# BYO Movie Snacks and Drinks-A Do or a Don't? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [January 25, 2015, 1:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/byo-movie-snacks-and-drinks-a-do-or-a-dont/710809 "2015-01-25T01:17:15Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 6
**Author:** ![TBG](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c89c15/32.png) [@TBG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TBG)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2015, 1:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/byo-movie-snacks-and-drinks-a-do-or-a-dont/710809/101 "2015-01-27T01:56:58Z")
For the most part I don’t sneak anything in because I’m just not very stealthy and couldn’t pull it off, but sometimes I bring some cough drops or hard candy or something like that in my pockets. I really don’t buy snacks much (for movies, I mean), but I gotta have a drink. ---
**Author:** ![Helena330](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/helena330/32/531_2.png) [@Helena330](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Helena330)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2015, 1:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/byo-movie-snacks-and-drinks-a-do-or-a-dont/710809/102 "2015-01-27T01:59:00Z")
> [@Shakes](#): > > Of course not. I already covered this. People like you are an expected part of their business plan. > > Let’s just say for example it’s expected that 10% of movie patrons will not buy concessions. > \*\*What’s NOT expected is an additional 10% of customers sneaking in with their own food and avoiding the concession stand. > > So now their business model just went from the projected 10% to 20%. Because the only reason those extra 10% aren’t buying popcorn is because they brought their own food with them.\*\* > > Someone up thread mentioned mentioned what their doing isn’t actually stealing under the letter of the law. Well yes, that’s right of course. But what would you call it when a company doesn’t make all the profit it would have because the customer didn’t follow the rules like they were supposed to? What you fail to address is that food sneakers wouldn’t necessarily buy food from the theatre if they didn’t sneak it. When theaters start offering some healthy choices, then maybe I’ll leave my raw almonds and pita chips at home. If I couldn’t bring them, I just wouldn’t buy anything. I do occasionally buy a small popcorn because the smell gets to me, and am usually disappointed. How do you know theaters don’t already project for food sneakers? They know it happens. ---
**Author:** ![Grrr](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/grrr/32/146_2.png) [@Grrr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grrr)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2015, 2:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/byo-movie-snacks-and-drinks-a-do-or-a-dont/710809/103 "2015-01-27T02:14:03Z")
> [@Helena330](#): > > What you fail to address is that food sneakers wouldn’t necessarily buy food from the theatre if they didn’t sneak it. When theaters start offering some healthy choices, then maybe I’ll leave my raw almonds and pita chips at home. If I couldn’t bring them, I just wouldn’t buy anything. I do occasionally buy a small popcorn because the smell gets to me, and am usually disappointed. > > How do you know theaters don’t already project for food sneakers? They know it happens. I’ve already addressed this at least twice. Look at my last response (post 100 I believe) and get back to me. ---
**Author:** ![CGav8r](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/34f0e0/32.png) [@CGav8r](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CGav8r)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2015, 2:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/byo-movie-snacks-and-drinks-a-do-or-a-dont/710809/104 "2015-01-27T02:32:23Z")
My wife has certain allergies, so we smuggle in food sometimes. Now it turns out we are unethical. I’m just hoping we don’t bankrupt our local AMC cinema. Couldn’t live with myself, if that happens. ---
**Author:** ![Jake\_Jones](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e0b2c6/32.png) [@Jake\_Jones](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jake_Jones)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2015, 3:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/byo-movie-snacks-and-drinks-a-do-or-a-dont/710809/105 "2015-01-27T03:15:19Z")
> [@davidm](#): > > It’s seems odd that the entire movie industry is dependent on the public’s taste for popcorn. > > I’m not saying it’s not true, just that it’s counter-intuitive to how we expect capitalism to work. [It is odd.](http://www.todayifoundout.com/index.php/2014/11/united-states-v-paramount-movie-theater-concessions-got-expensive/) > [@](#): > > During the first few weeks of a movie’s run, the studio receives the bulk of gross ticket sales. While the details vary based on deals between the theaters and the distributors, it’s quite common for the theater to fork over 90%-95% of the revenue from the film on week one, perhaps 80% on week two, etc. By the end of the movie’s run, when the fewest people are going to see a film, the theater is taking in the lion’s share of the gross. When averaging the whole run, the theater might only get 20%-30% of the gross ticket sales, with these numbers varying a bit based on a variety of factors. 20-30% gross profit sounds not bad, right? When you get to the 85% gross profit they make on the concessions, you might get angry. Until you hear that their overall net profit after overhead (employees, insurance, property cost, heating and cooling massive venues, etc.) is 4%. I mean, that’s surely a nice chunk of change at the end of the year, but I can’t get all indignant about a company that has the temerity to earn \*\*four fucking percent profit! \*\* > [@](#): > > What this all means is that the theater must find other ways to make money outside of ticket sales. The solution is to charge ridiculous prices for concessions, which nonetheless is necessary for them to stay in business at all, at least given the way things are done today. (The concession hike began in earnest around the 1970s.) **For reference, even with the exorbitantly high prices on food items, only about 4% of a theater’s gross revenue in a given year is profit, despite typically around an 85% profit margin on concession sales themselves** , according to Australian market research company IBISWorld. > > So, as 55 year veteran of the movie theater business Jack Oberleitner observed, theaters have “left the movie business and [are] now in the popcorn business.” So, I agree, it is odd. And counter-intuitive and true. [It also makes sense](http://www.gsb.stanford.edu/insights/why-does-movie-popcorn-cost-so-much). The cinemas keep the ticket prices low so they don’t lose the most price sensitive demographic and earn the bulk of their profit from the least price sensitive demographic. They also lose potential profit from people like me who don’t have much interest in eating or drinking in theaters. They also lose potential profit from people who do want to eat and drink in theaters, but don’t want to pay for the privilege. The difference is, one of us is following the rules of the business we are patronizing, the other is circumventing them. As I said earlier, it’s an ethical transgression. Ethical deriving from the Greek word “ethos” meaning character. It’s not ethical to circumvent the rules of a business because you don’t agree with them. I don’t claim to be 100% ethical in all of my actions, but I own my transgressions. As **Shakes** said: > [@Shakes](#): > > Seriously, I could have a lot more respect for you if you would just admit: “yeah, I know it’s wrong, but fuck it!” While I’ve generally been in support of **Shakes** here, I should also add that comparing snack snack smuggling to outright theft is also False Equivalence (and kind of silly). I have another response or two, so I’ll leave it at that for now. ---
**Author:** ![levdrakon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/49beb7/32.png) [@levdrakon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/levdrakon)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2015, 3:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/byo-movie-snacks-and-drinks-a-do-or-a-dont/710809/106 "2015-01-27T03:31:07Z")
Boy, if theaters are now in the popcorn business, they suck at it. The popcorn is usually okay, but I can’t remember that last time I was impressed with it. They should have ten flavors of gourmet popcorn you can’t get anywhere else. ---
**Author:** ![Peremensoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ce7236/32.png) [@Peremensoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peremensoe)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2015, 3:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/byo-movie-snacks-and-drinks-a-do-or-a-dont/710809/107 "2015-01-27T03:36:14Z")
> [@Helena330](#): > > What you fail to address is that food sneakers wouldn’t necessarily buy food from the theatre if they didn’t sneak it. When theaters start offering some healthy choices, then maybe I’ll leave my raw almonds and pita chips at home. If I couldn’t bring them, I just wouldn’t buy anything. Exactly. If I bring something, it’s not to avoid “temptation,” it’s to avoid the garbage they sell. > [@levdrakon](#): > > Boy, if theaters are now in the popcorn business, they suck at it. The popcorn is usually okay, but I can’t remember that last time I was impressed with it. They should have ten flavors of gourmet popcorn you can’t get anywhere else. I would settle for genuine fresh-popped, with real butter. The couple places that I’ve been that actually had that, I was more than happy to buy it. Curiously, it was also cheaper. ---
**Author:** ![chargerrich](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chargerrich/32/5399_2.png) [@chargerrich](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chargerrich)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2015, 3:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/byo-movie-snacks-and-drinks-a-do-or-a-dont/710809/108 "2015-01-27T03:47:18Z")
> [@Hail\_Ants](#): > > Theaters make 99.8% of their profits from the concession counter. Cite? /hyperbolic 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Grrr](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/grrr/32/146_2.png) [@Grrr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grrr)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2015, 3:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/byo-movie-snacks-and-drinks-a-do-or-a-dont/710809/109 "2015-01-27T03:49:49Z")
> [@Procrustus](#): > > There are rules we should follow and there are rules that are optional. That doesn’t equal “thinking the rules don’t apply to you.” LOL, I can’t believe I missed this the first time around. No rules, by its very definition are not “optional”, what you’re thinking of is “requests”. Even if they were optional, who gets to decide which rules are to be followed and which are not? ---
**Author:** ![tenacious\_j](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/439d5e/32.png) [@tenacious\_j](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tenacious_j)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2015, 4:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/byo-movie-snacks-and-drinks-a-do-or-a-dont/710809/110 "2015-01-27T04:12:39Z")
> [@Spud](#): > > Apparently you have never been to a professional sporting event. The NFL requires clear bags of a certain size rather than a purse so they can see what you are bringing in. They then charge you $6 for a beer that I can buy at the liquor store for around $1 and something close to that for a Hot Dog. The last several Major League Baseball games I’ve been to have allowed me to carry in candy, nuts, chips, Subway sandwiches, and plastic bottled soft drinks. Which begs me to argue that I have heard this same argument with regard to stadiums- that they make their profit on the overpriced concessions, not admissions. If that is true, how can they allow carry-ins? > [@Cheesesteak](#): > > Really? They’re not expecting this? > > They sell $1 boxes of candy for 3, .25 of soda for 5 and .50 of popcorn for $7, and they’re NOT expecting folks to bring in their own snacks? > > Their system is to get me in the door with a loss leader then fuck me over on snacks. If they don’t expect people to game that system, they’re just dumb. I agree that the loss of cinema revenue to smuggled concessions must be built into their strategy. It’s been going on as long as anyone can remember, and management would have to be severely brain damaged not to be aware of it and build in the expectation. ---
**Author:** ![Jake\_Jones](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e0b2c6/32.png) [@Jake\_Jones](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jake_Jones)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2015, 4:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/byo-movie-snacks-and-drinks-a-do-or-a-dont/710809/111 "2015-01-27T04:14:13Z")
> [@Hilarity\_N.Suze](#): > > After all, it is not stealing if I go to a hotel, and they have Funyuns in the mini-bar, only I don’t want to pay $9 for a small bag of Funyuns so I go buy some at a nearby Walgreens and bring them into my hotel room because now I have a craving for Funyuns. > [@Jake\_Jones](#): > > False equivalence. The minibar in a hotel room is not anywhere close to being its primary profit center. Despite the [high prices](http://www.economist.com/blogs/gulliver/2013/04/hotel-minibars), many hotels consider them a [loss leader](http://www.wsj.com/articles/SB10001424053111904537404576554441363020606) and are getting rid of them. Comparing hotel room minibars with cinema snack bars is not anywhere close to reality. > [@Hilarity\_N.Suze](#): > > Why not? Hotel room: they are renting you a place to sleep and park your stuff, but they also have overpriced food you can buy, or not. Movie: They are showing you some entertainment and giving you a place to park your butt for a couple of hours, but they also have overpriced food you an buy, or not. > > Anyway what I was doing was giving two examples of not stealing. I agree that neither was an example of theft and also just clarified my opinion that movie snack smuggling is not theft, period. I should have made that point earlier as I was supporting most of **Shakes** arguments other than that one. **bienville** already made an argument supporting equivalence between cinemas and bars. Consider carefully the profit motives of bars and cinemas as you read it: > [@bienville](#): > > No, **Baker** ’s analogy is sound (though, I’ll improve upon it in a moment). > > _Your_ primary purpose for going to a movie theater is to watch a movie. The _theater_’s primary purpose is to make money. The way that they make money is by selling concessions. The movie is just how they attract patrons. > > To improve upon **Baker** ’s analogy: > It’s like when a bar has a cover charge because there is a band playing and you pay the cover because you want to see the band. Once you pay your cover charge, you are under no obligation to purchase booze from the bar\*, but you can not bring in your own booze. > The bar’s (theater’s) primary purpose is to make money. The way that they make money is by selling booze (concessions). The live music (movie) is just how they attract patrons. > > \*Some bars that offer entertainment also impose a “1 (or 2) drink minimum”. For the purposes of this analogy, I’m talking about the ones that don’t. If you believe the articles I linked (The Economist and Wall Street Journal) despite the high prices, hotels do not want to be in the minibar business, and many are getting out in favor of vending machines and on site convenience stores. The profit center of a hotel is in rooms, on site dining and on site bars. The minibar is at best a break-even proposition and possibly a loss leader. Cinema concessions are the exact opposite. At a cinema, the concession stand is the main profit center. Movie tickets are at best a break even proposition and possibly a loss leader. There are no rules against bringing your own personal food and beverage into your hotel room. Most hotels will provide delivery menus or recommendations to local bars and restaurants at the front desk. A quick Google search leads me to “No Outside Food or Drink” policies at Regal, AMC and Cinemark, the three largest cinema chains in the US. That is why comparing hotel room minibars with cinema snack bars is not anywhere close to reality. If you choose to reply again, please read the links I’ve recently posted first so you understand my starting point, and I will do the same for any articles you post. ---
**Author:** ![Grrr](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/grrr/32/146_2.png) [@Grrr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grrr)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2015, 4:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/byo-movie-snacks-and-drinks-a-do-or-a-dont/710809/112 "2015-01-27T04:28:28Z")
> [@Jake\_Jones](#): > > I agree that neither was an example of theft and also just clarified my opinion that movie snack smuggling is not theft, period. I should have made that point earlier as I was supporting most of **Shakes** arguments other than that one. For the record, I’m fine with capitulating on the “it’s stealing” bit. Still though, that doesn’t make the act any less unethical. ---
**Author:** ![Jake\_Jones](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e0b2c6/32.png) [@Jake\_Jones](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jake_Jones)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2015, 4:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/byo-movie-snacks-and-drinks-a-do-or-a-dont/710809/113 "2015-01-27T04:31:04Z")
> [@levdrakon](#): > > Boy, if theaters are now in the popcorn business, they suck at it. The popcorn is usually okay, but I can’t remember that last time I was impressed with it. They should have ten flavors of gourmet popcorn you can’t get anywhere else. Consider “popcorn” as a euphemism for all concessions if it makes you feel better, because that’s exactly how it was intended. Also consider the concept of captive audience. If you want to eat and drink in a movie, by agreement with the cinema, you are supposed to only eat and drink the shit they sell there. In most venues, that means they don’t have to produce a product that is impressive. “Doesn’t suck too bad” is usually sufficient. Despite histrionics like this: > [@CGav8r](#): > > My wife has certain allergies, so we smuggle in food sometimes. Now it turns out we are unethical. I’m just hoping we don’t bankrupt our local AMC cinema. Couldn’t live with myself, if that happens. Most people who are physically capable of attending a movie in a cinema have the ability to abstain from eating and drinking for two hours or paying cinema concession prices. ---
**Author:** ![Spud](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spud/32/347_2.png) [@Spud](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spud)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2015, 5:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/byo-movie-snacks-and-drinks-a-do-or-a-dont/710809/114 "2015-01-27T05:03:18Z")
We have a new Micro Brewery/Pub/Theater that is coming soon to our area (Google Flix Brewhouse if you are interested). They serve pub food and beer with your movie. Should I show up with a bag of McDonalds and a six pack of PBR and just tell them that they are too expensive and I just want to enjoy their comfy chairs and wonderful sound and picture? If you think that is not ok… then where do you draw the line on where it becomes ok just because they aren’t serving food at the same level? If you do think it is ok… well I don’t quite know what to say. ---
**Author:** ![typoink](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ecb155/32.png) [@typoink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/typoink)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2015, 5:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/byo-movie-snacks-and-drinks-a-do-or-a-dont/710809/115 "2015-01-27T05:22:18Z")
> [@Peremensoe](#): > > I really don’t want this type of theater to exist, given that they substantially choked out the kinds of theaters I prefer. As a matter of theory, I’d be happy if reduced profit margins on concessions reversed the process. Ding. Agreed. It’s funny, there’s theatres in my city showing obscure-ish movies to 25% full audiences, selling reasonably-priced popcorn with real butter. They seem to stay afloat, and they actually have to pay an employee to run the booth still. The multiplex down the street showing blockbusters to packed houses have to charge double the ticket prices and triple the concessions prices just to stay afloat. Po’ widdle multiplexes. Won’t somebody think of their feelings? ---
**Author:** ![Patch](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/a183cd/32.png) [@Patch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Patch)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2015, 5:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/byo-movie-snacks-and-drinks-a-do-or-a-dont/710809/116 "2015-01-27T05:29:58Z")
> [@tenacious\_j](#): > > Is this really something everyone does? If so, what is the strangest thing you have carried in or seen someone else eat or drink at the movies? How the heck did you or they get it in? Kevin Murphy, in his book _A Year at the Movies_, describes smuggling in a camp table and a complete Thanksgiving dinner with several other people when he caught a movie Thanksgiving day. They set it up on the front row when the lights went out. Beats anything I’ve ever done by a mile. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2015, 5:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/byo-movie-snacks-and-drinks-a-do-or-a-dont/710809/117 "2015-01-27T05:40:58Z")
> [@Shakes](#): > > LOL, I can’t believe I missed this the first time around. > > No rules, by its very definition are not “optional”, what you’re thinking of is “requests”. > > Even if they were optional, who gets to decide which rules are to be followed and which are not? I have a hard and fast rule that no company can charge over a 500% markup. Movie companies violate that rule. Why should a theater get to make rules and I can’t? What authority do they have that I don’t have? My rule is just as valid as theirs is. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2015, 5:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/byo-movie-snacks-and-drinks-a-do-or-a-dont/710809/118 "2015-01-27T05:48:37Z")
> [@Shakes](#): > > No, I never said anything about morality. This is about ethics. > > And you along with others seem to be okay with being ethically corrupt. According to who? The theater thinks it’s unethical for me to bring in my own snacks. I think it’s unethical for the theater to charge a 500% mark-up. Why should I support their unethical behavior? ---
**Author:** ![bienville](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/4bbf92/32.png) [@bienville](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bienville)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2015, 5:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/byo-movie-snacks-and-drinks-a-do-or-a-dont/710809/119 "2015-01-27T05:49:26Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > Why should a theater get to make rules and I can’t? What authority do they have that I don’t have? My rule is just as valid as theirs is. Sure. And if the contract they offer does not respect your rules, you have every right to _not_ enter into a contract with them. Once you’ve bought your ticket, however, you have entered that contract of your own free will. ---
**Author:** ![bienville](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/4bbf92/32.png) [@bienville](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bienville)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2015, 5:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/byo-movie-snacks-and-drinks-a-do-or-a-dont/710809/120 "2015-01-27T05:50:40Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > I think it’s unethical for the theater to charge a 500% mark-up. > > Why should I support their unethical behavior? You don’t have to. Simply choose to not enter into a contract with them. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/byo-movie-snacks-and-drinks-a-do-or-a-dont/710809.md?page=5) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/byo-movie-snacks-and-drinks-a-do-or-a-dont/710809.md?page=7)