Mayor releases statement on Empire 8 Theatre incident
JACKSON, Tenn. – Mayor Scott Conger has released a statement pertaining to the incident that happened at Empire 8 Theatre where daycare children were removed from the theatre.
“What should have been a fun night for our kids turned into something they didn’t understand or deserve. A daycare trip to see Zootopia 2 ended with frightened children and parents being escorted out of the theater over an issue that should have been handled between adults.
The kids had no part in it, and they shouldn’t have been the ones to pay the price. I reached out yesterday to the owner of Gracie’s Baby Daycare, and we’re already working on a solution that puts the focus back on the children. We are working out the details, but we will be setting up a private screening for the kids, with their refreshments covered, so they actually get to enjoy the movie they were excited about.
The complaints and investigations tied to the incident are still ongoing, and this effort has nothing to do with that process. This is simply about making sure the children aren’t punished for the actions of adults,” said Conger.
Parents and chaperones said when the group arrived and went to get their snacks that they were met with resistance from movie theatre staff.
“Immediately, when she said ’23’, the cashier looked as if her mouth just dropped,” said Raven Collier, parent and chaperone.
Collier says the cashier told them they did not have enough staff to fulfill the order for 23 snack packs plus the chaperones’ orders. But she says prior to their arrival, employees knew a large group was attending.
“The manager started to just go in an uproar. She started hollering. She started saying they were going as fast as they could, and Miss Cook then stated, ‘We’re not rushing you guys,’” said Collier.
After heated back and forth conversation and choice words, Collier says the manager told them to leave.
“She said ‘You guys cannot come back in, I’m going to escort the kids out,’ but mind you, these was 4 and 5 year olds, so the director then again said ‘No, we’ll just go in ourselves and grab our kids,’” said Collier.
The theatre called Jackson Police Department and officers with the JPD arrived at the theatre and removed the children and adults from the theatre.
JPD released a statement, saying:
“The Jackson Police Department is aware of the social media post circulating regarding an incident that occurred on December 9, 2025 at a local movie theater. A citizen’s complaint has been officially filed, and we are conducting an investigation to review all available information and determine the facts regarding our officers’ response.
We understand and appreciate the public’s concern. Our commitment remains to transparency, accountability, and ensuring every complaint is handled with the seriousness it deserves.As this is an active investigation, no further details are available at this time.”
Phoenix Theatres CEO, Phil Zacharetti, has informed us they are actively investigating the incident and pulling video feed, he also says “For the ones that were there, if they took anything wrong, we apologize for that.”
WBBJ reached out to JPD for a copy of the police report, but was denied after being told it was an active investigation and could not be released. An open records request for body camera footage has been made as well, but no response has been received yet.
For more local news, click here.
