‘Unsafe’ temperature conditions forces a Charlotte movie theater to temporarily close
A south Charlotte movie theater, AMC Carolina Pavilion 22, has closed temporarily during the height of the summer blockbuster season because air conditioning failure made it “unsafe.”
“We apologize for the inconvenience, but this theatre is temporarily closed. Please continue to check back here for updates,” the cinema stated on its website.
The theater’s HVAC went down earlier this month, AMC spokesman Ryan Noonan said.
“The theater closed July 7 and we have been working with vendors to resolve the issue,” Noonan told The Charlotte Observer Wednesday. “We anticipate reopening this weekend but exact timing has not yet been set.”
On July 14, responding on Twitter to a person’s question about no show times listed on the website, AMC Guest Services said: “Unfortunately, they are experiencing temperature conditions in auditoriums that are unsafe for our guests. You can keep an eye on our website for updates.”
Carolina Pavilion at 9541 South Blvd. is one of four AMC theaters in the Charlotte area. Other locations are: AMC Northlake 14 & IMAX, AMC Park Terrace 6 and AMC Concord Mills 24.
Air conditioning issues
AMC isn’t the only entertainment site experiencing air condition problems amid a summer heat wave.
Earlier this week, Crayola IDEAworks at Camp North End closed the exhibit sooner than expected citing “extreme heat and air conditioning challenges. The immersive exhibit, which opened in May was scheduled to run through July 31.
AMC Carolina Pavilion had a multi-million dollar renovation in 2015 that included adding recliners, new screens and sound system, and other improvements. A full-service bar also was added.
Charlotte-area temperatures for the rest of this week through Sunday are expected to reach mid- to high-90s, according to the National Weather Service.
On social media sites, people said Carolina Pavilion’s air conditioning hadn’t been working properly for a while.
“I suspect it has something to do with HVAC issues because I saw a few movies since May and almost melted in the theaters because it was so hot,” one person said on Twitter.
Another person on Facebook said they were “dying” without air conditioning during a showing of “Top Gun: Maverick” but didn’t want to leave.
Blockbuster summer season
AMC reported its busiest weekend of the year July 7-10 with over 5.9 million moviegoers for the opening of “Thor: Love and Thunder,” the company said in a news release. AMC’s admissions revenue in the U.S. outperformed the same weekend in 2019 by 14%, the company said.
“AMC’s busiest weekend was driven by strong depth among summer blockbuster,” the company said, listing summer blockbuster releases: “Minions: The Rise of Gru,” “Top Gun: Maverick,” “Jurassic World Dominion,” “Elvis” and “The Black Phone.”
This month, AMC started $5 Discount Tuesdays, which runs through the end of October. AMC also offers a paid tiered benefits membership, AMC Stubs.
Kansas-based AMC Entertainment Holdings is the largest movie theater chain in the world. AMC’s parent company is Wanda Group in China. During the pandemic, AMC Classic Rock Hill 7 permanently closed.
This story was originally published July 20, 2022 at 2:31 PM.