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Methuen movie theater temporarily closed after rodents spotted

By
Brandon Truitt
Brandon Truitt
Brandon Truitt is a general assignment reporter for WBZ-TV.
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Brandon Truitt

/ CBS Boston

METHUEN - It's lights out at the AMC theater - at least for now - after the Methuen Health and Human Services Department ordered the theater closed after a theater-goer reported a run-in with a rodent while watching a film.

AMC Theater closed

Over the weekend, the health department temporarily closed the theater, saying it found "substantial" evidence of a rodent problem in the theater.

Word traveled fast in Methuen and nearby communities, as this theater is one of the more popular ones in the area. 

"That's crazy," said one moviegoer. "That is out of this world. Because we grew up coming here. This is like a milestone for us."   

"We go there a lot," said another patron. "So it makes me rethink about eating popcorn." 

When will the theater reopen?

On Tuesday, WBZ-TV cameras saw cleaning vans lining the sidewalk in front of the cinema while running hoses through the side doors of individual theaters. The city said sanitation and pest management crews have also been hired. 

The health department said it did not find evidence of rodent issues at the adjacent businesses in the popular shopping center. The health department said it will re-inspect the theater once it is cleaned and determine if it is fit to reopen. 

People who pre-purchased tickets to movies were emailed a notice about their show cancellations and were given a refund. 

AMC theaters issued a statements following the closure.

"AMC takes great pride in delivering a clean and comfortable movie-going experience to our guests, and the theater team and our vendor partners are working fervently to ensure all issues are fully resolved," the company said. "This includes deep cleaning throughout the theatre and in every auditorium, as well as pest remediation. We are reviewing this situation with the theatre team and our vendor partners to ensure this does not happen again."

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