Last weekend I took my son to see Spirit. It was his first theatre experience, and seeing him sitting there with a bag of popcorn covering his entire torso was well worth the obnoxious 4.50 (medium!!) that I paid. Granted, I stood in line again to trade sad, tired, cold popcorn for sad, tired, warmer popcorn, but still worth the effort. But yeah, cookies, water and candy came along in my purse. Has anyone tried those Grandma’s Lemon Cheesecake cookies??
Heh. The best way to get over a popcorn addiction is to work at a theatre. All the popcorn you can eat. After a month, you’re sick of it.
Of course, you get far more tolerant of high prices…
I am curious.
If the theaters lowered their prices, wouldn’t more people buy snacks?
or is that wishful thinking?
I would- last week Allan paid $4.00 for a small bottled water. That’s just plain silly.
Zette
What is a small? Is it 20 oz.? That’s what I bought the other day; it was a Dasani and cost $2.75.
I’m diabetic, and there’s just not that many good choices for me at the concession stand. Sure, I can eat a small popcorn, if I skip the salt and butter…but what’s the point? So I smuggle in a good drink for myself (I can’t tolerate much caffeine, which puts diet cola RIGHT out, and that’s usually the only diet drink available) and a healthier snack than the theater offers. When I was able to eat the candy, I noticed that most of it was stale, stale, stale. I think that if they lowered the prices a bit, they’d sell more, and be able to keep fresher stock.
I used to work in a theater*, and I can tell you that Cervaise has explained the economics of it very well indeed. I think, though, that the distributors and exhibitors are going to have to find a new business model fairly soon, as more and more people will just rent a movie, or watch cable, except for very special films. Both the exhibitors and the distributors probably want people to see at least one film every couple of weeks. But for many people, the cost of going out is too high to see a mediocre film.
*My main function was to run the box office and pop corn(not at the same time!). We popped it as much as 5 days in advance, and kept it in huge yellow plastic bags until it was needed. Then we put it into popcorn warming bins. It still tasted pretty good. And yeah, I still love popcorn, even though I was able to eat as much as I wanted while I was popping.
I admit that I really like bringing in some Bit’O’Honey in my purse. I’ve only smuggled one drink in ever - a 20 oz Diet Coke.
I went to see a movie last night with the SO. We have a decent/big theatre in town (about two blocks from our place) that shows films for $2. Last night we saw Monsters, Inc. Normal price for tickets is $7.50. I purchased the tickets and my SO promptly looked at me and said, “I need a drink - I’m dying of thirst!” She then bought nachos and a soda and spent $9. That’s just a lot of money for nachos and soda, especially when it cost us all of $4 to get into the show!
Tibs.
I routinely smuggle in a soda and candy. I’ve been known to get fresh-popped popcorn at Target and bring that in, too. I’m sorry that the exhibitors have a raw deal - they need to consolidate and negotiate a better deal. After all, the distributors need them as much as they need the distributor. But that’s their problem. My budget is my problem. And to be fair, I’ll often go see a movie several times, increasing their revenue each time.
StG
When I was in college, my friends and I would eat whole meals in the local independent movie theatre. I remember passing pizza and chinese take-out down the row. We used to compete as to who could give the most blood-curdling scream during Creature from the Black Lagoon. People also smoked in that theatre and not just cigarettes. Now in our neighborhood there is a dinner theatre where you can sit at tables and eat while you watch the movie.
No, I do that too. A couple of miniatures of bourbon to spike my coke with, and I’m a happy viewer. Never tried beer, though…seems like that would be pretty obvious. But here in Portland, we’re lucky enough to have several theaters that serve pizza and beer. 
I don’t smuggle anything in. I just watch the movie. I prefer to eat my meals at a table, with light to see by. Okay, or at a coffee table, in front of the TV.
Last time I went, I took 2 soft tacos from Taco Bell, a pck of M&M’s, and a small bottle of rum. Mmmm… Tacos.
I’ll bring in something to drink (usally juice, usally a can), and something to munch on during the slow/boring parts of the movie. If I feel like eating popcorn, I’ll buy it at the concession stand (extra artificial butter-flavored grease please!), or if I get really thirsty I’ll get a soda also. The most I’ve gotten in is a six-pack of soda and a few snack-sized bags of chips. (Baggy jean jacket with HUGE inside pockets, plus purse.)
Normally I make sure I have something to eat/drink beforehand though, so I won’t be distracted by my thirst/hunger/munching if it is a really good movie. (And if it isn’t… well… that’s what the games on the cell phone are for.) 
<< If all else fails, use a bigger weapon. >>
I have a different perspective on this issue, having worked at many a movie theater in my life. I’m now a manager at one (yeah, boo me later).
In all honesty, nobody you’re going to meet at the theater level gives a damn about what you bring in, so long as you have the courtesy to HIDE it. We know concessions are outrageously priced and trust me, most staff members sympathize. When you get yelled at about it ten times a day, you have to develop an attitude of indifference, though.
The corporate operations people decide the prices and put the demands to stop outside food and drink. There’s lots of theory and rationale behind it (see Cervaise’s excellent link), but it all boils down to this: in order to keep the job, the usher does what he’s told and becomes the food police. If you’ve got a whole dinner with you in a plastic bag, nobody’s going to stop you because we assume it’s leftovers. But if you come in with a two-pound bag of M&Ms and a two liter, we’ve got to stop you.
So bring your food in, but please have the courtesy to hide it or be prepared to explain your dietary needs to the manager. Probably the ushers and other staff consider it a kind of nose-thumbing to the corporation they work for when they let you sneak something in.
And lastly, if you’re going to sneak something in, be a decent human being and clean it up yourself. The amount of garbage people leave behind is ridiculous enough to make me want to pit rant, but when you leave your brought-in food wrappers and soda bottles we really get resentful and if we see you again we will probably be snide. And while I totally understand the desire for liquor at theaters, glass containers can be a huge problem if they break, so please be careful.
Back when I was poor and childless, I used to sneak candy and soda in my purse into the show, but now that I have kids I won’t anymore. If we’re on a budget, we rent a movie or make do with one small popcorn and one small drink to share at the theater. But sneaking stuff in feels wrong to me so I can’t justify it to my kids. Paying $13.50 for one bottle of water, 2 small sodas and two boxes of candy that cost $1.49 apiece anywhere else is ridiculous, but it’s part of the movie experience. The most I might do next time is bring in an empty water bottle for myself to fill at the drinking fountain inside and save the $2.50 but the candy, soda and popcorn will be purchased from the theater if we want it. Of course, I have also been teaching my kids we use very quiet voices in the theater, we don’t put our feet on the seats and we throw away our garbage when the movie’s over. Even with the movie-nazi mom, they seem to enjoy the whole experience and do actually watch the movie, rather than acting as if the whole theater is their personal playground.
I usually smuggle in some diet caffeine-free soda (need to avoid caffeine & prefer diet soda to regular), and a little chocolate if I want it. Then I buy popcorn there. And every now and then I’ll splurge and get a regular diet Coke there. I’d probably buy my drinks at the concession stands more often if they had a diet choice that wasn’t caffeinated–besides the $3 20-oz bottles of water!
OK, stupid. If you want to pay for two day old popcorn that probably has been in contact with mouse doody, you go right ahead.
No kidding. I worked in a movie theater for about six months, years ago. Popcorn was only popped fresh on any given day if we ran out of the pre-popped stuff. The manager usually had us pop a 2-3 day supply during the week, which was then stored in bags and brought downstairs to that glass case when the theater opened, or when supplies needed to be replenished.
Of course, we had mice in the theater, which would not only get into Helena’s popcorn supplies, but would also nibble on the candy. Helena blamed the staff, saying we had mice because we didn’t keep the break room clean. What the mice would want with Stephanies homework or my copy of Scientific American, she never quite explained to us.
Sorry to rock your little world, kiddo.
Great, now you’re souring my hopes to see Spider-Man this weekend.
If you get a nasty letter from Sony, don’t blame me.
(Actually, given the kind of junk I usually eat, mouse doodie would probably be a nutritional improvement )
I bring in sugar-free Jelly Bellies (yum). Both Downtown Disney and CitiWalk have large megaplexes and neither one sell anything sugar-free, but the stores around them do.
With several restaurants surrounding the theatres, the management half expects people to run in with bags of leftovers from lunch or dinner. I had some leftover chicken alfredo - certainly beats a half-cooked hot dog. I’ve finally learned never to buy a hot dog for the first show of the day; they are usually far undercooked, and it’s a real pain in the rear going back to the concession stand.
I often take in my own Subway Club. I’ve also taken in slices of Sbarro pizza if we happen to be at the mall theater.
I feel like I’ve earned it since I go to the movies at least once, many times twice a week, and I always buy at least a Coke.
The little teenagers who work there have GOT to know I have food, but I’m a regular, and they don’t give a rat’s ass anyway.