Down the Tubes Productions

I was – as we say here in Boston – WICKED excited to see “WICKED: For Good” on the big screen. I was decked out in a spirited ensemble, in the signature colors of Glinda and Elphaba, naturally. As we all know, “pink goes good with green” – and I was no exception in my green shirt, hot pink scarf, green overcoat, neon pink sneakers and an armful of green and pink bracelets. I skipped out the door, “dancing through life”, if you will, and hummed the soundtrack on the ride to the movie theater. Upon arrival, more skipping, as I hopped along across the parking lot, up the steps, and burst through the door of the theater on the verge of belting out “Popular”! 

I was “off to see the wizard” – if only in my own mind – and was ready to “Defy Gravity”! 

Unfortunately, I had to release the flying monkeys. 

I find myself once again at odds with the AMC Theater Corporation. The following letter sent to their corporate office details my experience. As of this writing, I have not received a response, but I am prepared to contact them again – and often – until a satisfactory conclusion has been reached. 

Here is my latest, unfortunate experience while trying to navigate the world not designed for me: 

To: Upper Management – 

I am a hearing impaired patron that attended the 6:45 p.m. showing of the movie “Wicked: For Good”  at XXX cinema on Thursday December 11th 2025. 

I immediately went to the customer service desk and requested a caption device. I was assisted by an employee named Alex. He spoke softly, and required two requests to speak louder while communicating with me after I had already diagnosed my hearing loss challenges. He handed me the caption device with little to no instruction on how to use the technology. I asked him to explain to me exactly how to use it and set it up. He clarified a few details, and I left feeling reassured that the technology was going to work and that it would be a simple installation. 

I entered the theater and found my seat (D8). I placed the device into the cup holder as instructed, and pressed the “connect” button to connect the device to the network in the theater. It would not connect. Additionally, the top part fell off (the monitor and adjustment screw), and I was unable to determine how to bend/lower the height of the device to a workable viewpoint as that detail was not shared during the initial contact with your employee. 

I walked out of the theater with the device in hand, and shared that it would not connect. I brought the employee, Alex, back to my seat to troubleshoot the device to no avail. I was then asked, “Would you like another one?” – I responded “Of course”, surprised that a replacement of a requested accommodation would need an affirmative response. Alex went to leave to retrieve a new device, and he said, “Should I take this one with me?”  Again, I gave explicit direction to remove the non-working device and to return with a working device prior to the completion of the previews.

I waited at my seat for 13 minutes, and there was no communication from the staff or a replacement of the device. I once again left my seat and walked to the customer service desk to inquire about the device and if Alex would be replacing it prior to the start of the film. There was no one at the customer service desk, and I had to ask the popcorn vendors to locate a manager. An employee came over to talk with me, and I saw Alex walking out of a back room and towards the theater holding two devices. I went over to him and asked why it was a delay, and he responded “Oh. Sorry. I was on the phone.” I pointed out that it had been 15 minutes since I had expected a return of the assistive listening device, and I was met with a “oh. sorry”. He then handed me the device and I asked for the name of the General Manager of the theater. He said “James.”  I then asked for his email address so I could contact him directly to share my experience in the name of customer service improvement and was told “Oh. I don’t know. Uh – he’s here if you want to talk to him.”  I am not clear why it was necessary for me to have to further ask for additional information and why speaking to him was not the first offer. 

James came over to the entrance of the theater to speak with me, and I directed Alex to please go to my seat and set up the caption device while I spoke with James, in the hopes that I would not miss the opening of the film. I informed James what was happening, and when I stated my frustration that the device was not in working order and that assistive devices for the disabled should be in working order each and every time – I was told, “Well. It’s working now. So – what’s the problem?” I reiterated that as someone whose body works differently it is incredibly frustrating to not be able to rely on the technology needed to enjoy an experience that I have paid for and his response was “Well – they’re new units and they’re working now, so I don’t know what the problem is.”  My answers were – ironically – falling on deaf ears with your management team. 

I did comment to him that there is a fundamental design flaw with the theater seats because the caption device fits into the cup holder which then leaves the patron requiring use of the device without a cupholder, which brings up lack of equity of consumer experience. 

Alex returned from the theater and informed me that the device was working. I did not trust this to be the case, but went into the movie theater in an attempt to enjoy the film. I sat down, and went to adjust the neck of the caption device to a better viewing angle, and it promptly tipped over and almost out of the cup holder as it was not secured properly. I managed to wrangle it into a workable position, but my frustration was rising. 

I left the theater disappointed in my overall experience with your employees’ responses to my issue, their inability to troubleshoot assistive technology, and their need for specific direction from me as to what steps to take to remedy the problem. I take particular issue with the dismissive tone of your general manager and his response of “What’s the problem?” – his lack of empathy and understanding of my frustrations as well as his perceived inability to process and understand the seriousness of the lack of access that I was experiencing as a person with a disability in his theater, was astounding. 

I would like to speak with the manager above James, the General Manager at the AMC Theater in XYZ location- as well as members of your corporate team that handle the accessibility features of the AMC theaters. It was incredibly disappointing on many levels, and there is room for improvement to say the least. 

I look forward to hearing from a member of your team. = Due to my hearing loss, phone calls are a challenge but I would be willing to communicate via email and/or via a Zoom call or in-person meeting. I anticipate communication in the coming week, as this is a systemic issue that should be improved upon to ensure equity and access for all customers with disabilities.

 Best, Julie DeMatteo-Lane