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People are saying a movie theater in Times Square is crawling with bed bugs — again

a bugs life Pixar
Pixar

Some patrons of the AMC Empire 25 theater in New York City's Times Square are complaining of bed bugs — but the theater is pushing back against the claims.

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The theater suffered from a bed bug problem in the summer of 2010 and the fall of 2015.

The most recent sighting came on October 4, when Jessica Vidal took to Facebook and posted pictures of the bugs as well as her husband's neck, which looks to have been bitten by the bed bugs.

Here's what she posted:

One day prior to Vidal's post, NYU graduate student Don Ho told Gothamist that he got "red itchy bumps" on his forearm while at AMC 25.

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So what exactly is going on over at AMC 25?

The bed bug discovery in 2010 led to the theater being closed for a brief time for it to be exterminated. Since then, the movie chain claims to have done constant inspections at AMC 25, which along with being a major destination for moviegoers in Manhattan, is also one of the theaters Hollywood studios use to show advance media and word-of-mouth screenings.

A spokesperson for AMC told Business Insider that they have not found any bed bugs at AMC 25.

"We are aware that guests have reported this issue recently, but have found no evidence at the theatre to confirm those reports," the statement read. "As we do any time bed bugs are reported, we investigated immediately upon receiving a guest report, using a third-party pest control company. Thorough examinations of auditoriums in question revealed no sign of any bed bug activity."

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The statement went on to say: "Bed bugs are a widespread issue throughout New York City. Studies show that people are much more likely to encounter them in hotels and on their transportation to a movie theatre than in a movie theater itself. AMC is vigilant and aggressive about the inspection and treatment of this issue, both proactively and reactively. Every seat at AMC Empire 25 is proactively inspected every month and treated immediately if there is any sign of bed bugs."

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