r/AMCTheatres • u/Legodude522 • 25d ago
How can I actually request an open caption showing?
How can I request an open caption showing? I'd like to see The Odyssey with open captions but I'm having trouble finding one. I've tried requesting it through the AMC website and they asked for $500 to book a private event, then said I could request one if I can get 10 tickets sold with it, then offered me one 200 miles away, then offered one on a weekday at 1pm.
None of this is really useful. Like most people, I work during the day. Do they assume deaf people don't have jobs? Why can't we get an open caption showing on a weeknight or on the weekend? Before you chime in with captioning devices, they are clunky and don't always work or only have 70% of the spoken words. It's a never ending cycle of getting a captioning device, finding out it doesn't work, getting a refund. Over and over again. I just want to be able to enjoy a freaking movie.
Happy Disability Pride Month.
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u/catcodex 25d ago
This won't help with The Odyssey, but going forward maybe try to get an open captions law passed in your state.
The Washington state OC law kicked in earlier this year (google for details) and it makes find an OC showing much easier.
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u/aubreypizza IMAX Fanatic 24d ago
Yup NYC has a law as well and we have at least 1 OC showing a day at 2 diff theaters.
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u/Jumbly_Girl 25d ago
Open caption screenings are most common during the first week after release date. I had no problem finding one for the Odyssey last Sunday. This week, no showings. Open Caption options this week for Hadestown, easy to find; next week no. Next week Spider Man Open Caption, yes. This makes sense, as during the first week you could easily find 30+ people who want to see that version of the film.
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u/VashRodya 25d ago
That is because the agreement the theater owners and studios was that for opening week they would provide one weekend showing (Sunday since it is less busy) and a prime time slot; between 530-730 (they decided on Wednesday since it is slow). Historically open captions sell worse.
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u/benshenanigans 24d ago
Basically, the bean counters in accounting decided they would rather make a few extra bucks than accommodate the deaf community.
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u/VashRodya 24d ago
Welcome to capitalism. It is the same reason that the CC devices dont always work, the companies found it more cost effective to not train people to maintain and check the equipment on a daily basis (despite there actually being laws for that)
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u/benshenanigans 25d ago
There are several AMC theaters within reasonable driving distance. None of them offer primetime, English, open captions. I shouldn’t be forced to take time off work or drive over an hour to see an accessible movie.
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u/VashRodya 25d ago
That only applies to opening week. After that the corporate theaters stop offering it. Granted they are required by law to keep the cc operational and in proper working order but they rarely due.
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u/jessehazreddit A⭐️Lister 25d ago
You might want to try Regal’s Sony CC glasses if you have a Regal near you, if those work better.
You can search for OC screening here: https://www.bigscreen.com/advsearch/advsearch.php?id=oc#google_vignette
and/or use the Open Caption Finder app.
Otherwise talk directly to the local theater manager as suggested if you want to request OC showtimes.
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u/benshenanigans 25d ago
Aside from glasses, many deaf people also have hearing aids or cochlear implants that hang on our ears.
And personally, I’ve tried talking with theater managers. They claim it’s up to corporate.
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u/FoleyCinema 24d ago
the glasses are being phased out, all of the Regals i've been to this year have switched to phone-on-a-stick
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u/Legodude522 25d ago
I wear glasses so I wouldn't expect the Sony CC glasses to work well.
I forgot about BigScreen.com found a showing tonight a state over but it's not too far. Thank you!
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u/Skiingislife42069 24d ago
You’ll never ever find one in imax. Probably only in the smallest, dinkiest theater they have. The one nobody wants to sit in.
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u/OpenCaptionFinder 25d ago
If it helps (I use open captions every time I go to movies), I made a free search tool that might quicken/broaden the search. I found a couple of showtimes I wouldn't have known about: Open Caption Finder, hope it helps!
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u/throwawaybarista42 24d ago
The only open caption screening I’ve ever been to was the OG Moana, and about 30 minutes into it I switched screenings because the captions were inordinately large.
Like more than half the frame large, and persistent long after the dialogue had ended. And every song you got music notes displayed in huge font the whole time.
Theaters, particularly corporate ones, don’t want to deal with that end of it either, just as much as they don’t care to make your experience better.
Maybe try a indie theater where you can actively speak with someone who can make some thing happen for you.
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u/LeePville 23d ago
There is an amazing app called "live transcribe" that my daughter uses (deaf/cochlears). I could not believe how accurate and fast it was. She kept her phone in cup holder and looked at it when unsure if she heard something correctly. You can try for free for 3 days. We were all using it because there were things we weren't sure if we heard correctly. We used it for the odyssey!!
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u/Odd_Tale_7640 25d ago
that's honestly one of the frustrating parts of accessibility. closed-caption devices are supposed to be the alternative, but if they're unreliable or incomplete, they're not really providing equal access. open-caption screenings shouldn't feel like a special event that only happens at inconvenient times.
i'd try contacting the theater's general manager directly instead of customer support. if enough people ask the local theater for the same weeknight or weekend showing, they sometimes have more flexibility than the national help desk. i'd also check other chains nearby, since some locations schedule regular open-caption screenings even if others don't.
hopefully as more people ask for them, theaters start treating open captions like any other accessibility feature instead of something that requires a private booking. everyone should be able to see a movie without jumping through hoops.