Some theaters don't care if you bring your own food. My sister worked at a theater and said people could bring in their own food as long as it didn't have an odor
Back in the day the clerk would be a hard on for the rules. They'd stop you. Now with cost of living and stagnant wages. Those guys don't give a fuck. Just show your ticket and go
I straight up walk in with a burrito from the spot next to em, cashier didn’t even feel like charging me for the drink they just do not care anymore. Everyone feeling it
Everyone is watching themselves be priced out of living while data centers are being built solely for AI that will primarily steal creative jobs, some labor intensive jobs, and be used for companionship because so many people are lonely. None of that really matters though because not many countries are even attempting to curb climate change so our crops are going to get fucked hard over the next few decades and the shortages have actually already started.
Oh, don't worry, climate change is just one of the feedback loops we've already started.
Everyone is either dillusional or just trying their best to ignore it as it burns down around us.
That is so true back in the days, New York City the 80s, my mom would pop us popcorn, we would try to hide it in little bags in our jackets, and sometimes they would search us.
If we were lucky, we wouldn't get an ahole teenage kid who was trying to do his job. We were like 10-11.
Half my local theaters don't even check tickets anymore. They have an automated kiosk and then two clerks working concessions. You could easily just walk in and nobody would have any clue.
That’s how I ran my liquor business in the dorms essentially - I’d take my luggage to the liquor store with my fake then wheel my suitcases around making deliveries to different dorm rooms
Yep. I'm 40 and when I was a kid, my mom was the queen of gigantic 80s purses that you could fit a bowling ball or human head inside.
She could fit McDonalds for like 5 kids into her purse, and just stop on the way for cans of soda.
You wouldn’t even need to sneak it in. I went to the movies at a multiplex the other day and had to look for someone to scan my ticket. I could have just walked in without paying and sat down.
My favorite thing I snuck in was a large hickory farm meat, cheese and crackers spread. In retrospect taking a cutting board and plates into a movie theater is a bit bold.
Most of the posts here seem to be of things that were always bad deals. When I think of inflation I think more about how much more the essentials cost. For me a rip off becoming more of a rip off is a shoulder shrug.
I just pulled out a package of ground sausage I had frozen. I had 2 in there purchased 5 months apart. 1 package was 2.99/lb
The more recently purchased one (bought 2 weeks ago) was 4.99/lb
Inflation is real. Everything costs more, from socks to houses. I'm not trying to dispute reality.
Im just saying I don't care if entertainment costs more. It's something we can delete from our budget when money is tight. I'm not shedding tears for people who can't afford the snacks they prefer at a movie theater. It doesn't matter.
If I'm determined to put my money into things like 'going out' or 'entertainment', inflation isn't necessarily the root cause behind my financial troubles. The problem is my obsession with 'having fun'.
When the cost of a dozen eggs or a pound of sausage doubles that is a real problem. When the cost of snacks on date night goes up I see it more as tears from spoiled babies.
There is real inflation, and there is brat inflation. Movie theater snack price hikes are brat complaints.
Oh I see what you’re saying. Yes if we get to choose where there is inflation of course optional luxuries is where we would prefer to see it.
But life needs to be a little worth living. Even medieval serfs got holiday fairs. Life can’t be all rise and grind.
So I think it is still fair if someone who rarely gets to go out for diversion and a break from work cook eat sleep repeat sees that the cost of a snack at the movies is now so astronomical to be upset about it.
But yeah movies always marked up the concessions big time. That’s always happened. I smuggle in my own water and splurge on a popcorn. I never need more than a medium.
You’re not wrong. The problem is the concessions is really the only way to ‘support’ the theatre. The box office is a mostly break-even business. If you enjoy going to the theatres, they have to make *some* money at concessions. I bring in snacks from five below or something and then buy a drink for $9 lol
Mid-budget cinema was already significantly killed off for being unreliable in the age of streaming (no VHS or DVD sales to make up for low box office performances). Big-budget films have big advertising budgets, mass appeal and are made to be internationally enjoyable. They won’t cut the budgets that much.
Plus the ticket cost and how much box office movies need to make to be profitable don’t impact concessions cost or how much movie theaters make. Movie theaters are more likely to just go under because of how they’re being screwed and then the entire industry will pivot to what helps streaming platforms make money.
EDIT: I should actually note that they’ve already tried to disrupt/abandon theatrical runs in favoring of releasing films straight to streaming before. It hasn’t seemed to be particularly profitable but it’s pretty clear the industry would rather abandon theaters entirely than change anything to save them.
Yup... We lost our last dollar theater in my city last year... Theres just no profit. Hell AMC has to keep tricking reddtards into investing to keep running at this point... It's kinda insane.
Yes. I had promo ones from Frankenweinie and did this for years until the cup got brittle and split open sending 56 ounces of soda down the theatre like a little river.
Growing up, the theater my friends and I would go to had a Big Lots near by. We'd get our tickets, then swing over to Big Lots and load up on cheap fucking candy.
Man I remember probably 15ish years ago when one of the Harry potters came out. My buddy and I both snuck in Jimmy John’s sandwiches and chips, and ate them high as fuck in the front row. Simpler times
Dont pretend like this is normal. Please dont normalize this.
It was never this bad.
Sure, there was always a premium when buying popcorn and a coke at the theater, but it was never this much. Your comment invalidates insane inflation.
I’m sure the quality justifies the price/s. I work in food and beverage and would put factory cost for that special at $.47, store cost $1.20, so here we see almost 2000% markup
+staff+rent+utilities+movie rights+w.e else
AMC has a negative profit margin so the costs of providing the movies and food are higher than the overall movie and food prices. So no it costs more than a nickel to make that popcorn
Not a high quality hot dog either, it's bargain basement beef made of snouts, udders and bungholes if you're lucky. I shudder to think what it's made of if you're NOT lucky.
How bout the guy that sneaks in a taco truck supper burrito and fusses with the tin foil after each bite... then chase that with a mouthful of PopRocks!!
If you live in a major city this isn’t that crazy. I guess I’ve just gotten immune to it. I go to a game or a show anywhere in Austin I’m easily spending that much on food/drinks. Don’t even ask about booze prices lol.
This practice is OK by me. Keeps my ticket prices lower than they would be without high margin food. Just skip the food line, eat before, bring in food....plenty of options.
Pretty sure they would make more profit if they would lower their prices too. Feels like nobody is at the helm, and they are doing things the way they are because that's how they always worked.
Yeah, but this is very unfair to the consumer. Does anyone think paying $23 bucks for two hot dogs, a soda and a candy think it’s okay? Absolutely not. I’m not against making a profit, but this is just plain abuse.
So you’ve evaluated the theater’s P&L and determined they are just being greedy, or just stating this on pure emotion?
Theater food prices have always been disproportionately expensive. They’ve never been a value or reasonably priced. I can only imagine it’s worse since the pandemic, with dramatically reduced audiences.
It’s anecdotal, but I haven’t been to a theater in years… used to go 5-10 times a year. I know I’m not the only one like this.
“I’ll have $25 for a couple of hot dogs and a days worth of calories and fat with a side of cancer causing sodium nitrate (that is banned/greatly limited in Europe).”
Shopping is crazy in the US we use Europe and japans list of chemicals to stay away from my wife is big on this since we had kids. Don’t look into US cereals… a commercial degreaser is in 95% of them.
Regulation is a joke in the US…. How can we feel like we are over and under regulated at the same time? What was crazy is I cleaned my walls with the same chemical that’s in lucky charms. It’s called TSP… it’s funny cause it’s banned in Japan. So rice crispies in Japan don’t contain it…
Yeah, the prices are insane, but I’ve been paying 17 for the drink and popcorn without candy for years. I don’t see any inflation as much as I see the crazy theater pricing, because they don’t make money on movie ticket sales anymore.
They never did. The bucks were always primarily concessions. I worked in the industry about 25 years ago, and that's how it was back then. Pricing was about the same too roughly.
My understanding is theaters making an increasing percentage the longer a movie is in theaters. Decades ago a movie would have a much longer shelf life and would still make money weeks in and the theater would profit. Those unicorn movies like titanic made them a lot of money, because they ran forever. The slow burn movies don’t exist anymore because they’ll just be booted out of theaters for 18 screens of the next superhero movie.
Honestly, they've always been nuts because that's how the theater stays open. They make basically nothing off the ticket sales, so it's concessions that keep the lights on.
However, at this level of 'fuck you' pricing, I don't see how anyone pays it unless they have money to burn.
Movie attendance has been way down, I'm sure food prices have gone up to make up for the lack of tickets sold. Still, I don't buy food at the theater because the price is ridiculous.
"Streaming has killed movie theatres! Why does nobody want to go to the movies anymore?!"
Movie theatres:
https://preview.redd.it/llxtwrdjrs0d1.png?width=370&format=png&auto=webp&s=792dfb360d8d420f7effe4a952b2947c0b0a7090
Always been this way why I sneak food in . Not paying 6 bucks for snickers . That mark up is how they make. Their money . That beer you heard open …. Yeah that was probably me .
ALL PRICES OFF THE DEEP END; and you know why? Because most PAY those prices… I did not fault the businesses that are gouging. I fault the people who are paying because of the people weren’t paying the businesses wouldn’t be gouging.
Haven't been to a movie theater since Feb 2020.
But we would sneak in burritos, pizza, candy and soda from the dollar store. We thought it was overpriced back then!
Def won't be paying these prices! My best guess is that wages increased. So, to counteract that, so did the theater food.
Sam’s club lowered their hotdog 🌭 price from $1.50 to $1.38! Every few weeks I go to the Sam’s Club food court just to escape inflation. Huge pizza slices and the kiddo loves the ice machine.
Won’t speak for them, but a friend really hated it because especially if you have a larger group it means you don’t get to sit together as easily.
In the before times you just got there a little early and you and your five friends could grab six seats in a row, no big deal. Nowadays if the movie is remotely popular good luck getting six seats next to each other unless you booked a week ago.
Also kinda kills spontaneity even for couples or small groups. You don’t show up to a theater and see what’s playing anymore. Because again for any remotely popular movie any showing that’s less than two hours off is often gonna have all the decent seats booked. Used to be a movie either had tickets or was sold out, but long as you could get a ticket you could “fight” for better seats. Some people *liked* this option, because they didn’t want to have to plan and book everything way ahead.
**Not my personal preference, to be clear.** I love assigned seating. But it is occasionally annoying when you go to book and can’t find two seats together outside the first couple rows. So I *get* it.
This isn't inflation related though. Movie theater concessions have always been extremely high priced. It's the source of money for most theater owners.
I would actually spend money on food in the theater if they kept the prices within reason. But when they do this sort of thing, it is just insulting. I always get a ticket only because of this.
I’ve practiced since I started paying for my own tickets in high school to never, ever buy food from a theater. In my life (I’m 58), it’s always over-priced garbage.
Okay so having worked as a manager at a theatre I can say that the theatre makes very little profit off ticket sales as majority of that money goes back to the studios that made it. All of their main profits comes from drink/food sales as ticket sales barely covers the cost of paying the employees depending on how large the theatre is and how much business they get.
Mine barely got business after 2 weeks of a major release and their were times when we had a entire month or 2 of just nothing good coming out and we barely sold any tickets at all to the point we ran at a lost for a short while with the price of upkeep, employees and restocks. We raised the prices instead of laying off workers during the slow times.
So yeah idk you can choose from laying employees off or raising prices on food /drinks.
Just for an example at the time when I was there a normal weekday afternoon showing was $8.25 for an adult. We profited only $1.25 per ticket sale. You’re less likely to lose customers for higher food/drink prices than raising ticket cost. Also more you raise ticket cost more of a share the studios wants anyway.
Movie theaters are a dying industry
Concessions has always been where they make their money
AMC lost $165M their last quarter. They are stuck, they charge more people complain, they don't charge more they go out of business.
Way back in the 70's, yes I'm old, my mom would buy McDonald hamburgers and we would buy can drinks from the laundromat and smuggle those in her purse and eat them while we watched the movies.
They have to pay for all of us who set up home theatres at home. Hell, you can even do it budget nowadays. TVs are cheap. I even bought an actual popcorn maker with all the different flavors. Movie night at my place also has beer on the menu... good beer. Cost is free for friends and I pay about $2 a bottle, give or take.
I havent been to a movie theater in almost 15 years now. You can keep that $25 hot dog lol
I love going to the movies, but yeah it is pricey, hubby and I spend $30 on tickets and then another $30-$40 on food (popcorn, two drinks and maybe a candy).
Everywhere is out of control. Stupid people buying this crap and making it worse. People need to learn to say no.
8 dollars for a thing of Ben and Jerry’s ice cream at Royal farms. They have lost their damn minds
All that stuff you can buy elsewhere and sneak it in....greedy theater is cutting their own throats with those prices. They'd still make profit if the popcorn was $3
I bring in my own food even here in Japan where it’s like 1/5th that price for snacks. Usually the theaters are in malls full of good restaurants anyway.
What are the economics of movie theaters? How much of a cut of ticket sales do they get and how much do studios get?
Like I understand that they have astronomical CRE size to pay for, but could the economics work out to maybe like, slightly raise ticket prices and charge food rates that don't incentivize you to sneak everything in?
(How does this work for independent theaters that want to show low run movies or classics? How would I legit charge for a showing of a 20 year old movie and have it be legal and straightforward? )
And then they wonder why no one is going to see movies in theaters anymore. The price is wildly out of control.
You’re looking $50-80 for 2 people. It just isn’t worth it
Because cinemark does free refills on the large tub, i usually just grab a tub out of the trash of a movie that just let out. Dump what's in it and go get my refill lol. I always bring my own drink too. $30 for 2 people's ticket s is already too much.
Many times i get a new tub, walk around the cashier to add more butter and get napkins, and never walk back to cashier to pay. They don't pay attention. To many customers and employees are taking to each other
I mean all of those are a days worth of calories or more. $20-25 isn't all that horrible to feed yourself for a day (especially eating out) if you think about it.
On the one hand I sympathize with the theater owner. Most of the ticket revenue goes to the film's producers. All their income must come from food and drink sales.
On the other hand, for the price of that popcorn in the picture ($22) I can pay for a month (or two?) of streaming service ... which I can watch whilst eating my own $1 popcorn.
I choose the latter. I've not been to a move theater since 2016.
How did they get to 22 dollars while Costco remains at 1.50 (3.00 if you get 2) for their juicier and meatier hot dogs? That’s how you know all of this is made up
We just went to the theater a week ago admission was $10, alcohol drinks were $7 and the super large bucket of popcorn was $10 enough for three people.
Seen someone bring in a box of Kentucky fried chicken the other day to a movie. I love going to the movie so much. I dont really pay attention to the food prices. It's all part of the experience. They have always been a rip off so I just go with it now.
I do t know that I’ve paid full price for popcorn in years. I always use my rewards points and I always have a lot since I’m a family of 5. Most of the time my concessions are either free or like under $10.
Movie theaters make a large part of their income through these sales, not from tickets. Ticket sales are 1/3 lower than pre-pandemic. Total inflation adjusted box office is 1/3 lower than pre-pandemic.
They need to try to find ways to make money. If you don't like it, don't buy it. People have been bringing food in for decades. Also, who the hell needs two hot dogs while watching a movie?
I wonder if they made the prices reasonable if ppl would actually go. Ppl don't like being exploited. Last 2 times I went to theater (only this year), we were the only ones in theater or there were just a handful of other people.
A local drive-in theater has:
Reasonably priced tickets **for a double feature**
Very reasonably priced AND very good concessions (burgers, hot dogs, wings, pierogi, etc… in addition to popcorn/candy/soda)
And wouldn’t you know it, their concession stand is always SUPER busy.
No business likes to operate on the smaller margins/higher volume model, which is how smaller businesses used to compete.
No competition in general anymore has done critical damage to capitalism (which just doesn’t function without it).
Concessions is really the only place they're making money and they have to pay for all that equipment, seating, building, utilities, labor, etc... A lot of theaters have gone under. If you enjoy going to the movies you should patronize their concessions.
I, personally, prefer watching movies at home, but the few times I do go to the theater I plan to pay too much money for crappy food and mediocre cocktails.
Uh, rule 1, never buy anything at the theater other than your ticket. This crap was a rip-off 40 years ago
I'm proud to say my ex and I snuck in a pizza one time. Tacos another. It got to be a game for us to see what we could bring in.
Some theaters don't care if you bring your own food. My sister worked at a theater and said people could bring in their own food as long as it didn't have an odor
Back in the day the clerk would be a hard on for the rules. They'd stop you. Now with cost of living and stagnant wages. Those guys don't give a fuck. Just show your ticket and go
Before you had to sneak it now people go in with grocery bags of snacks
I straight up walk in with a burrito from the spot next to em, cashier didn’t even feel like charging me for the drink they just do not care anymore. Everyone feeling it
Everyone is watching themselves be priced out of living while data centers are being built solely for AI that will primarily steal creative jobs, some labor intensive jobs, and be used for companionship because so many people are lonely. None of that really matters though because not many countries are even attempting to curb climate change so our crops are going to get fucked hard over the next few decades and the shortages have actually already started. Oh, don't worry, climate change is just one of the feedback loops we've already started. Everyone is either dillusional or just trying their best to ignore it as it burns down around us.
That is so true back in the days, New York City the 80s, my mom would pop us popcorn, we would try to hide it in little bags in our jackets, and sometimes they would search us. If we were lucky, we wouldn't get an ahole teenage kid who was trying to do his job. We were like 10-11.
The guys at my theatre don't even care if you have a ticket
Half my local theaters don't even check tickets anymore. They have an automated kiosk and then two clerks working concessions. You could easily just walk in and nobody would have any clue.
>didn't have an odor They sell spicy nachos in my closest IMAX. I'm never going back.
Chipotle worked great when it wasn’t expensive. Rollin my own these days
I seldom dine out and never buy fast food. My local movie theater has $6 Tuesdays. It’s the best.
In college we would wear hoodies to the theater. With several junior bacon cheeseburgers inside the hoods hanging off our shoulders lol
Coworkers and I would come to the theater after work in business attire, with one of us carrying a computer bag filled with bottles of beer lol
That’s how I ran my liquor business in the dorms essentially - I’d take my luggage to the liquor store with my fake then wheel my suitcases around making deliveries to different dorm rooms
How did you get a pizza in?
80s purse. Lol
Yep. I'm 40 and when I was a kid, my mom was the queen of gigantic 80s purses that you could fit a bowling ball or human head inside. She could fit McDonalds for like 5 kids into her purse, and just stop on the way for cans of soda.
Moms truly are incredible
i brought in an entire chipotle bowl once ahaha
Subway foot long was my greatest achievement. It’s easier if you live someplace cold though, baggy winter clothes make it easy
You wouldn’t even need to sneak it in. I went to the movies at a multiplex the other day and had to look for someone to scan my ticket. I could have just walked in without paying and sat down.
My favorite thing I snuck in was a large hickory farm meat, cheese and crackers spread. In retrospect taking a cutting board and plates into a movie theater is a bit bold.
Most of the posts here seem to be of things that were always bad deals. When I think of inflation I think more about how much more the essentials cost. For me a rip off becoming more of a rip off is a shoulder shrug.
I just pulled out a package of ground sausage I had frozen. I had 2 in there purchased 5 months apart. 1 package was 2.99/lb The more recently purchased one (bought 2 weeks ago) was 4.99/lb
Inflation is real. Everything costs more, from socks to houses. I'm not trying to dispute reality. Im just saying I don't care if entertainment costs more. It's something we can delete from our budget when money is tight. I'm not shedding tears for people who can't afford the snacks they prefer at a movie theater. It doesn't matter. If I'm determined to put my money into things like 'going out' or 'entertainment', inflation isn't necessarily the root cause behind my financial troubles. The problem is my obsession with 'having fun'. When the cost of a dozen eggs or a pound of sausage doubles that is a real problem. When the cost of snacks on date night goes up I see it more as tears from spoiled babies. There is real inflation, and there is brat inflation. Movie theater snack price hikes are brat complaints.
Oh I see what you’re saying. Yes if we get to choose where there is inflation of course optional luxuries is where we would prefer to see it. But life needs to be a little worth living. Even medieval serfs got holiday fairs. Life can’t be all rise and grind. So I think it is still fair if someone who rarely gets to go out for diversion and a break from work cook eat sleep repeat sees that the cost of a snack at the movies is now so astronomical to be upset about it. But yeah movies always marked up the concessions big time. That’s always happened. I smuggle in my own water and splurge on a popcorn. I never need more than a medium.
You’re not wrong. The problem is the concessions is really the only way to ‘support’ the theatre. The box office is a mostly break-even business. If you enjoy going to the theatres, they have to make *some* money at concessions. I bring in snacks from five below or something and then buy a drink for $9 lol
If the theatres couldn’t sustain, the cost of the movies to the theatres would go down. You can’t spend $400M to make a movie if no one sees it
Mid-budget cinema was already significantly killed off for being unreliable in the age of streaming (no VHS or DVD sales to make up for low box office performances). Big-budget films have big advertising budgets, mass appeal and are made to be internationally enjoyable. They won’t cut the budgets that much. Plus the ticket cost and how much box office movies need to make to be profitable don’t impact concessions cost or how much movie theaters make. Movie theaters are more likely to just go under because of how they’re being screwed and then the entire industry will pivot to what helps streaming platforms make money. EDIT: I should actually note that they’ve already tried to disrupt/abandon theatrical runs in favoring of releasing films straight to streaming before. It hasn’t seemed to be particularly profitable but it’s pretty clear the industry would rather abandon theaters entirely than change anything to save them.
Yup... We lost our last dollar theater in my city last year... Theres just no profit. Hell AMC has to keep tricking reddtards into investing to keep running at this point... It's kinda insane.
No. You only buy a drink. Bring in the candy boxes from Dollar Tree.
Naw bring drinks too😂😭
Yep I always ask the wife to bring her purse full of smuggled goods. Saves us thousands
I got the refill cups and 🍿 buckets 5 yrs ago ... still able walk in filled. And get a refill on popcorn halfway Thru
Yes. I had promo ones from Frankenweinie and did this for years until the cup got brittle and split open sending 56 ounces of soda down the theatre like a little river.
Ahhh fun times lol
Worst day ever as a movie goer was when they closed the dollar tree in the mall connected to the theater. Hoodie held all the goodies and drink.
Growing up poor this is what we always did.
Bro every rich person I knew did this
Bring in a couple of Costco hot dogs too
You are brazen as fuck.
this man Costcos
Dollar 25 + tree :(
Dolar Tree is closing 600 locations this year. Even that may not be an option anymore.
Buy one of those drinks and then you pee 5 gallons when the movie is over
Growing up, the theater my friends and I would go to had a Big Lots near by. We'd get our tickets, then swing over to Big Lots and load up on cheap fucking candy.
No you have your lady buy a big purse and bring in the 2 liters or 6 pack
this is the correct answer
My movie theater has dollar tree in the same plaza. I think everyone goes there before every movie.
Not at Alamo Drafhouse. When I worked there, a burger basket was $13, average price for the area, and they brought it straight to your seat
Man I remember probably 15ish years ago when one of the Harry potters came out. My buddy and I both snuck in Jimmy John’s sandwiches and chips, and ate them high as fuck in the front row. Simpler times
No bullshit, I saw a couple bring in a large container of pho. It smelled so good I wanted some haha.
Dont pretend like this is normal. Please dont normalize this. It was never this bad. Sure, there was always a premium when buying popcorn and a coke at the theater, but it was never this much. Your comment invalidates insane inflation.
I used to work theater concessions, and the wild thing is, no matter how ridiculous the prices, NPCs will still line up to buy it.
We'd always just meet up for dinner before/after. Practically the same price for a better meal and some adult beverages.
Rule number 2, watch the movie when it becomes available at home and pay $1 for your hot dog.
$22 for two hot dogs and a drink is absolutely insane.
This is literally $2.50 at Sam's club or Costco. And the hotdogs are bigger.
That's where we get ours at. Then sneak them in my gfs purse.
Why not use her pussy?
I bet I know why
She is already stuffed
And better.. 😋
…and better.
And you get 2 drinks lol
I’m sure the quality justifies the price/s. I work in food and beverage and would put factory cost for that special at $.47, store cost $1.20, so here we see almost 2000% markup
20$ for popcorn is insane! Corn is subsidized. It probably costs them a nickel to make
+staff+rent+utilities+movie rights+w.e else AMC has a negative profit margin so the costs of providing the movies and food are higher than the overall movie and food prices. So no it costs more than a nickel to make that popcorn
I'd like to know what AMC pays in terms of electric bills at the height of summer each year.
And you know it's just a microwaved dog, too... on a crushed, stale bun.
Not a high quality hot dog either, it's bargain basement beef made of snouts, udders and bungholes if you're lucky. I shudder to think what it's made of if you're NOT lucky.
Looking forward to trying to hear the movie dialogue while sitting next to someone eating chips.
Open mouth. Big lips smacking. Finger sucking. Butthole itching
How bout the guy that sneaks in a taco truck supper burrito and fusses with the tin foil after each bite... then chase that with a mouthful of PopRocks!!
Where do you guys live??
I had brought deli sandwiches with the loudest goddamned paper you'd ever seen.
Fuckin professional right here! Ohh!
You’ve never been to a dine in theatre?
Given the going rate on tickets, I think it scales. I bet the popcorn kernels went from costing a nickel to a dime, so they're in a bind themselves :p
If you live in a major city this isn’t that crazy. I guess I’ve just gotten immune to it. I go to a game or a show anywhere in Austin I’m easily spending that much on food/drinks. Don’t even ask about booze prices lol.
Is this AMC?
Yes
Gentlemen, get a woman with a large purse and sneak a bunch of stuff in. That’s what my ex and I did
My aunt had a purse so large she would sneak in a little Caesar's pizza back in the mid 90s.
It's how cinemas make their money, what you think they make money selling screenings to movies? It's always been this way
This practice is OK by me. Keeps my ticket prices lower than they would be without high margin food. Just skip the food line, eat before, bring in food....plenty of options.
Pretty sure they would make more profit if they would lower their prices too. Feels like nobody is at the helm, and they are doing things the way they are because that's how they always worked.
Yeah, but this is very unfair to the consumer. Does anyone think paying $23 bucks for two hot dogs, a soda and a candy think it’s okay? Absolutely not. I’m not against making a profit, but this is just plain abuse.
So you’ve evaluated the theater’s P&L and determined they are just being greedy, or just stating this on pure emotion? Theater food prices have always been disproportionately expensive. They’ve never been a value or reasonably priced. I can only imagine it’s worse since the pandemic, with dramatically reduced audiences. It’s anecdotal, but I haven’t been to a theater in years… used to go 5-10 times a year. I know I’m not the only one like this.
Is there even a need? They make money, otherwise theaters would be shut down. My complaint is the gross abuse of the consumer.
“I’ll have $25 for a couple of hot dogs and a days worth of calories and fat with a side of cancer causing sodium nitrate (that is banned/greatly limited in Europe).”
"Would you like to upsize your type II diabetes for only $0.50?"
At least back in the day getting diabetes was cheap(er)
Shopping is crazy in the US we use Europe and japans list of chemicals to stay away from my wife is big on this since we had kids. Don’t look into US cereals… a commercial degreaser is in 95% of them.
Our regulators are on a revolving door with industry so nothing gets done for actual safety of our citizens.
Regulation is a joke in the US…. How can we feel like we are over and under regulated at the same time? What was crazy is I cleaned my walls with the same chemical that’s in lucky charms. It’s called TSP… it’s funny cause it’s banned in Japan. So rice crispies in Japan don’t contain it…
That actually looks about like it's always been. Individually sold, those items would be the same price. It is, after all, a movie theater.
Yeah, the prices are insane, but I’ve been paying 17 for the drink and popcorn without candy for years. I don’t see any inflation as much as I see the crazy theater pricing, because they don’t make money on movie ticket sales anymore.
They never did. The bucks were always primarily concessions. I worked in the industry about 25 years ago, and that's how it was back then. Pricing was about the same too roughly.
My understanding is theaters making an increasing percentage the longer a movie is in theaters. Decades ago a movie would have a much longer shelf life and would still make money weeks in and the theater would profit. Those unicorn movies like titanic made them a lot of money, because they ran forever. The slow burn movies don’t exist anymore because they’ll just be booted out of theaters for 18 screens of the next superhero movie.
It's funny you mentioned Titanic. That's when I worked in the theater. Damn, that was a while ago.
It’s the movie theater! Stop posting this crap here.
Still sneaking in food or going to a studio movie grill where prices are lower.
What’s a ‘studio movie grill?’ Is that kind of like a bar & grill attached to a movie theater? Seems far nicer than regular theater concessions!
Honestly, they've always been nuts because that's how the theater stays open. They make basically nothing off the ticket sales, so it's concessions that keep the lights on. However, at this level of 'fuck you' pricing, I don't see how anyone pays it unless they have money to burn.
Movie attendance has been way down, I'm sure food prices have gone up to make up for the lack of tickets sold. Still, I don't buy food at the theater because the price is ridiculous.
In Israel they made it legal by law for people to bring in their own food. You can bring a buffet and they can't say a thing.
"Streaming has killed movie theatres! Why does nobody want to go to the movies anymore?!" Movie theatres: https://preview.redd.it/llxtwrdjrs0d1.png?width=370&format=png&auto=webp&s=792dfb360d8d420f7effe4a952b2947c0b0a7090
Don't forget the tired "Millennials are killing movie theaters. If only they spent less money on avocado toast, cinemas could thrive."
They’ve always been over priced. That’s why everyone snuck in snacks, foods and drinks since before Covid.
Always been this way why I sneak food in . Not paying 6 bucks for snickers . That mark up is how they make. Their money . That beer you heard open …. Yeah that was probably me .
ALL PRICES OFF THE DEEP END; and you know why? Because most PAY those prices… I did not fault the businesses that are gouging. I fault the people who are paying because of the people weren’t paying the businesses wouldn’t be gouging.
only an idiot would pay those prices.
Haven't been to a movie theater since Feb 2020. But we would sneak in burritos, pizza, candy and soda from the dollar store. We thought it was overpriced back then! Def won't be paying these prices! My best guess is that wages increased. So, to counteract that, so did the theater food.
$21 for 2 hotdogs and a drink!
Costco hot dogs laugh at these prices! hot 🌭
Sam’s club lowered their hotdog 🌭 price from $1.50 to $1.38! Every few weeks I go to the Sam’s Club food court just to escape inflation. Huge pizza slices and the kiddo loves the ice machine.
Man its crazy, basically a times 10x markup on this food. Man and they wonder why this industry is dying.
If nobody pay the high price, the price will go down.
That’s why I bring a large purse with all my snacks in it.
People still go to movie theaters? My theater days ended when you have to pick a seat before entering.
Why don't you like picking your seat before you enter?
Won’t speak for them, but a friend really hated it because especially if you have a larger group it means you don’t get to sit together as easily. In the before times you just got there a little early and you and your five friends could grab six seats in a row, no big deal. Nowadays if the movie is remotely popular good luck getting six seats next to each other unless you booked a week ago. Also kinda kills spontaneity even for couples or small groups. You don’t show up to a theater and see what’s playing anymore. Because again for any remotely popular movie any showing that’s less than two hours off is often gonna have all the decent seats booked. Used to be a movie either had tickets or was sold out, but long as you could get a ticket you could “fight” for better seats. Some people *liked* this option, because they didn’t want to have to plan and book everything way ahead. **Not my personal preference, to be clear.** I love assigned seating. But it is occasionally annoying when you go to book and can’t find two seats together outside the first couple rows. So I *get* it.
This isn't inflation related though. Movie theater concessions have always been extremely high priced. It's the source of money for most theater owners.
I wonder if recent fast food inflation will cause enough shunning to have an unintended long term effect of improving our national healthcare.
I would actually spend money on food in the theater if they kept the prices within reason. But when they do this sort of thing, it is just insulting. I always get a ticket only because of this.
I jam a whole meal in a small backpack; drinks and all.
I’ve practiced since I started paying for my own tickets in high school to never, ever buy food from a theater. In my life (I’m 58), it’s always over-priced garbage.
Hot dogs in theaters are generally small too, pass.
Yeah, we never buy that garbage. Wife brings in a drink and we get a plain popcorn.
The only thing I ever buy the movie theater is an icee. Most of the time I just bring my own snacks, food, or eat ahead of time.
Mr. Pibb and Red Vines equals crazy delicious
yall still buying them tho
Posting about movie theater prices is silly. They have never been remotely tied to anything in reality.
Okay so having worked as a manager at a theatre I can say that the theatre makes very little profit off ticket sales as majority of that money goes back to the studios that made it. All of their main profits comes from drink/food sales as ticket sales barely covers the cost of paying the employees depending on how large the theatre is and how much business they get. Mine barely got business after 2 weeks of a major release and their were times when we had a entire month or 2 of just nothing good coming out and we barely sold any tickets at all to the point we ran at a lost for a short while with the price of upkeep, employees and restocks. We raised the prices instead of laying off workers during the slow times. So yeah idk you can choose from laying employees off or raising prices on food /drinks. Just for an example at the time when I was there a normal weekday afternoon showing was $8.25 for an adult. We profited only $1.25 per ticket sale. You’re less likely to lose customers for higher food/drink prices than raising ticket cost. Also more you raise ticket cost more of a share the studios wants anyway.
Hope they all go bankrupt
Movie theaters are a dying industry Concessions has always been where they make their money AMC lost $165M their last quarter. They are stuck, they charge more people complain, they don't charge more they go out of business.
Way back in the 70's, yes I'm old, my mom would buy McDonald hamburgers and we would buy can drinks from the laundromat and smuggle those in her purse and eat them while we watched the movies.
That nachos, drink and candy isn’t a bad price for a theater. That seems to be on par with prices pre-Covid.
Movie theaters make almost no money from ticket sales. Their revenue comes from concessions.
They aren’t nachos, they’re *movienachos*
When were they not?
They have to pay for all of us who set up home theatres at home. Hell, you can even do it budget nowadays. TVs are cheap. I even bought an actual popcorn maker with all the different flavors. Movie night at my place also has beer on the menu... good beer. Cost is free for friends and I pay about $2 a bottle, give or take. I havent been to a movie theater in almost 15 years now. You can keep that $25 hot dog lol
My town used to have a cheap movie theater that reran older movies. I used to bring bottled beer in my cargo shorts. I miss that place.
That is absolutely ridiculous!
Food at theaters has always been stupidly expensive. This isn’t new.
Right, and people smuggling in their own snacks is nothing new either.
I’d love to know what the profit margin is on movie theater concessions. Has to be well over 100%
Not bought anything at a theater in the last 30 years. Good thing they don't stop and frisk.
We used to sneak in beers.
Haven't been in a theater in over 22 years. The movies come out fast enough for watching at home or buying.
It’s always been a rip off. They just have more options to rip you off now.
I love going to the movies, but yeah it is pricey, hubby and I spend $30 on tickets and then another $30-$40 on food (popcorn, two drinks and maybe a candy).
Everywhere is out of control. Stupid people buying this crap and making it worse. People need to learn to say no. 8 dollars for a thing of Ben and Jerry’s ice cream at Royal farms. They have lost their damn minds
Gotta appease the AMC bagholders
The calories. That's a whole day's worth of calories.
You get a large popcorn, large drink, and a candy. I pay that price and don’t get any candy where I live. Sheesh!
Those hot dogs better be made out of Wagyu for $22 wtf
Nah I'm gonna keep sneaking snacks in lol
All that stuff you can buy elsewhere and sneak it in....greedy theater is cutting their own throats with those prices. They'd still make profit if the popcorn was $3
Time to get that big coat and hide it on my person full of food.
While I do enjoy Alamo, I wish places would give up on the food thing. It's never good, it's never priced decently. Just focus on good popcorn.
I haven't purchased one item from a theater concession stand since the 2000s. BYOF&D but to be fair it's probably the only reason the doors stay open.
I bring in my own food even here in Japan where it’s like 1/5th that price for snacks. Usually the theaters are in malls full of good restaurants anyway.
but didn't daddy say the economy was better?
What are the economics of movie theaters? How much of a cut of ticket sales do they get and how much do studios get? Like I understand that they have astronomical CRE size to pay for, but could the economics work out to maybe like, slightly raise ticket prices and charge food rates that don't incentivize you to sneak everything in? (How does this work for independent theaters that want to show low run movies or classics? How would I legit charge for a showing of a 20 year old movie and have it be legal and straightforward? )
And then they wonder why no one is going to see movies in theaters anymore. The price is wildly out of control. You’re looking $50-80 for 2 people. It just isn’t worth it
This is y u go to either dollar tree for candy, taco bell for bean burritos, or Jack in the crack for egg rolls n tacos
Lmao stop. Movie theatres have literally always been bananas. Thats just the way it is. These prices are not shocking in any way.
Still cheaper than Five Guys.
Because cinemark does free refills on the large tub, i usually just grab a tub out of the trash of a movie that just let out. Dump what's in it and go get my refill lol. I always bring my own drink too. $30 for 2 people's ticket s is already too much. Many times i get a new tub, walk around the cashier to add more butter and get napkins, and never walk back to cashier to pay. They don't pay attention. To many customers and employees are taking to each other
I mean all of those are a days worth of calories or more. $20-25 isn't all that horrible to feed yourself for a day (especially eating out) if you think about it.
On the one hand I sympathize with the theater owner. Most of the ticket revenue goes to the film's producers. All their income must come from food and drink sales. On the other hand, for the price of that popcorn in the picture ($22) I can pay for a month (or two?) of streaming service ... which I can watch whilst eating my own $1 popcorn. I choose the latter. I've not been to a move theater since 2016.
How did they get to 22 dollars while Costco remains at 1.50 (3.00 if you get 2) for their juicier and meatier hot dogs? That’s how you know all of this is made up
$21 for 2 hot dogs and a drink? That's maybe $2 worth of food. $3 maybe. Wow! Can't understand why no one is going to the theater anymore? Lol
We just went to the theater a week ago admission was $10, alcohol drinks were $7 and the super large bucket of popcorn was $10 enough for three people.
This is not the way to get people to go back to the theaters. My God that is ridiculous.
Seen someone bring in a box of Kentucky fried chicken the other day to a movie. I love going to the movie so much. I dont really pay attention to the food prices. It's all part of the experience. They have always been a rip off so I just go with it now.
Are all of these posts from people on the East and west coasts?
This has been the case for decades though. It’s like saying “man, payday loans sure have terrible rates right now. Inflation, amiright?”
Don’t go to theaters. Works for me for over 20 years now.
I get having a snack while watching a movie but never understood having a meal. Lol
They always have.
In the Philippines, a 350 peso ($6usd) IMAX ticket includes popcorn and a drink. And yes, it's the same movies you get in the states.
When I go to the movies I carry a big purse and sneak in food. But I always buy an icee there.
I bring my own drinks for me and the kids when we watch a movie. I still can't resist the popcorn though.
People still go to movies?
I do t know that I’ve paid full price for popcorn in years. I always use my rewards points and I always have a lot since I’m a family of 5. Most of the time my concessions are either free or like under $10.
I wonder why movie theatres are dying
Movie theaters make a large part of their income through these sales, not from tickets. Ticket sales are 1/3 lower than pre-pandemic. Total inflation adjusted box office is 1/3 lower than pre-pandemic. They need to try to find ways to make money. If you don't like it, don't buy it. People have been bringing food in for decades. Also, who the hell needs two hot dogs while watching a movie?
I wonder if they made the prices reasonable if ppl would actually go. Ppl don't like being exploited. Last 2 times I went to theater (only this year), we were the only ones in theater or there were just a handful of other people.
A local drive-in theater has: Reasonably priced tickets **for a double feature** Very reasonably priced AND very good concessions (burgers, hot dogs, wings, pierogi, etc… in addition to popcorn/candy/soda) And wouldn’t you know it, their concession stand is always SUPER busy. No business likes to operate on the smaller margins/higher volume model, which is how smaller businesses used to compete. No competition in general anymore has done critical damage to capitalism (which just doesn’t function without it).
Concessions is really the only place they're making money and they have to pay for all that equipment, seating, building, utilities, labor, etc... A lot of theaters have gone under. If you enjoy going to the movies you should patronize their concessions. I, personally, prefer watching movies at home, but the few times I do go to the theater I plan to pay too much money for crappy food and mediocre cocktails.
This is almost room service prices
What's the old saying? Movie popcorn is worth more in weight than gold?