Cinemark Columbia Snowden and ScreenX - Columbia, Maryland

John Beyers

I’m writing this review reluctantly because I have been going to this theatre for over 20 years (since it was a Regal Cinema) with my family.

The staff is very friendly and for the most part I still like coming to this theatre, BUT I’ve been noticing a steady decline in basic care and cleanliness in the past year or so.

I come here 3-4 times per month and have seen mice actively running in the theaters on three separate occasions (see photo of mouse on floor of theater just a few feet from me). There’s a LOT of food and trash under the reclining chairs (which I’m sure keep the mice coming).

I also recently attended a weekday show and saw what appeared to be an entire bucket of popcorn spilled out onto the floor in front of the concession stand. It was there before my movie and was still there after my movie was OVER 2 HOURS LATER!! The trash cans were overflowing before I went into my movie and the exact same trash cans were still overflowing over two hours later.

In addition, there was urine on the men’s bathroom floor in multiple locations (stalls and urinals)… Staff should be making sure the trash cans are replenished, food and trash is cleaned off the floor of the lobby and hallway to the movie houses, theaters should be cleaned after each movie — along with food and trash under the seats. Bathrooms should be checked every hour on the hour to ensure cleanliness. The list goes on…

I’d give them one-star for this but I’m giving two because I’m holding out hope that something will improve SOON… because they’re good people who work here, but somethings got to change.

I don’t want to lose my go-to theatre, but this needs to be addressed. Here’s to holding out hope. PLEASE CLEAN UP YOUR ACT!

EDIT AFTER OWNER’s RESPONSE
While I appreciate that you (the owner) might have “high standards” I can assure you that this is not a one time thing. In fact, I’ve kindly brought this to the attention of on-site staff and managers over the past year… each time they were very kind in their response and I have a lot of respect for the staff and their level of professionalism and hospitality, but this theatre is full of Health Code violations and I really want to be able to continue coming to your theater without worrying whether or not a mouse will end up jumping on me or running over my feet. Just last week, I saw a mouse running along the fabric wall in Theater 11 !

Ienne Diloy

Went here for the first time in at least 5 years...back when it was still Regal theatres--what an amazing renovation. Seats were so comfortable, generally clean inside the theatres and also in the bathroom. My only room for improvement is not having the thermostat so low, it got pretty cold while watching.

Beautiful Together

The theater was previously known as Real, but it has been acquired by Cinemark. The seating has been upgraded and is now more comfortable, providing a better viewing experience. One significant change is the removal of the bar, which may disappoint some guests. However, the theater offers plenty of parking, making it easy for visitors to find a spot close by. While there are areas that could be improved further, overall, the theater maintains a high standard and still earns a 4-star rating.

Levi Johnson

During a Fathom Events screening the aspect ratio was off, and the top/bottom edges of the movie were cut from the screen. I asked an attendant if they could fix it and they called the manager over. He apologized for the issue and gave me some movie coupons for my party. Not even a minute after sitting back down the screen was corrected and the audience was able to enjoy the movie as it was meant to be. Five stars on customer service and the entire experience. This is my go-to theater for a reason!

Nicole Mcdonald

Temperature in theater was extremely too cold!!! I saw blankets for sale in the lobby but my gosh it almost forces you to need to purchase one to be able to enjoy your movie. Truly a first for me! Yes we brought jackets but this theater was absolutely freeezing.

Grace Min-Hae Whang Vega

While the renovations have made the cinema a more pleasant viewing experience, the lack of any staff on sight during the last 3 visits we’ve made is very concerning. Today, we finally got checked in by someone, but when we had a problem with our showing, there was no manager on sight. After waiting 20 minutes after a staff member texted their manager, we ended up having to leave a physical message on a napkin with the few staff members who were there, but haven’t heard back, and despite calling the theater for the past 3 hours, not a single person has picked up the phone.

Chip H

Remake (?) from a Regal to a Cinemark theater hasn't affected much so far.
Negative: All of the movie posters and upcoming attractions have been removed from the lobby, making it feel bare and cold.
Positive: One theater has been converted to ScreenX, which is a 270 degree showing. Not overly impressive but could have as more movies are released in this format.
Reclining seats, clean multiplex theater with typical movie theater overpriced popcorn and snacks.

Jaron Rice

This place has improved tremendously since they purchased it from Regal. They now offer the option to order your food ahead of time on the app.

Their chicken tenders are some of the best I've ever had anywhere.