This blog should address any questions you may have about the Palace. With us not being affiliated with any chain, we do things a bit different. If you have any questions not answered here, please let us know.
1. Purchase your tickets online.
We offer online ticketing through our website www.athensmoviepalace.com. We are not affiliated with Fandango, so you will not find our tickets there. Our online ticketing has a small convenience fee, but if you only want tickets and want to guarantee you have a seat, you can purchase them through the website. You will get an email confirmation with a number and a barcode. This email is NOT your ticket. We will redeem your online tickets at the computer at the end of the concession counter, closest to the Coke machines. We can use your number, barcode, credit card, or email address to validate your reservation and print a ticket that you will give to the usher. If you want to purchase concessions, you will still go through the line. The cashier can redeem your online tickets when you get to the register if you need concessions with your online tickets.
2. Concessions and Tickets are available at the same registers
When you arrive at the Palace, you will be greeted by our friendly staff. Any of the cashiers can get your tickets and concessions. It’s all in one place.
3. We sell advance tickets.
As long as the schedule is released, we can sell tickets to any show. Tickets are available any time we are open.
4. A Friday-Thursday week.
New movies come out on Fridays. We get confirmation of our movies for the week on Wednesday afternoon. We work hard to get our schedule together and published on Thursday. So on Thursday you will see the showtimes for Friday to the following Thursday. You can always check the online ticketing section of our website. Showtimes do appear there before we get the actual schedule published on the website.
5. Watch your dates.
When we are able to get our schedule done earlier, we will sometimes have multiple weeks available on the website. We have a banner across the grid for the week that shows the date.
6. R Rated movies
State law prevents us from selling tickets to R rated films to minors. We will check your ID when you purchase a ticket to a rated R movie. Parents can purchase tickets for minor children. If you are under 21, you will not be allowed to purchase more than one ticket.
7. We check ID.
When you pay with a credit card, we will ask to see your ID verifying your name/face with the card you are using. You can speed up your transaction by having your ID ready for us.
8. 3D Glasses
When you choose to watch a 3D movie, you will get your 3D glasses at the usher stand as you go into your auditorium.
9. Movie Pricing
Any show time before 5:30 is $6.00 for all ages. The price is determined by the movie showtime, not the time you purchase your tickets. (You cannot get a matinee priced ticket for a 7:00 show no matter what time you buy your ticket.) Children are aged 12 and under. Seniors are 60 & up. All 3D movies will have a $2.50 charge added to the ticket price no matter the time.
10. Usher on duty.
Unless we specifically tear your ticket at the concession counter (and this happens very rarely), you will wait for the usher. This is very important because we are a small theater and our auditoriums are reused with very little time between shows. This means that your auditorium may not be ready more than 10 minutes prior to your showtime. If the usher is not at the stand, it’s possible he is cleaning the auditorium for you.
11. Now Seating…
When you look at our usher stand, we have a silver sign. The sign says “Now Seating” and will list the auditoriums that are ready for you. If you are unsure, please check the sign. Your theater will be listed on your ticket. Sometimes, we have a large crowd for certain movies and we will have a line for that movie, but not the others. If you see your theater number on the board, you will be able to go straight into your auditorium.
12. Limited previews.
Many of you are accustomed to the 15-20 minute long preview set seen at larger theaters. We only play the required trailers. This is generally 2-10 minutes worth. This translates to your movie starting 2-10 minutes after the showtime. Keep this in mind when arriving late to avoid the previews.
13. Free Refills on LARGE only.
We offer free refills on our large drinks. This is the blue cup. You must pay .50 for a refill on the black and purple cups. We have free refills on large popcorn only.
14. Answering machine always picks up.
We are not open all day. We have an answering machine with our showtime recording. At the end of the recording, you can leave a message with your name and number and we will call you back as soon as we can. If it is during a time we are open, and it isn’t a showtime, we will often call you back within seconds of your message. The more detailed your message, the better we can help you. Please make sure you leave a number so we can call you back.
15. Exit through side
At the end of movies, we strongly encourage those customers who are not getting refills or stopping at our bathroom to exit through the side doors and not through the main lobby. The side doors put you out just beside the main lobby and will prevent you from having to weave through incoming guests. It will also keep you safe after our last show because our lobby floor may be wet.
16. Present passes when ordering your tickets.
When you are “paying” for a movie with a movie pass either from a promotional card or through a pass issued by the theater, it’s important that you tell us up front. The tickets are printed from different places and a refund has to be done to get your ticket from the right place.
17. Let us know if there’s a problem.
We hope that your time here is as pleasant as possible, but many people have different preferences. If ANYTHING happens during your movie from the temperature being too extreme to the lights not going down to another customer bothering you, please let us know so that we an help you. We appreciate being informed of issues after your movie, but when your problem is directly related to something temporary during your movie, we cannot fix it if we do not know about it. We do auditorium walks during the movie and you can stop us then. Or an usher will be on duty. If you do not see the usher immediately, he may be in another auditorium, you can wait momentarily or come to the concession counter where you will always find a person. Keep in mind, what bothers you may not bother another guest, so we may not have been informed if you do not tell us. When we know of a technical problem, we will do our best to keep you informed about what is going on.
18. Discounts
We do offer discount tickets to certain groups. Factory employees, students, and military can get a discount ticket on our regular priced showtimes. During any show before 5:30, all of our tickets are matinee priced and a discount is not available. If you do qualify for a discount ticket, please tell us when you purchase your ticket so that we print out the right one.
19. Parking in rear.
We have several parking spaces available in the back of our building. After your movie, you are welcome to use the exit doors in the auditoriums.
20. Butter and seasoning
You don’t have to ask. We ALWAYS layer your butter in the popcorn. If you do not want us to do this, please ask. We also have Kernel Seasons and extra salt available under the tower in our lobby. This is free to use.
21. We are independent.
We are not a Regal, Carmike, AMC, UEC, etc. We are locally owned and do not accept coupons or passes from any major chain. We also do not accept gift cards that were not purchased at our theater.
22. We open 30 minutes before our first show.
Showtimes vary from day to day, so our hours are not consistent. We open 30 minutes before our first show and close the doors 30 minutes after our last show.
23. Showtimes are available in many places.
We list our showtimes on our website. Showtimes are published in the DPA and the Advocate & Democrat. You can get the day/next day showtimes (depending on the time you call) by calling 423-746-8810. Showtimes are also available on the big sign outside or when we are open, they can be seen on the menu board inside.
24. Pricing and concession options are on the menu boards in the lobby.
While waiting in line, you can make your transaction go by much faster if you have your order ready. Our staff can help you pick the best combo options for your family. We will ask if you want butter on your popcorn, so you can order by saying “Small buttered popcorn” to cut out a step.
25. Movie info.
Many websites offer detailed information for anyone concerned about the content of a particular movie. Movies receive different ratings for different reasons. For example, some PG-13 movies may have lots of strong language, but very little sex or violence. Others may be very violent, but not have any language. Sites like IMDB.com can tell you exactly what to expect when you come for your movie. Our staff can give you a brief synopsis of the film, but we do not have the same detailed information you will find online.