How often do you sneak in outside food in movie theaters?

Often. Everything is overpriced.

I don’t go to theaters that often.

All the time, the only thing I may buy there is popcorn.

I sneak in candy all the time, because it’s only 50 cents at the gas station, instead of $4.00 at the theater. I will also occasionally sneak in my own bottled soda. But I still buy popcorn at the theater. I think they overcharge for everything, which is why I bring my own candy and soda. If I wanted a small popcorn and a small soda, it would cost me $8.00. That’s just bullshit robbery to me.

I don’t go very often, but I do take in M&M’s each time I go. They are over priced and sometimes stale.

I don’t go to theaters that often, but when I do, I bring outside candy and beer.

Do Altoids count?

Honestly, I do it every time I go. Paying nearly ten dollars just for one ticket is crazy. Then they want me to pay nearly that for a drink and popcorn, no thanks.

Oh gosh… I don’t even go to the theater anymore. It’s ridiculously expensive!

This topic has come up several times on Fluther, and it is always interesting to see the reponses. Movie theaters make the bulk of their revenue off of concession sales. Ticket sales barely cover the cost of what a theater pays back to the companies that supply the fims and certainly not their fixed costs.

For that reason, should I go to a movie and want something to drink or eat, I buy it at the concession stand. It helps cover their costs for providing the treat of a big screen, excellent sound, HVAC, and that lovely theater popcorn.. Otherwise, I stay home and wait for it to come out on television.

“Sneaking” in something to consume? I personally don’t do it. Should others though, I hold no judgement, unless it is something that can be smelled by those in the immediate area. Why just not eat it beforehand? What bothers me are those that are on their cell phone during the movie, are constantly chatting to the person next to them, or have a baby in their charge that cries throughout the movie.

I used to buy the concessions there (sparingly) for the reasons that @Pied_Pfeffer cites, until the theaters started showing product advertising. The ticket prices continued to rise without a noticeable pause, as did the concession prices. I have heard that the advertisers are paying the theaters for this, so with that source of revenue they no longer get my snack dollars. I resent paying to watch a Coke ad.

Also, pro tip for the ladies: your big purses do have a use. Ladies make great candy mules.

The sweet shop across the road from Cineworld does great business.

Hardly ever. I don’t go to movies very often.

@JilltheTooth Of course, advertisers are paying to promote their products in theaters. However, it’s not nearly enough to eliminate the need for concession profits. It’s not like the advertisers are paying super bowl prices for the ads. Theater ads are seen by (maybe) thousands. Television ads are potentially seen by millions. It’s more likely that theaters are showing commercials to cover their increased cost of showing films, and to recoup the revenue lost to decreased concession sales.

I’ve said it before… if you like seeing movies in the theater, then buy the occasional popcorn or drink. Concessions keep them in business.

I love a big tub of movie theater popcorn so I don’t sneak food in.

Booze on the other hand . . .

Precisely 85.6 percent of the time. On alternate Thursdays. Except when it is a full moon.

I don’t like paying movie theater prices; I don’t like popcorn and I’m not a big fan of candy, either. So there’s really no point.

If I want to eat there, I sneak it in. Just too expensive at the concession counter.

Usually I don’t like to eat anything while there, but I did sneak some Nerds last time… :P

@Blackberry Yes, I usually take my biggest purse to the theater, in order to smuggle in water bottles for my kids, and several bags of candy. =0)

I don’t go very often. I can’t remember the last time I was there, but if I were to go tomorrow, I’d be sneaking my own stash in. It’s a rip-off!

Rarely. I can sit for two hours without stuffing my face. I prefer to go for dinner after the movie.

every time

Nope never, I agree with @Pied_Pfeffer – costs a fortune to run those multi theaters, air con, heat, cleaning and on and on. They have to make money anywhere they can.

99% of the time.

Every single time i go to the movies I bring my own drinks, but I do buy popcorn. I can justify bringing my drink because I just drink water and I am not interested in buying bottled water, using the tiny freebie cups they have, or drinking out of the fountain – I bring filtered water from home. P.S. I usually watch a second and sometimes a third movie too.

All the time. The movie itself is expensive enough.

I almost never go, period. The whole experience is grossly overpriced. We do tend to buy drinks when we go, but I hate movie theater popcorn, so we don’t usually eat anything.

I’m amazed people will pay a fortune for a nice meal or concert tickets, but they can’t afford food and drink for a movie?

We rarely get to see a movie at a theater, but when we do we buy our snacks from the theater. The only exception is water (hidden in my purse) and the imaginary beer my husband brings.

@jonsblond I don’t think it is that people cannot afford the concession stand prices; it’s just that they do not want to pay them. Despite the signs on the theater doors that food and drinks are not allowed, people bring them in anyway.

The act is based upon rationalizations: The concession stand prices are exorbiant, so I’ll bring in my own goodies. The theater doesn’t enforce the rule of “No Food/No Drinks”, so it must be okay.

I also wonder what kind of a message it is sending to the children of parents who break this rule. Do the kids ever pick up on it? Probably not, but it makes me worry about what kind of message is being sent.

@Pied_Pfeffer Yes, they don’t want to. It was too late for me to edit when I noticed I chose the wrong word. I do agree with you about the message it sends to children.

A person will spend over $100 to see Lady Gaga, but they won’t spend $7 for snacks during the most anticipated movie of the year? seriously?

I’m still wondering why food is necessary at all. The movie is only 2 hours. If we can’t wait that long, we might as well wear a feedbag.
Maybe it is a culture thing. In my house we eat in the kitchen or the dining room. We don’t eat while watching TV.

If you are eating in the theater, don’t your hands and clothes get either oily, dirty, sticky or whatever? I like to hold hands – when both are clean.

@jonsblond and @Pied_Pfeffer when I bring my own snacks to the theater (which I have done) it is because it is painful to spend $4.00 on a pack of M&M’s. To me there is a big difference between spending $25 at the concession stand and buying a nice dinner or seeing a concert. I am willing to splurge on a $50 meal at Carrabas once every couple of years because it is a nice meal in a nice place; the stuff at the concession stand is junk plain and simple. I have a hard time justifying paying that much money for junk.

I hear all of the arguments about how it is unethical do bring one’s own snacks, I gotta say though, it is also unethical to charge $5.00 for a soda – after you’ve paid at least $5 a head for a matinee just to walk in the door. If theaters are interested in recapturing the concession business they might consider reviewing the prices that are nothing short of highway robbery.

@jonsblond Actually, I’d never pay a fortune for a concert or a fancy dinner, either.

@Simone_De_Beauvoir Not even Applebees?

Dinner after a movie is a perfect date. During dinner you can talk about the movie if conversation gets slow. It also extends the date.
If the intent is merely to see the movie and grab calories so you can jump between the sheets a couple of hours early, then food in the theater is totaly justifiable.
But if you’re watching the movie and eating you are not giving the movie, your food, or your date the attenttion they deserve.

I know, I sound like such a pooper.

@SuperMouse I whole-heartedly agree with the $4 price for a pack of M&Ms and $5 for a soda being outlandish. And if the vast majority of people feel the same way you do, as this thread shows, one would think that the theaters would bring their prices down in order to capture the business. I wouldn’t label this pricing unethical though…just crazy for a business who is attempting to make a profit.

Maybe this should be an economic term like “Captured Audience Pricing”. The airports and amusement parks price food and beverage items along the same line.

@SuperMouse $5 for a matinee? Gawd, I wish that would be the case here. The lowest matinee here is $8 and goes up to $9…

And agree on the junk description. They are never satisfying! I always rely on mere imagination pretending its the most glorious food I ever had. They have such gloomy hotdogs inserted in a sad and tired looking bun. Lately, however they have been experimenting on pizza but then they tell you you have to wait 10 minutes!

This discussion reminds me of one I often had with customers about my kennel boarding charges. They would say something about the profit margin must be immense because it only costs pennies a day to feed a dog compared with the daily charge. What they failed to consider was the cost of the structure, maintenance on same, heating and cooling, insurance, employee wages plus myself making at least minimum wage for running the show.

I reckon the same is true of the movie theater. Sure the food is expensive but they have to cover overhead, pay the ushers, ticket takers, cleaners and they too are entitled to make a buck for themselves. I doubt that any individual theater makes its owner rich, despite the cost of m & m’s.

The problem I have is that movie theaters and other theaters and sports venues and any other place that has a monopoly once you get in the doors is the lack of competition. Yeah, it’s their place and they set the rules, but the prices they charge are way out of line.

My choices are to not get anything at all; pay their exhorbitent prices, or smuggle my own food in. They know that a lot of people will do the smuggling, and they don’t even seriously try to stop people smuggling. So they must figure that the money they get from people who can’t be bothered to plan ahead is a lot more than they lose from those who can’t tolerate the prices. They must also know that most people who smuggle wouldn’t buy from them anyway. Further, they know that if they enforce the rule, they will lose customers; probably losing far more money in the long run then they do by having this rule in the first place.

They know what they are doing, and they know this rule is mostly a tactic designed to browbeat folks into feeling guilty about bringing their own stuff. I feel no guilt. We’re at war here, and all’s fair. If they want to kick me out, that’s fine with me. I got plenty of other places that are interested in my custom.

@rooeytoo I understand that there is overhead for any business, but with the amount of concessions sold – at every single showing – the profit margin is probably much larger than that of a kennel owner, even when overhead is factored in.

@wundayatta very well said, lurve to you.

@Blackberry Bwhahaa, only if you take me there, lad.

@SuperMouse – You could be right, but I would want to see the figures. I know where I am living now, the matinees which are already price reduced for kids and seniors, and they are pretty much the only ones who attend often show the films to only 1 or 2 people. Can’t see how they cover the overhead that way.

But hey, I am not criticizing, I am simply saying how I feel about the subject based on my own experience.

I can live without food for a couple of hours, but do enjoy a coffee and chat after.