the experience at maya cinemas is better than we expected. we can find a good seat to any movie, arrive when the movie starts, and there are few - if any - patrons talking back to the movie. the theater is relatively clean, smoke free, and we love the free covered parking next door - make sure to validate the card when you exit - when security is on the job, then the beggars are not. thank you, but i do wish that staff would pay more attention to the phone usage and loud conversations going on during the movies. we could then give maya cinemas a five star rating. read more

Good Seating. I never experienced people kicking the seat from behind. Staff, seem a bit spacey but friendly. Yes, the theater needs more independent movies. The nice thing about Maya is that you have the option of viewing new films with a large or small crowds. There is enough room for everyone. I just have a problem when parents take their children to see movies that are not suitable for their age. Well, That's another site to discuss that issue. read more

Love it here. I love that it has super comfy seating and that it has a special room for newborns and toddlers. You really don't find that everywhere. read more

I like maya over the big chain place. It's much more relax feeling and they also partner with other local businesses for specials.

I came in ok a Sunday afternoon and this theater had a great atmosphere to it. The cashier, ticket taker, concessions attendants were all very helpful and had a great attitude! The prices are also better than the century 14 theater. I will definitely be returning to this theater! And I also recommend to anyone! read more

"Manager: Jose (290 lbs) " if he even rates that, basically kicked my wife and I out of the theater box while we waited for a movie to start. Not the fact that we had to wait outside that pissed me off, but the way he went about it. Very unprofessional, feel sorry for his career ambitions as his attitude will not get him far. Not a good representative of a great family theater that I enjoy visiting...Truly disappointed. read more

Found a used condom and a used needle .... No thanks. The movies I have seen have gone out of focus and have had black out moments too...

To start I dont like the fact that they do not have Kettle Corn. C'mon its kettle corn. Second parking may be validated but most movies now a days last more than 2 hours wich is longer than what the maya validates for. so i have to come out and pay 50 cents for parking when in century its free all around. PlUS! they have kettle corn. On a plus note thier theater rooms are much larger and their seats are more comfortable. But another down side is that their ticket prices are a quarter more than century. Not cool. read more

Horrible movie experience! Ordered a pizza, no pizza, then ordered chili-cheese nachos, no chili, parking ticket validation did not work. Had to go back inside because parking attendant didn't believe I went to the movie. Bad business. read more

They have Tapatio! If you want to enjoy a movie without all the loud, annoying, hormone filled teens you find at the Northridge cinema then this is the place for you. I can't stand people who use their phones and talk during a movie and Maya has very little of that. It's my favorite place to see a movie because it's clean, the staff is polite, they validate parking, and most importantly the patrons are respectful and decent. I've never had a bad experience here. read more

Pretty nice movie theater and the best in the city of Salinas. The food and beverages are priced less than other places so that's a plus. Comfortable seats which can be a problem since one can catch some Zs. They have specials for days that aren't so busy. Definitely recommend this place! read more

This is probably the best theater in Salinas. They pretty clean and the theater rooms are huge! The only thing that sucks is the parking. Overall pretty good. read more

What was once a great theater is now suffering from a lack of maintenance. Holes in walls in the bathrooms, smelly, stained seats in the theaters. ICEE machine that hasn't worked in months. Seriously, how hard is it to get a repair man out? Still has great sound(Dolby Atmos available) and a good selection of movies. read more

I liked the fact that there is a lot of parking. The reason I gave it 3 stars is because walking to the theater there are people asking for money. I would not feel safe if I was walking with girl friends or alone. The theater itself was clear. The popcorn was not very fresh. :-( read more

Those new recliner seats are amazing!!! Definitely like the added leg space and the high walls added behind the seats as well. No more worrying about people kicking or bumping your seats!!! read more

Rarely dirty, nice newer theater, and decent options at the snack bar. Plus sometimes they give me awesome posters :)

Just saw Identity Thief there last night. Stadium seating means you don't have to stare at the back of someone's head for the whole night, clean, large and a great selection of first run movies along with the classics on Thursday nights and Saturday mornings at a steep discount with coffee and pastry on Saturday mornings. ;) What more could you ask for? read more

I like it alot better then the northridge movie theater ! Cute little places to eat around downtown and workers are always really friendly !

i prefer northridge. i don't like the parking situation at maya. if you go to a really busy movie and park in the garage you will be stuck in there for a long time first trying to turn in your ticket and then wait in the line of cars to get out. it was madness one night when i saw a popular movie on opening night. Also we have a problem at this theater with a movie completely breaking down. they couldn't fix it and we all had to get credit to come back - we were on a school field trip so it was kind of a hassle. The advantage of this place is there's places nearby to eat, but typically we eat elsewhere and drive to show anyway. I only come here if the movie time is better for my schedule or I'm trying to accomdate someone's schedule or preference. read more

Never even knew this theatre existed. Always went to the one by the mall. I really liked this theatre. The seats here were way more comfy and the sound Quality was better. Also the theatres are very clean. Only negative was I had to dig for cash in my purse because there credit card systems were down. read more

Huge theater! Never a crowded feel in here (on weekdays anyways). Always enough seating. A little bit dirty on the carpets, but other that that a very pleasant experience/ read more

We really enjoy this theater. They offer food specials on Mondays, matinee pricing all Tuesday (except 3D movies)... AND they show older movies all the time. This is exactly what Salinas needed and especially in Old Town. read more

First visit from out of town, and I didn't get the best first impression. Lady at the front was very much less than thrilled to see us, and gave us the wrong theater to boot. When we finally got to the correct theater, the place smelled like moisture and mold. Give it three stars due to the area, not the actual place. Too bad too, I was really looking forward to coming here. Not granting another visit. read more

I have loved this theater ever since it opened. I especially love their large combo drink with unlimited refills. I will ALWAYS pick this one over Northridge because of that and also they have Tapatio my favorite! Theaters are always clean, although there have been a few rude employees. But overall great theater! read more

This place leaves a lot to be desired. Their customer service is horrible. To begin with, even if you order your tickets online, you are still expected to wait between 10-15 minutes on a weekday (this was from a customer who was standing in line behind me), and if you don't order your tickets online you won't find out that a movie showtime is sold out until you are paying for your tickets-- most places with an electronic screen for showtimes will tell you that it is sold out. Then if you ask about it, the ticketer will make a snide comment about how "we don't do that here." So they just love to waste their customers time. Also, the parking here isn't that great, even with the parking garage which I believe the theater owns, is almost always full. Not to mention their elevator is currently not working (so it's not friendly for those who might be physically handicapped). Finally, while some theaters have been upgraded to the nice reclining seats-- those theaters that have not upgraded have really uncomfortable red seats, which feel cheap. Like I said, this place leaves a lot to be desired. read more

Managers are extremely rude and inconsiderate. The south side has an idea of themselves that is untrue

Good location in old town, and easy to find parking. The theater rooms have a fairly good size screen, with surround sound, and seats that don't smell like P. My only complaint is the staff that talk to each other more then they are willing to talk to you. I had to tell one guy 3x want I wanted cause he was looking at a girl and was to high to listen. There's only 3 or 4 nice people working there. The rest are all idiots :\ read more

Ok, I love the location of this movie theater, and the access to lots of restaurants and coffee shops. The Maya is clean, with lots of screens. I wish they would outfit all the screens with the Atmos sound system. Food is really pricey, but that's not a shocker. Parking is really limited. The parking garage around the corner is really tight. I recommend parking a small, compact car in there. The Maya will validate your parking for 3 hours, so be mindful if you stay a while, like having dinner afterwards. You'll have to pay the difference for any extra time. Many people make this mistake, then they cause a backup of cars upon leaving, when they owe another 50 cents on their ticket. LOL. Then, they have to backup and pay. This ranks it a 3 of 5 in my book. read more

The movie was great but i purchased a hot dog and it was more like a cold dog. If you do go though and park in the garage you can validate your ticket in the theatre and parking is free. read more

So disappointed, out paid for in advance seats were taken by a bunch of mean ladies who would not move our option was to see another movie, different time. No compensation to see movie in another time and worse seats. read more

The theater itself was outdated, chairs were uncomfortable and small. I brought my purse in, like most women, and was told because it looks like a backpack (MUCH smaller than an ACTUAL backpack), that all backpacks have to be checked behind the counter with the staff. Uhm....no. Sorry. Not leaving my purse with my personal belongings, wallet, keys, phone, etc behind the counter where your ENTIRE staff will have access to it for the next two hours. No. Way. So, my fiance ran it back to the car making him 10 minutes late to the movie. Just in general, this was not a pleasant movie experience. We won't be going back. I suggest trying the cinemark theaters in Monterey or Marina. They're very cozy, accommodating, and pleasant. read more

went to watch the new X Men movie a few weeks back and dropped my phone. What I saw behind the very top isle was freaking disgusting. It was like a years worth of candy, popcorn, goey dried up soda and other forms of funk that indicated the place had not been cleaned in a while. Whoever is responsible for overseeing the cleaning of this place is failing to do what you pay them for. read more

Out of the three theaters in Salinas. I would highly recommend going to this one. Less crowded, theres always good seats available,A whole lot cleaner and more organized, lots of parking, and its located in downtown so if you want to look around at shops or have a bite to eat this is the place to go. read more

Was not impressed with this theater. I am a frequent movie goer and i prefer to go to the one at Northridge mall. It might not get all the hype of having "the largest screen in monterey county" but they have a clean well kept venue that looks much newer than the Maya. I think the employees here are rude and childish. How many times do i have to wait in line to buy a ticket because the child they have working in their ticket office is on their cell phone are what looks like a manager sitting on the ledge on the inside talking with that employee. Then when you go inside the employees inside serving the popcorn are even worse. They are rude and unwelcoming. The seats are amazing i will give them that, they are very big and comfortable but whats the point of them if the theaters are dirty, floors sticky, rows so close together you have to hold it so that you don't interrupt anyone when you need to go to the bathroom. If you are into presentation, Maya has the worst presentation ever, even worse that the old lighthouse theater in PG. Their movies are always full of black spots and black lines sound cuts in and out. I once took my grand-kids to see a movie and wanted to use the crying room to find it filthy in there and smelly with a used condom on the floor. Don't believe all the hype of this theater. This theater is not a good place to watch a movie. read more

I went to the movie during a matinee showing and the place did not seem too busy. It took about two minutes for the cashier to notice i was standing there but she was pleasant. I asked for my ticket and she told me that many people said that movie was just okay. I took a chance. I went to the concession counter and they were very nice. They were out of butterfinger but the young girl went to the back to get one just for me! The movie was okay as she stated but the place was filled with nice people and was clean.! I like this place a lot better than the other theater in town because the sound seems to be alot more consistent! I will be back many times for sure read more

When I moved up here from Los Angeles, I was very excited that there was a local theatre. "Local" is probably the best thing I can say about it. My usual habit of sitting through the credits (in respect to those that worked on the movie) was not allowed here. On more than one occasion we were yelled at by the usher to leave the theatre because the movie was over. When I complained to the manager, she just gave me a blank stare. Didn't offer an apology, didn't offer a refund. Just "M'eh." Every time I have gone here I have had to go and find someone to tell them that the sound was on but not the picture. The customers who go here could care less about the movie. They are there to talk and text. That includes the ushers who come in and have a seat. I had been told, "Stay away from Northridge. That's in South Salinas and it's nothing but trouble over there." That has been far from my experience. I've gone to a couple of midnight screenings, and have made it my theatre of choice. When I had an issue come up there, the manager was quick to handle it and offer me an apology. The Maya is a horrible place to see a movie, and there is no way they will ever get my money again. I'll drive to San Jose, Cupertino or San Francisco to see a movie if it keeps me from having to go there again. read more

My favorite local Movie Theater I try to go earlier in the day though than late at night because of parking and all.

I love this place. Friendly staff, cleaner than other theaters, and decent chairs. The new Dolby Atmos is cool too.

Maya is a great theater. Plenty of parking nearby with validation. Plenty of showings of all your favorite movies. The few occasions that there have been annoying patrons ruining a movie for the rest of us have been dealt with by the staff. I much prefer this to the Northridge cinema read more

I wouldn't gripe about this online, if it was an isolated issue. Unfortunately this is the 3rd time this has happened to me at Maya Cinemas in Salinas. I hired a babysitter, then waited 40 minutes in line to see Terminator: Genisys at 8:00pm (they're listed showing). I was told that the movie was no longer playing at that time; that the time had been updated and I could catch the 9:15pm. I could not. My sitter couldn't stay that late. I don't know what they meant by updated, because their site still reads that the movie is showing at 8:00pm. If they updated their sites when they change the movie times, there would not be a problem. Then I was given a bit of a tough time about validating my parking. For a problem of their making, they were quite rude to me. Now I'm out an hour of my day, the ten bucks I paid my sitter for nothing, and my evening plans are shot. From now on I think I'll spend a few more minutes driving to Century 14 Northridge. I've yet to have any issues there. read more