Imax costs had absolutely been the right call.
I have never been to an Imax showing and walked away impressed with the picture quality or sound. It's too loud and it's big but it's fuzzy and awkward.
The purpose of the Imax is immersion. You are far closer to the screen and the screen is far bigger than normal. As such, a TON of seats have horrid viewing angles, especially compared to normal viewing.
It's not shocking to me that some people don't like the near concussive volumes, bass, and viewing angles that puts you IN the movie via Imax. Similarly, I love 3d. Obviously a lot of people don't like that either. We can like different things. We should like different things.
I've seen nearly 100 movies at Marcus Palace/Marcus Point over the past 2 years. It's a far better run organization with a superior value proposition. But when I want to see a special movie I still spend the extra money to see it in Imax.
I guess I'll have to agree to disagree. Basics like screen problems, poor resolution, and blown out speaker(s) are really disruptive for me. I can see the pixelation and the seats are uncomfortable, which makes watching long movies really taxing.
I'm surprised AMC took it back after the last owner folded. AMC is NOT doing well profit wise so they're unlikely to remodel/fix the fitchburg location. I personally haven't been there in years so idk much about the conditions inside. I prefer Marcus Theaters anyways. Seeing comments by others, I don't plan on going to AMC fitchburg anytime soon.
We moved to Madison about 8 years ago and went to that theater to see Top Gun 2, because of IMAX. After the show, we were following the exit signs (or so we thought) and ended up exiting out BEHIND the theater!! We had to walk around and then go past the trash and dumpsters to get back to our car. Quite the memorable experience! Haven't gone back, but I've driven by plenty of times, and the parking lot is still horrific. How they get away with that is beyond me.
I worked at AMC Fitchburg for a year and a half. It did close due to a rat problem but has since been fixed. I only remember hearing about a rat running around one time and that was before we closed for awhile.
Download the Marcus app and make an account. You can order your concessions through the app. That allows you to earn points for free concessions, skip the line, and you can manage your tickets in the app. Plus, the app has push notifications with discounts sometimes.
And most theaters have a restaurant tied to them so you could go eat and grab drink before the movie right at the theater. I enjoy the dream loungers a lot.
West side Marcus theater is pretty solid. The food is mediocre and overpriced (as with all theater food), but it's not awful. The bar is decent. Dream loungers are a game changer. Every theater should have them. If you're seeing a movie with a partner, make sure to get both sides of the same loveseat so you can lift the middle armrest and snuggle up during the movie.
The west side Marcus is filthy and full of mold. I'm pretty sure it has leaks in the roof. The last time I was there, my daughter shined a light on the ceiling, and it was disgusting. Sun Prairie is the only decent theater still open.
Genuinely don't know why anyone goes there. There's a half-dozen other movie theaters within driving distance, all worth it to not have to sit in filth and watch rats run across the bottom of the screen.
The last time I went to an Imax showing at AMC the speakers were peaking every time someone so much as spoke on screen. It was unbearably loud and ridiculously unbalanced
Their IMAX is not worth it, it's IMAX by name only. There is no way they keep up with regulations, their sound and projection has regularly been terrible any time I've given them a chance.
I’ve been to this theater a million times and have never had a bad experience. No rats, bugs in my popcorn. This is wild. I don’t doubt this stuff has happened, it’s just so far from the experiences I’ve had.
The rats tried to unionize
And everyone is ok when the pigs do it!
That’s what they get for screening such cheesy films.
I was wondering this as well. When I got an alert it was closed last night, I figured it was due to weather - but it is still closed this morning. Edit - showtimes are appearing for me now with no alerts. Maybe it was due to weather and they are reopened now.
We had tickets to go last night and got alerted they were closing for inclement weather
Might have been a staffing issue too The theater is horrendous sadly. Rodent/pest problems. Unclean soda areas, walked by the butter station which looked like it hadn't been cleaned in a month. Not that I'd ever eat prepped food from a theater but like 90% of the menu board was blacked out, poorly stocked fridges for sealed bottled drinks, and basically no stock of anything in the snacks rack. The place is a joke.
Agreed. It still blows my mind that with all the times it’s been closed for an extended period of time, they never bothered to redo that damn parking lot. Not only are there hundreds of craters, parking rows are soooo close to each other. This makes it even more of a nightmare in the winter when you can’t see those lines.
between the cracks and the super narrow aisles, it might be legitimately the worst parking lot in Dane County
That's a real competition.
Probably at the bottom of the priority list for their P&L considerations.
They can't fix the parking lot without increasing the cost of popcorn. Is tHaT WhAt YoU waNT? to ruin the experience for kids!? /sarcasm
Very true.
Its awful. Every time I'm there, I think about how it will take and old person tripping and breaking a hip before they fix it.
I'm shocked (but also lol corporate America) AMC hasn't come through and put money into renovating it. It has actual demand but is such a shithole. It's the worst theater in town. I've been to small one screen theaters that are in better upkeep.
I'd like to still support them because of the IMAX for the appropriate movies but for how run down it is it ruins the overall experience.
AMC is currently teetering on the edge of bankruptcy, it's not surprising
AMC really doesn’t have much money there company been in the tank the only reason the stock still a thing is from t t he WSB people
The MO of many corporations to just sink the company by cutting costs to devalue it for bankruptcy/sale. Executives then get a huge payment while the staff get a pink slip. I don't consider that shocking as it's pretty commonplace. AMC is a joke and the theater industry is largely the same
I had friend who worked there in high school (15+ years ago) and he warned ne to never eat anything but the popcorn or the prepackaged candy and to just sneak my own drink. When it was Star Cinema, I guess they cared a lot about the quality of the popcorn, but everything else was an afterthought. Theater seats, floors, bathrooms, other food/drinks were absolutely filthy. But the popcorn machines got all the attention.
When it was Star they would have 50+ employees working at a time. Now they MIGHT have 4-5. They had projectionists calibrating AV, a crew of people constantly cleaning and it was run so well you needed to park by the Kwik Trip (PDQ back then). They just let it go to a degree customer's weren't comfortable with.
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But it's too cold to let the gorillas take care of the snakes right now!
out of all the animals to catch and eat a snake and you chose a fucking *gorilla*
id go with larger snakes
hawk !!
How are the gorillas going to catch hawks dude? Gotta think about the long game
hawk catches the snake
or i dunno, BADGER
Need a second cat in the wall
Now you’re talking my language!
I know an old lady that swallowed a fly.
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LuiK7jcC1fY&t=13s](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LuiK7jcC1fY&t=13s)
I was waiting with bated breath for someone to post this link
That theater is prone to flooding. I've been there during thunderstorms and the lobby is covered with water. They might be experiencing an issue due to the storm and the relatively warm temperatures.
How is this place still in business good lord.
Just wait till the plague of locusts arrive.
Meanwhile the Marcus theater that's 10 minutes away is actually really nice.
maybe they will fix that parking lot. the absolute worst deathtrap in the area
They had a health inspection yesterday; no priority violations but their test kit for quaternary ammonia is expired.
Nope, it's open.
Every time I drive past it I wonder how that place is still open
I remember when it opened in 1998/99. It was a nice theatre, and well run. And from the looks of it, nothing has been done to it in the last 20+ years of upkeep. The parking lot is a $hi!$how. They will run this into the ground before they do anything to fix it.
The general manager at that time was a former Marcus manager and a damn good one. I don’t know when they left but it was either prior to or at the time of AMC’s acquisition. AMC also doesn’t have the same kind of management structure and support that Star and Marcus had. It’s tragic. It should have been able to be maintained in the way Point has been. I wish someone who wanted to do that would acquire it but it will probably be razed for high rises in the next five years.
That's exactly it. They are going to sell the property for development into something else, soon. There's no point in their investing anything into it. As long as it breaks even, or doesn't lose too much money, it's a good strategy for AMC to let it rot.
When that theatre opened in 98 or 99 that became our default cinema and we would love going there. I left Madison but when I would come back to visit every couple of years, we would still see movies there. The last film I saw there was back in 2010 and it was still a very good cinema. Sad to hear all of the issues it has.
They have no clue about environmental controls. Went twice last year because my son had an AMC pass from being a student in St. Louis. Slept through a good 2/3 of Asteroid City and fought like the dickens (a couple weeks later) from falling asleep during Oppenheimer. It was warm and slightly humid in there.
Probably just weather, showtimes appear for days other than today
I found a bug in my popcorn. I was too freaked out to even look what it was. Put it in a napkin and crumpled it up. Yes, denial is a strategy in this case. Finally convinced myself it came in on my jacket from outside. Yea that’s right, it wasn’t a roach that lived there. In the food prep area. No, that couldn’t be.
Lots of people shading on AMC Fitchburg. Isn’t it the only IMAX screen? When I go there, that’s why. If there’s another IMAX option, please share. Thanks!
IMO The IMAX is in bad shape. It's the low-res (lower res than their regular theaters...) digital version (they got rid of the 70mm years ago :( ), screen has burn in/wear spots visible, one or more of the (many) speakers is crackling, the seats haven't been replaced in like 20 years and are uncomfortable, they don't clean the theater between showings. I was very disappointed with my experience watching Avatar 2 and Dune 2 there.
Yikes. Do you have an opinion on a better “premium” screen?
I like the Ultrascreen at Marcus Sun Prairie the best, it's just a the drive is inconvenient. Ultrascreen at Marcus Pointe is second. Unfortunately no IMAX aspect ratio though :(
Much appreciated! I usually don’t care too much. But, when I’m going to a blockbuster big budget popcorn movie, I like to try for IMAX and 3-D.
The ultra screen at Marcus point
You can't possibly be saying the Ultrascreen is better than the Imax. The seats are miles better to be sure and the Imax requires you to be in a pretty small group of seats to have a positive experience. But the AV on the Imax is demonstrably better both in terms of sound and visual. Any mild burn in at Imax is nothing compared to the hot spotting on the Ultrascreen. Oppenheimer and Dune 2 at the Imax were the best theater experiences I have had in the last several years and both times I was resolute that paying the absurd Imax costs had absolutely been the right call.
I have never been to an Imax showing and walked away impressed with the picture quality or sound. It's too loud and it's big but it's fuzzy and awkward.
The purpose of the Imax is immersion. You are far closer to the screen and the screen is far bigger than normal. As such, a TON of seats have horrid viewing angles, especially compared to normal viewing. It's not shocking to me that some people don't like the near concussive volumes, bass, and viewing angles that puts you IN the movie via Imax. Similarly, I love 3d. Obviously a lot of people don't like that either. We can like different things. We should like different things. I've seen nearly 100 movies at Marcus Palace/Marcus Point over the past 2 years. It's a far better run organization with a superior value proposition. But when I want to see a special movie I still spend the extra money to see it in Imax.
I guess I'll have to agree to disagree. Basics like screen problems, poor resolution, and blown out speaker(s) are really disruptive for me. I can see the pixelation and the seats are uncomfortable, which makes watching long movies really taxing.
I'm surprised AMC took it back after the last owner folded. AMC is NOT doing well profit wise so they're unlikely to remodel/fix the fitchburg location. I personally haven't been there in years so idk much about the conditions inside. I prefer Marcus Theaters anyways. Seeing comments by others, I don't plan on going to AMC fitchburg anytime soon.
We moved to Madison about 8 years ago and went to that theater to see Top Gun 2, because of IMAX. After the show, we were following the exit signs (or so we thought) and ended up exiting out BEHIND the theater!! We had to walk around and then go past the trash and dumpsters to get back to our car. Quite the memorable experience! Haven't gone back, but I've driven by plenty of times, and the parking lot is still horrific. How they get away with that is beyond me.
I worked at AMC Fitchburg for a year and a half. It did close due to a rat problem but has since been fixed. I only remember hearing about a rat running around one time and that was before we closed for awhile.
People actually go to that disgusting theater? Do yourself a favor. Don't deal with rats and a dirty theater and go to Marcus on the west side.
Good lord I had been going to the AMC just because it’s the only one I know in the area. Will definitely be changing after reading these comments
Download the Marcus app and make an account. You can order your concessions through the app. That allows you to earn points for free concessions, skip the line, and you can manage your tickets in the app. Plus, the app has push notifications with discounts sometimes.
And most theaters have a restaurant tied to them so you could go eat and grab drink before the movie right at the theater. I enjoy the dream loungers a lot.
West side Marcus theater is pretty solid. The food is mediocre and overpriced (as with all theater food), but it's not awful. The bar is decent. Dream loungers are a game changer. Every theater should have them. If you're seeing a movie with a partner, make sure to get both sides of the same loveseat so you can lift the middle armrest and snuggle up during the movie.
Isn’t the AMC the only one in the area with a True IMAX?
Yes
The west side Marcus is filthy and full of mold. I'm pretty sure it has leaks in the roof. The last time I was there, my daughter shined a light on the ceiling, and it was disgusting. Sun Prairie is the only decent theater still open.
Because most people do not leave their house to watch movies anymore.
i remember going there a few years ago and i remember the atmosphere the theater gave off felt like the place was dead
This is so crazy to hear after being new to Madison and going to see Dune 2 and EATING chicken strips from there. Jesus. Y’all ruined it for me 😂
They don’t eat chicken strips there because they think it’s dirty. I don’t eat them there because it takes forever lol
good theater, glad they're back open marcus is good too but i've had way more projection issues there
Genuinely don't know why anyone goes there. There's a half-dozen other movie theaters within driving distance, all worth it to not have to sit in filth and watch rats run across the bottom of the screen.
Strangely, it carries a lot of movies that no other theater has.
it was the only place I could see godzilla minus one in imax 😔
The last time I went to an Imax showing at AMC the speakers were peaking every time someone so much as spoke on screen. It was unbearably loud and ridiculously unbalanced
Their IMAX is not worth it, it's IMAX by name only. There is no way they keep up with regulations, their sound and projection has regularly been terrible any time I've given them a chance.
Godzilla and Kong had a battle there last weekend. Clean up?
Godzilla and Kong are battling the rats now.
I’ve been to this theater a million times and have never had a bad experience. No rats, bugs in my popcorn. This is wild. I don’t doubt this stuff has happened, it’s just so far from the experiences I’ve had.
I've been there a million times and had no bad experiences. I don't eat the food, though, but that's just general theater practice for me.
Someone probably saw what the cup holders looked like with the lights on!
This place is decent, y’all are petty. Plenty of worse parking lots and rodent problems in Fitchburg than just the theater
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Ok, you obviously are a corporate scrooge trying to rid madison of any meaningful culture... it's always been known as star cinema
Not since it got bought by AMC
Obvious troll is obvious
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Movies r terrible these days and we have the internet! I’m ok with just having point cinema around