Business

Mass. city closes AMC theater due to apparent rodent issues

The local health department found evidence of rodents by way of urine, feces, and entry ways believed to have been carved by the rodents.

The exterior of the AMC Methuen 20 movie theater building located in “The Loop”, a shopping and entertainment destination on Pleasant Valley Street. The theater was closed last week after a customer reported seeing a rat, prompting local health officials to launch an investigation. Jim Davis/Globe Staff

By Lindsay Shachnow

December 11, 2024

1 minute to read

A movie theater in Methuen was forced to shut its doors last week after a customer reported seeing a rodent, prompting local health officials to launch an investigation.

On Dec. 5, the Methuen Health and Human Services Division responded to a report from a woman who said she saw a rodent at the AMC Methuen 20 theater, according to Public Health Director Caeli Tegan Zampach.

Upon inspection, Tegan Zampach said the department found evidence of rodents by way of urine, feces, and entry ways believed to have been carved by the rodents.

The movie theater has been closed since Thursday’s investigation.

Tegan Zampach said the theater is hiring private cleaning companies to address the issue, but was unsure when the theater will be able to reopen.

“AMC has been very cooperative,” Tegan Zampach told Boston.com. “As long as they’re able to get it back up to a sanitary state, we would love to have them reopen.”

If the theater reopens, health officials plan to conduct follow up inspections.

In a statement, AMC said it is “working fervently to ensure all issues are fully resolved.”

“This includes deep cleaning throughout the theatre and in every auditorium, as well as pest remediation,” AMC said. “We are reviewing this situation with the theatre team and our vendor partners to ensure this does not happen again.”

Rodent problems are increasing across the Northeast, according to Tegan Zampach.

“We’ve had some very mild winters, which means their breeding cycles haven’t really been interrupted,” Tegan Zampach said. “So this is absolutely a regional problem.”

People can prevent rodent issues by closing off holes in the walls that rats can enter through and avoiding leaving food out, she said.

Following the rodent discovery at the movie theater, Tegan Zampach said inspectors have visited other businesses in the area.

“The other businesses are in good shape and open for business,” Tegan Zampach said. “This is a pretty isolated incident.”