A Westminster movie theater sat closed for four days this month after county health inspectors found dead mice, droppings and possible entry points scattered throughout the building, in what officials classified as an imminent health hazard. AMC Westminster Promenade 24 reopened after a reinspection on Monday, following what the company described as a weekend of extensive cleaning and pest remediation.
Surprise Inspection Turns Up Mice Throughout the Building
Jefferson County Public Health launched a surprise inspection at the theater on Oct. 15 after receiving customer complaints about mice, according to The Denver Post. Inspectors reported signs of mice throughout the theater, and county health records classified the incident as an imminent health hazard closure. The inspection results specifically cited dead mice, mouse droppings and open possible entry points.
The theater, located at 10655 Westminster Blvd. in Westminster, Colorado, per listings on Yelp, had reportedly been dealing with rodent complaints well before the closure. Customers reported seeing mice at the theater for months, and Google Reviews mentioned a mouse infestation dating back nearly a year, according to the same reporting. The theater had last been inspected in December 2025, when Jefferson County Public Health observed no rodent issues, per county records cited in that reporting.
AMC Calls It Unforeseen Maintenance, Reopens After Weekend Cleanup
AMC's own theater webpage described the closure as unforeseen maintenance rather than referencing the mouse findings directly. AMC spokesperson Ryan Noonan said a professional third-party vendor completed extensive cleaning and pest remediation over the weekend, and Noonan said the theater reopened after the work was completed and the health department cleared it. The reopening followed a reinspection on Monday, per county health records relayed in the same report.
Not an Isolated Problem for Movie Chains
Westminster is far from the only multiplex to run into rodent trouble. The AMC theater in Methuen, Massachusetts, was temporarily closed in December 2024 after a theatergoer reported a run-in with a rodent during a screening, and the Methuen Health and Human Services Department said it found substantial evidence of a rodent problem inside, according to CBS News Boston. Sanitation and pest-management crews were hired there too, ahead of a planned reinspection.
Closer to home, Denver health inspectors previously found live mice and droppings inside AMC Showplace Theatres at Cherry Creek Mall after a customer complaint, as reported by KDVR. Inspectors there found roughly 50 small rodent droppings and one live mouse in a staff-only service hallway underneath the projector in theater No. 2, and KDVR noted the Cherry Creek location has had problems with mice on and off for three and a half years, with past inspections in March 2014, August 2016 and February turning up live mice and droppings in food-prep areas.
The issue isn't confined to Colorado or Massachusetts, either. In Texas, the Waco-McLennan County Public Health District opened an investigation into mice at a Cinemark theater after multiple customer complaints, according to KWTX. Cinemark told the outlet that nearby construction had prompted the chain to strengthen its protocols and bring in specialists, and the health district later reported a substantial reduction in sightings over the preceding two weeks.
