# Sneaking into a movie: theft or mooching? (long) **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [September 13, 2003, 9:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sneaking-into-a-movie-theft-or-mooching-long/201440 "2003-09-13T21:22:53Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2003, 4:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sneaking-into-a-movie-theft-or-mooching-long/201440/41 "2003-09-15T04:07:53Z")
> [@](#): > > Try again. The owner has not been deprived of the use of a good, thus no theft has occured, under any definition. Claiming otherwise is an astonishing display of intellectual dishonesty. It may be illegal, and it may be morally wrong, but it’s not theft, pure and simple. (My emphasis) **Aleoron** , the authors of the NY State Penal Code (at least) seem to disagree with you. See **doreen** ’s first post. ---
**Author:** ![Osbie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/cdc98d/32.png) [@Osbie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Osbie)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2003, 4:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sneaking-into-a-movie-theft-or-mooching-long/201440/42 "2003-09-15T04:15:37Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by StarvingButStrong \* > **2) All the money from ticket sales go to the studios, so not having sold him a ticket has no effect at all on the theater owner’s take. (I don’t know if this is true, though I’ve heard it before from others.)** Untrue. I’m not sure how long the designated time is - or if there is even an industry standard, but studios get most (but not all) of the ticket revenues to begin with and, as the weeks pass, their percentage of the take grows less and the exhibitor’s grows bigger. Again, I’m not certain of the timetable for this change. I’d be curious as to his rationale of why it’s okay to “mooch” off the studio and not the theater. Even though he is not buying something that has mass and takes up space, he is buying an experience - no less than if he went to the symphony or the massage parlor. The fact that he is not inconveniencing someone is irrelevant. It’s along the lines of if you read someone else’s diary but never get caught, have you done anything wrong? He is “mooching” not only off of the studio and the theater, but also honest patrons who purchased their tickets. Along the lines of what **dewizeowl** said, if everyone did this, there’d be little incentive to make movies - or have a symphony orchestra - or massage parlors. Shoplifiting drives up prices in retail, why should this be any different? ---
**Author:** ![Alereon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecd19e/32.png) [@Alereon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alereon)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2003, 5:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sneaking-into-a-movie-theft-or-mooching-long/201440/43 "2003-09-15T05:57:04Z")
**Marley23** : I was responding to **Muldoon’s Squishiness** , who was responding to **Blalron** ’s analogy about file sharing. ---
**Author:** ![Typo\_Negative](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/typo_negative/32/484_2.png) [@Typo\_Negative](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Typo_Negative)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2003, 12:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sneaking-into-a-movie-theft-or-mooching-long/201440/44 "2003-09-15T12:30:59Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Blalron \* > \*\* I understand why some might want to assume it’s that way, but morally speaking it is NOT the same as taking money from the cash register. \*\* You’re right. It’s much harder to come up with a bullshit rationalization while stealing from the till. ---
**Author:** ![Edward\_The\_Head](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ce73a5/32.png) [@Edward\_The\_Head](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Edward_The_Head)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2003, 2:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sneaking-into-a-movie-theft-or-mooching-long/201440/45 "2003-09-15T14:35:42Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Blalron \* > > There we go! Now we are into the realm of actual stealing. If I use their bathroom without paying any money, I am causing them to run up their water bill. They have incurred an additional expense because of me that I have not compensated them for. Ummm what happens if he doesn’t flush? Then he’s not using any water so he’s not stealing then! 😃 I’m not sure where to stand. I’m not sure it’s really stealing, but it sure is something, a bit like sneaking into Disney Land or something. ---
**Author:** ![BrotherCadfael](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/977dab/32.png) [@BrotherCadfael](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrotherCadfael)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2003, 2:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sneaking-into-a-movie-theft-or-mooching-long/201440/46 "2003-09-15T14:41:59Z")
Once upon a time, back when movie theaters only had one screen, it was not uncommon to stay for the second showing (especially if you were late getting into the first showing), and management was generally OK with the practice. After all, most viewers would not want to watch the same movie a second time, unless it was a really great movie – or, more likely, a really great date! When multiplex theaters came along, a number of viewers generalized “staying to watch the second showing” into “Let’s go watch another movie without paying for it!” So management started the practice of clearing the theator between showings. Another time-honored tradition killed by technology… ---
**Author:** ![WILLASS](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/54ee81/32.png) [@WILLASS](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WILLASS)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2003, 3:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sneaking-into-a-movie-theft-or-mooching-long/201440/47 "2003-09-15T15:02:27Z")
I think being pathetic enough to do this in the first place is punishment enough…I don’t really care that much about the actual ramifications of what he is doing as only a select few cheapskates would even bother doing this. ---
**Author:** ![Velma](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/85e7bf/32.png) [@Velma](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Velma)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2003, 4:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sneaking-into-a-movie-theft-or-mooching-long/201440/48 "2003-09-15T16:14:05Z")
If he is so convinced it is better for the studio, he should have a talk with the manager about his situation. If everyone comes out ahead, it should be easy to convince him he should be allowed to do this and then will no longer have to sneak around, right? The fact that he continues to sneak around shows he doesn’t really think the owner would allow him to do this if he knew. It is not his place to decide what is better for the studio owner. If the owner decides it is good for his business to be run this way, he can change the policy and allow it. The owner has the right to run his business the way he sees best. If he ends up losing money because of his policy, that is his loss. It is not up to the patron to decide what is best for someone else’s business. I would call it stealing, but I don’t know what the law would call it. To me it’s just arguing semantics. Your co-worker knows it is wrong and is trying to justify it. That says more about him than what terminology he uses. ---
**Author:** ![Atrael](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Atrael](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atrael)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2003, 4:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sneaking-into-a-movie-theft-or-mooching-long/201440/49 "2003-09-15T16:20:39Z")
So does this same rationalization apply to the people I see sitting all over the place in Barnes and Noble reading stuff? While I’m not positive, I have a sneaking suspicion that they don’t all buy the materials that they are reading before sitting down in the comfy stuffed chairs. And OT, I think that what the guy’s doing is wrong, although in the grand scheme of wrongness in life, I put that fairly low down on my list. ---
**Author:** ![Velma](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/85e7bf/32.png) [@Velma](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Velma)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2003, 4:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sneaking-into-a-movie-theft-or-mooching-long/201440/50 "2003-09-15T16:49:38Z")
Barnes and Noble allows their customers to read and look at the books at the store. I can go to Barnes and Noble and plop down in a chair and browse through books, I don’t have to sneak around to do it. The movie theatre does not allow people to watch movies without purchasing a ticket. It is up to the owner to decide what they will allow their customers to do for a price. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2003, 10:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sneaking-into-a-movie-theft-or-mooching-long/201440/51 "2003-09-15T22:54:12Z")
Ask. I was sent to Hell once on business (well, they called it Dallas in Summer, but…). Bored to tears on the weekends. So I went to see a matinee show. After the movie, I found a mgt type, and asked if there was some discount or something for a second movie. He looked down at my super sized soda & popcorn, and mentioned that since I was such a good customer (as they made most if the profit off the refreshments), I was welcome to stay and see whatever I liked, as they weren’t busy during the day- except for some kiddy film I would never see anyway. Saw three movies, even bought some Jr Mints to boot. Did it again the next Weekend (only saw 2 flims tho). So- he can just ASK. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sneaking-into-a-movie-theft-or-mooching-long/201440.md?page=2)