An AMC moviegoer’s viral TikTok has sparked outrage after they were reportedly removed from their assigned seats during a screening of Bad at AMC New City 14 in Chicago. The incident, which Tyler (@gaywithopinions) described as an ‘absolute disaster’, has received widespread attention online and has been viewed more than 64,000 times at the time of writing.

Tyler’s eight-minute video tells how a special birthday outing with friends quickly turned sour after a mix-up at the theater. In the video, Tyler explains how he and his group purchased tickets for the highly anticipated event weeks in advance Bad screening. Since they arrived early and took their designated seats, everything seemed to go smoothly until the opening scene of the film.

According to Tyler, the trouble started when an AMC employee approached their group after Nicole Kidman’s famous introduction appeared on screen. The employee reportedly asked for their tickets and, after checking them, claimed there had been a scheduling mix-up. The employee explained that there was a canceled screening at Theater 12 Bad was merged with the show at Theater 10, where Tyler’s group was located.

@gaywithopinions

Hiiii @AMC Theaters, what happened today was…..not cute? I hope you can improve this situation for us. @Wicked Movie we were so excited to see the movie today, we’ve been looking forward to it since the DAY it was announced. We’re sad we didn’t get a chance to see it 😭😭😭 #amc #amctheaters #amcalist #amcstubs #wickedmovie #wicked

♬ original sound – Tyler

Even though the tickets were valid, Tyler said they had to vacate their seats to accommodate the latecomers from the other theater. The employee offered them alternative seats in the front row, but the new seats were scattered throughout the room, making it impossible for the group to sit together. One of Tyler’s friends, who suffers from motion sickness, was also unable to sit in the front row due to possible discomfort.

Tyler was left frustrated and confused, especially after the group went to great lengths to make sure they had their tickets and arrived early. To make matters worse, Tyler claims the theater only offered a partial solution: they got their money back with an AMC gift card due to Apple Pay issues and received two movie vouchers. However, Tyler felt this was insufficient as, as an A-List member, he already had the privilege of seeing three films a week for free.

“By kicking us out, they basically took away our ability to see the movie,” Tyler said in the video. “There were no other showtimes available and the staff suggested a different theater, which made no sense. Why would I travel anywhere else when I already have tickets for this screening?”

Feeling like the situation had been mishandled, Tyler decided to escalate the matter. He called AMC’s corporate customer service, where he was advised to tag AMC’s A-List social media team for further assistance. In the video, you can see Tyler asking, “Has anyone experienced anything like this? It just felt so creepy and bizarre, like I was literally being kicked out of the theater on my friend’s birthday.

Tyler did not immediately respond to Daily Dot’s request for comment via TikTok or email.

AMC customers share similar complaints

Tyler’s story has resonated with other moviegoers, many of whom shared similar grievances in the video’s comments section. One commenter wrote: “This exact situation happened to me in this EXACT theater. They had changed the theater and double booked the seats. This is NOT a one-time problem!”

Other users shared their own frustrations with AMC’s service. One commenter recalled: “We had a terrible experience at the same AMC yesterday. We bought tickets for the 3:30pm show, but when we got there they announced there was no 3:30pm show at all!”

Another commenter related an incident for which they purchased special collector’s popcorn Mean girls but got regular popcorn without a can. “They just tried to deliver me plain popcorn without a can and hoped I wouldn’t notice,” the commenter wrote, illustrating broader dissatisfaction with AMC’s service.

AMC’s problems continue

Tyler’s viral video isn’t the first time AMC has faced customer backlash on social media. In March, the theater chain faced criticism after a TikTok showed an employee using a streaming service to play a movie, an accident that infuriated moviegoers. “Always messing things up, man,” said B Free, who posted the clip highlighting the ongoing frustration with the company.

AMC has not yet responded to requests for comment about the incident. However, the company has repeatedly faced criticism from customers over issues ranging from seat reservations and theater cleanliness to ticketing and customer service errors.

For many, Tyler’s experience raises broader questions about AMC’s management and customer service practices. With movie theaters still recovering from the effects of the pandemic, incidents like these could have a lasting impact on customer loyalty. Although AMC has long been a leader in the theater industry, its reputation could be in jeopardy if these types of service problems continue to spread.

As Tyler’s video continues to circulate online, the hope is that the viral attention will prompt the theater chain to address its customers’ concerns and improve its handling of customer service issues in the future.