# Moviegoers: Do you sneak snacks into the theatre, given the opportunity? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [October 16, 2009, 4:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/moviegoers-do-you-sneak-snacks-into-the-theatre-given-the-opportunity/514049 "2009-10-16T16:55:09Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skald_the_Rhymer)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2009, 4:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/moviegoers-do-you-sneak-snacks-into-the-theatre-given-the-opportunity/514049/1 "2009-10-16T16:55:09Z")
I’m taking my younger nieces out to the movies tonight, which, as always, involves making sure I am wearing a coat with deep pockets, and that the older niece has a big purse, so that we can sneak out food, as I refuse to pay $3.00 for a Hershey bar. I’ll buy nachos, though. ---
**Author:** ![Freudian\_Slit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/5daacb/32.png) [@Freudian\_Slit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Freudian_Slit)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2009, 4:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/moviegoers-do-you-sneak-snacks-into-the-theatre-given-the-opportunity/514049/2 "2009-10-16T16:56:57Z")
Hells, yeah! Usually not anything too elaborate, but I’ll bring a normally priced candy bar in my bag or something if I feel the need. ---
**Author:** ![norinew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/eb9ed0/32.png) [@norinew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/norinew)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2009, 5:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/moviegoers-do-you-sneak-snacks-into-the-theatre-given-the-opportunity/514049/3 "2009-10-16T17:02:21Z")
I have a purse that I normally do not carry. Hubby and I call it our “movie purse” because it is the purse I take with me when we go to the movies. Why? Because it’s empty of all the paraphernalia I carry on a day-to-day basis, and leaves plenty of room for snack food. We will generally stop at Target or someplace like that and get some snack food to take in with us. Not only do movie theaters charge outrageous prices for their junk, but most of the time it’s not even the junk we really like! We do buy a soda at the movie theater. Sometimes, in my movie purse, there’s a mini-waterbottle that’s got some vanilla vodka in it, in case we want to spike the soda, too! 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2009, 5:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/moviegoers-do-you-sneak-snacks-into-the-theatre-given-the-opportunity/514049/4 "2009-10-16T17:04:24Z")
All we ever eat at the movies is popcorn, which is cheap here. A movie reviewer once told me the concession stand was where the cinemas made their money. Ticket sales largely go back to the movie studios, and what little they get to keep for themselves don’t cover diddly-squat. How true is that? I’ve always had more sympathy for the cinemas in the US charging high concession-stand prices ever since I heard that, but is it true? ---
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2009, 5:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/moviegoers-do-you-sneak-snacks-into-the-theatre-given-the-opportunity/514049/5 "2009-10-16T17:14:57Z")
I slavishly follow the rules. Paying $345845 for popcorn and a drink is part of the movie-going experience for me. OK, so I’m a little weird. ---
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2009, 5:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/moviegoers-do-you-sneak-snacks-into-the-theatre-given-the-opportunity/514049/6 "2009-10-16T17:16:56Z")
> [@Siam\_Sam](#): > > How true is that? I don’t know, but when I was a theatre manager, I got a commission from the concessions but not from the box office. Of course the commission was something like 0.01%. And I never did collect that dollar. ---
**Author:** ![filling\_pages](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/b9bd4f/32.png) [@filling\_pages](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/filling_pages)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2009, 5:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/moviegoers-do-you-sneak-snacks-into-the-theatre-given-the-opportunity/514049/7 "2009-10-16T17:24:19Z")
Heck, a friend of mine has a purse big enough to smuggle in two quarts of beer. And we’ve done exactly that a few times. ---
**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:** [October 16, 2009, 5:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/moviegoers-do-you-sneak-snacks-into-the-theatre-given-the-opportunity/514049/8 "2009-10-16T17:31:34Z")
Stoopid Rhymer you left out. No because I love the buttery popcorn goodness they sell in the theaters. Also, I don’t drink sodas with out ice. ---
**Author:** ![Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skald_the_Rhymer)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2009, 5:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/moviegoers-do-you-sneak-snacks-into-the-theatre-given-the-opportunity/514049/9 "2009-10-16T17:33:37Z")
> [@Shakes](#): > > Stoopid Rhymer you left out. No because I love the buttery popcorn goodness they sell in the theaters. Also, I don’t drink sodas with out ice. I didn’t think of that one. Rhymers don’t eat popcorn. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2009, 5:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/moviegoers-do-you-sneak-snacks-into-the-theatre-given-the-opportunity/514049/10 "2009-10-16T17:40:44Z")
Does a flask count as a “snack”? ---
**Author:** ![Olentzero](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/90ced4/32.png) [@Olentzero](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Olentzero)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2009, 5:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/moviegoers-do-you-sneak-snacks-into-the-theatre-given-the-opportunity/514049/11 "2009-10-16T17:54:43Z")
This poll makes me miss the E Street Cinema in DC, where they sold beer at the concession stand. Hell, why sneak one in when they encourage you to consume while viewing?! ETA: Realized I actually have, although it was snacks for the Older Boy who was with me. ---
**Author:** ![blondebear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blondebear/32/1022_2.png) [@blondebear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blondebear)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2009, 6:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/moviegoers-do-you-sneak-snacks-into-the-theatre-given-the-opportunity/514049/12 "2009-10-16T18:15:00Z")
You left out “no, I usually don’t eat anything when I’m at the movies”. 🙂 This thread reminds me of Kevin Murphy’s [A Year at the Movies: One Man’s Filmgoing Odyssey](http://www.amazon.com/Year-Movies-Mans-Filmgoing-Odyssey/dp/0060937866) where he sneaks Thanksgiving dinner into a showing of _Monsters, Inc_. ---
**Author:** ![norinew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/eb9ed0/32.png) [@norinew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/norinew)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2009, 6:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/moviegoers-do-you-sneak-snacks-into-the-theatre-given-the-opportunity/514049/13 "2009-10-16T18:16:12Z")
> [@Olentzero](#): > > This poll makes me miss the E Street Cinema in DC, where they sold beer at the concession stand. Hell, why sneak one in when they encourage you to consume while viewing?! > > ETA: Realized I actually have, although it was snacks for the Older Boy who was with me. I have wondered many times why more movie theaters don’t sell alcohol. Seems like it would be a pretty high profit-margin item (especially things like draft beer), and I’m betting it would sell well. Another business model I’d like to see emulated more for movie theaters: ones that sell _real_ food, like with a waiter and everything. Hubby and I went to one when we were in North Carolina (Raleigh area) for a long weekend. The theater showed second-run movies (I understand why movies don’t do _that_ any more; it’s because the time between theatrical release and DVD release has gotten almost laughably short), and they had little restaurant-style tables set up on the balcony. It was casual food (pizza, broiled chicken and fish, etc) but it was real food. A meal. With the movie. Nice. ---
**Author:** ![Erdosain](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/erdosain/32/7284_2.png) [@Erdosain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Erdosain)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2009, 6:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/moviegoers-do-you-sneak-snacks-into-the-theatre-given-the-opportunity/514049/14 "2009-10-16T18:25:34Z")
I only sneak things in when I’m with my wife and have access to her purse. Usually it’s just a bottle of water (20 oz. water at the movies=$4.00!!!) and maybe some candy. I always buy popcorn from the theater. However, let me implore my fellow sneaker-inners: for god’s sake don’t bring CANS of soda or loud plastic containers of candy. They sell movie-style cardboard boxes of candy at the grocery store. If you must sneak in a soda can, you are required to open it during the previews. ---
**Author:** ![BlinkingDuck](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/eada6e/32.png) [@BlinkingDuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BlinkingDuck)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2009, 6:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/moviegoers-do-you-sneak-snacks-into-the-theatre-given-the-opportunity/514049/15 "2009-10-16T18:27:54Z")
> [@Siam\_Sam](#): > > All we ever eat at the movies is popcorn, which is cheap here. > > A movie reviewer once told me the concession stand was where the cinemas made their money. Ticket sales largely go back to the movie studios, and what little they get to keep for themselves don’t cover diddly-squat. How true is that? I’ve always had more sympathy for the cinemas in the US charging high concession-stand prices ever since I heard that, but is it true? I’m a weird duck. I seldom sneak stuff in and we usually hit the concession stand when we go. I make a nice living and I know the theater makes their money from the concessions…so I go along with it. If I lost my job and/or money got tight…I’d probably sneak some stuff in. ---
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2009, 6:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/moviegoers-do-you-sneak-snacks-into-the-theatre-given-the-opportunity/514049/16 "2009-10-16T18:36:43Z")
> [@norinew](#): > > I have wondered many times why more movie theaters don’t sell alcohol. Seems like it would be a pretty high profit-margin item (especially things like draft beer), and I’m betting it would sell well. When I was a theatre manager, we did our best to keep alcohol (and drugs) OUT of the houses. We got rowdy enough crowds as it was. One night one very drunk woman got her arm broken when three cops had to remove her from the premises. And then her husband punched the other manager in the face. > [@](#): > > Another business model I’d like to see emulated more for movie theaters: ones that sell _real_ food, like with a waiter and everything. One of our theatres did something like that once. Except dinner was served in the lobby before the movie. A string quartet was hired to play at it. There was a strict formal dress code. Tickets were something like $100. And the movie was an advance showing of Amadeus. It was… pretentious as all hell. ---
**Author:** ![An\_Arky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/87869e/32.png) [@An\_Arky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/An_Arky)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2009, 6:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/moviegoers-do-you-sneak-snacks-into-the-theatre-given-the-opportunity/514049/17 "2009-10-16T18:36:57Z")
> [@kayaker](#): > > Does a flask count as a “snack”? For me, it is. 😃 When I was a wayward youth, we used to sneak beers in; open them when there was a big laugh or explosion, and hide them in the popcorn box to swig them. ---
**Author:** ![Freudian\_Slit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/5daacb/32.png) [@Freudian\_Slit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Freudian_Slit)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2009, 6:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/moviegoers-do-you-sneak-snacks-into-the-theatre-given-the-opportunity/514049/18 "2009-10-16T18:46:46Z")
> [@tdn](#): > > One of our theatres did something like that once. Except dinner was served in the lobby before the movie. A string quartet was hired to play at it. There was a strict formal dress code. Tickets were something like $100. And the movie was an advance showing of Amadeus. > > It was… pretentious as all hell. That sounds bizarre. If I’m going to pay that much, it’s for play tickets, not cinema tickets. Hell, there’s not even a formal dress code for Broadway shows anymore. ---
**Author:** ![Anaamika](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Anaamika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anaamika)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2009, 7:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/moviegoers-do-you-sneak-snacks-into-the-theatre-given-the-opportunity/514049/19 "2009-10-16T19:17:36Z")
I always sneak in drinks, because I really don’t like soda, and because two hours in the theatre gives my SO a headache and if he drinks something he doesn’t get it. Sometimes i’ll sneak in candy too. That’s what purses are for! ---
**Author:** ![BrotherCadfael](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/977dab/32.png) [@BrotherCadfael](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrotherCadfael)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2009, 7:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/moviegoers-do-you-sneak-snacks-into-the-theatre-given-the-opportunity/514049/20 "2009-10-16T19:19:36Z")
That’s part of the fun of it! [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/moviegoers-do-you-sneak-snacks-into-the-theatre-given-the-opportunity/514049.md?page=2)