In light of declining revenues, it's hard to blame AMC for finally dropping its policy that allows moviegoers to bring in outside food and drinks, as reported yesterday on The Kansas City Star's Dollars and Sense blog.
Although outside food is now banned, AMC promises to offer additional concession choices to keep patrons happy. So perhaps the test-marketing of breakfast items earlier this year was a sign of things to come.
In light of the new policy, Fat City wanted to offer guidance for novices considering sneaking food into the movies.
Do sneak in anything sealed (candy up the sleeves of your shirt is one possibility), a wrapped sandwich (in the front pocket of a hoodie sweatshirt), or contained in a ziploc bag (popcorn is a good filler).
Do not sneak in anything that could leak (open containers), makes your pockets or purse suspiciously lumpy (20 oz. sodas don't fit inside of anything), has a strong odor (tuna fish), makes excessive noise (crinkly bag, aluminum wrapper, potato chips), is patently obvious (a sack from Burger King), or could leave you sitting with a lap full of cheese and hot sauce (Taco Bell).
It is not for Fat City to decide whether you should actually sneak anything inside of the theater. Ultimately, that is a question for your conscience and jacket to decide.
[Image via Flickr: ishane]
Showing 1-39 of 39
Why is it necessary to eat and drink at a movie that is approximately one hour and a half, maybe two hours long? When I took my grandsons, all boys 9 yrs and twins 5, I told them prior to the matinee no snacks or drinks, Nana is on a budget. They had no problem with that. Problem is nowadays, we must have the movie and the snacks too. It used to be a cold day in hell before my parents bought snacks and drinks at a theatre. We just want too much. A movie outside of the home is a treat in the first place.
The theaters can say whatever they want, but when my wife, granddaughters, and I go to the theaters, we usually buy the large/jumbo (refillable) popcorn, and split it up right there at the concession stand (we take extra plastic containers), and each put on our favorite seasoning. We take in our own beverage, usually a flavored water.
If theaters and movie studios continue to charge the outrageous prices for the movie goer, then pretty soon, their will no longer be any movie goers.
Thank goodness for Netflix, and Red Box.
The problem is the movie industry. It costs so much for a theatre to run a new movie that they have to make up their costs on the concession stand or they won't make money at all. What they charge for a ticket doesn't cover all their expenses and earn them any profit so they overcharge by miles at the concession stand. If you want things to change, wait for the DVD and rent it on Netflix. Host movie nights at your house and it can be just as much fun as going to the movies. After the movie you can all head out to the nearest all-night diner where you can have a cup of coffee and, hopefully, tip the waitress generously with the money you saved by not going to the theatre.
"If you don't want to follow a business' rules, then you should not patronize the business"???? That's just like saying: "Don't drive if you can't follow the rules." Give us all a break! Yes, I too will continue to bring in outside snacks and beverages. I completely empty my purse for our snacks...and nothing looks out of place! We don't bring it out until the lights are down or the movie starts. We have an extensive movie library but for those movies we just can't wait to see?...I'm going to the movies with my snacks! No, I don't feel guilty!:-P
The movie theater is actually in the concession business. They get about $1 from the ticket price- the rest goes to the studio to pay those $100-$200 million dollar movie budgets. The movie theater can only stay open if they sell concessions. Continue to sneak in food and drinks, and there will be no movie theaters. If you want to feel like you're actually "sticking it to the man"- then start writing letters to the studios asking for lower-priced movies to be made, so the ticket prices can stay down, or theaters can keep a greater portion of the ticket price and not rely on concessions. Or wait until the movie comes out on DVD and see it there. There is no right in the constitution that guarantees you a big-screen movie watching atmosphere with the food and drink of your choice. If you don't want to follow a business's rules, then you should not patronize the business.
they know they cant look in bags,purses,etc
thats why they will hike ticket cost too
Sounds like the perfect time to read the archives of The Sneak on your sister blog:
http://blogs.riverfronttimes.c...
One might surmise that the drop in concession sales might just be the result of higher concession prices, coupled with decreased package sizes and lower quality as much as the result of decreased theater attendance, which, likely, is the result of higher ticket and concession prices.
Here in Denver, we pay around $9 for a ticket and about $6 for a Large / Jumbo popcorn that is now the size of what used to be a Medium popcorn; soft drinks also have gone up in price and down in size. This, a product, in the case of popcorn, that the theater chain purchases for about $5 for a 5 pound bag of kernels.
The laws of physics state that every action must have a reaction therefore, I guess every increase in concession prices must be offset by a decrease in quantity and quality.
The Denver area has one Harkins and they, too, sell the t-shirt and cup that allows one to get a free medium popcorn (buttered or not, your choice) a drink for $1.
As for AMC, Denver only has one of those. We used to have many more, but the venues were over-piced and shabby, which my be why they are all but gone.
IT IS LIKELY THAT THOSE FALLING SALES AT THE CONCESSION STANDS ARE AS MUCH A RESULT OF INCREASED PRICES AND DECREASED SIZE - IN THE CASE OF POPCORN AND DRINKS, IN PARTICULAR - AS IT IS THE RESULT OF FALLING THEATER ATTENDANCE DUE TO INCREASED TICKET PRICES IN A DOWN ECONOMY, NOT TO MENTION LESS THAN EXCITING FARE ON THE SCREEN.
AT MOST THEATERS IN MY AREA, THE SIZE OF A 'JUMBO' OR 'LARGE' POPCORN IS NOW THE SIZE OF WHAT USED TO BE A MEDIUM POPCORN AND THE PRICE IS OVER FIVE DOLLARS. THIS, FOR AN ITEM THAT THE THEATER CHAIN BUYS FOR ABOUT $5.00 FOR A FIVE POUND BAG OF UN-POPPED KERNELS TALK ABOUT MAXIMIZING PROFIT. TO MAKE MATTERS WORSE, THE POPCORN TASTES AWFUL AND ADDING THAT FAKE BUTTER DOESN'T HELP VERY MUCH.
AH YES, CHARGING MORE FOR LESS IN QUANTITY AND/OR QUALITY, IT'S THE AMERICAN WAY OF LATE.
Just a little food for thought AMC has a movie watcher card you can join and get for free. This is how it works every time you go to the movies show your card at the ticket booth and at the concession stand and you rack up points. Once you get so many points they will give you tickets at the ticket booth for free popcorn and drinks and for a free movie ticket as well...mind you you don't get all three at one time. Oh Yeah, your reward points never expire and you can rack up as many points as you want and you can cash them in to use on free snacks and for a free movie ticket. Hope this helps everyone in this tough economy. One more thing Regal Cenimas have a reward program as well check it out!
HAPPY HOLIDAYS EVERYONE!! :- )
In Arizona Harkins Theatres sell a t-shirt for $20 and every time you go to a movie if you wear or just bring in the shirt, you get a free popcorn. They also sell a plastic cup and you can bring it and get a drink for $1. I go to their theaters to see a movie because I only have to spend $1 at the concession stand.
I would be happy to purchase anything that the concession had to sell if it were Heart Healthy. I have suffered a heart attack and the only thing I can do to not have another one is to take Blood thinner and eat really healthy. I treat myself to a movie often and having popcorn is such a part of it. I would pay extra to be able to have popcorn that would not clog my arteries.I am so happy they sell bottled water.
I;ve got a novel idea for all movie theaters. If Dollar Stores can sell movie sized boxes of candy for $1.00 and make a profit why doesn't just one Theater chain be brave enough to try the same thing? Sell a big box of candy for a $1.00 make a much, much smaller profit 'BUT' think of how much candy they'd sell and think how fast that sort of news would travel!! Busy mothers, fathers, nannie, etc. wouldn't have to plan an extra half hour and stop at the local DOLLAR STORE to buy candy they can actually afford, carry it all in a really ugly purse and then explain to our kids why we're sneaking in candy when we're not supposed to... Someone take a chance and try it!! I dare you!
2 two word answers:
Big Purse
Net Flix - ok maybe that's one word - LOL.
I WILL continue taking in my own treats. A nicely sized purse can hold a 2 liter, ice AND cups. If I EVER get asked to show the interior of my puse - I'll refuse, period. Give me any grief - I'll get a refund and leave. I can wait for NET FLIX.
I'm SO sick of the VERY high prices - and simply WON'T pay. Period. :)
All you need to do is go to the maintee, share a small soda, put you unopened microwaved popcorn in a gallon ziploc into a large purse and you're good to go.
We sneak in candy like the theater sells for $4 per box. We get the same thing at a local bulk store, four times as much for 1/3 the price. We buy popcorn and soda to share. On rare occasions we have snuck in SMALL bottles/cans of soda.
I always bring 2 half-pints of Vodka
and just buy 1 large Coke for mix. I have
a great time. The only thing that upsets me
is I miss part of the movie going out for a
smoke.
The exorbitant prices of concessions actually deters me from going to the movies more often - so when I do go I ALWAYS bring my own "eats". Yes, I understand that concession revenue is a huge part of the movie theaters making a living but I simply cannot afford their ridiculous prices. So -either I stop going altogether (which I don't think the movie industry wants) or I continue to sneak in my own snacks when I do make the increasingly rare trip to the multiplex. If the movie theaters want to make a profit - let them renegotiate their contracts with the movie studios/distributors and stop going after the consumer. As it is movie tickets -while still a compratively inexpensive form of entertainment - are approaching unafforability for far too many of us. Heck - it shouldn't cost the equivalent of a few hours of work (at minimum wage) for 2 hours of passive entertainment.
I think it is rediculous to pay $15+ for a large popcorn and 2 drinks. I'd rather pay more for the ticket and a lot less for the concessions!! When prices are that outrageous, I have no problem with people sneaking in their snack...especially in this day and time when budgets are so tight in most families!
My brother and I sneak snacks into the theatre all the time. Taco Bell, Burger King, you name it. I even smuggled a footlong sub in the upper sleeve of my winter jacket. A canned soda was in my bag.
I didn't even know there were theatres that still allowed outside food and drink. Here in Connecticut, none of the theatres ever allowed it.
Oh, and here's a tidbit of information for any theatre companies that may be reading these comments. There's a 'second-run theatre' in town that charges a fraction of the price of the big theatre in town that shows movies as soon as they come out. They charge less for their snacks, and I have no problem purchasing food and drink from them because their prices are fair. For the super expensive theatre? Well, let's just say you can continue to enjoy picking up our fast food wrappers.
I always thought it was the policy to not bring in outside food. That's why people sneak it in.
Paying enormous prices for a snack in an outsized container is not part of the experience if you choose to watch the movie without it. If the theaters stopped the excuses, started offering normal sized packages and reasonable prices their concession sales would go back up. Not to mention some healthier choices, such as switching to canola oil for popcorn.
I've seen the same candy that they sell at the movies in the same sized containers at Walgreen's for about a buck a carton.
some people can't afford 4.00 for milk duds~especially when they can be bought at the dollar store for 1.00!! Greedy people gets this country nowhere
Um......I don't think so. This is America, freedom of speech and every other ridiculous thing you can think of. But most of all, democracy means thinking for one's self. If we have to come to being told what we can and cannot think.....then throwout the constitution. Good luck with that one.
Things like this have caused the "Bootleg" movies and internet piracy to go into effect. I agree with what "Mellie" said:
Quote:
"Let's see...we're each supposed to ante up close to $11 for an adult movie ticket (at least in northern VA), pay $5-6 for a bag of popcorn and $4.50-5.00 for a drink ($4.50 for a bottle of water). And, we're supposed to do this during an economic hardship where actors and actresses make @ 20 mil per movie? You're freakin' out of your mind. I'm going to find any way I can to slip in my refreshments and if they want to search my purse they better get a Search Warrant"
YOu tell 'em girl!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
It could not be summed up any better way. What the industry does not realize is that people are now going to start going to the movie theaters less and less and LESS until there wont be anymore theaters.
They really need to think this thing through! The experience of the big screen is great, but when you leave feeling like a Jack ass for paying darned near $20 for two tickets, it is not so great after all.
I have no problems with companies making profits but when you are being charged 12 bucks for a popcorn and soda and the actual cost of those 2 products are about 20 cents at the most I will continue to sneak food into the theatre. They say they are offering a greater variety now, yes they are and they are charging for it, 8 dollars for chicken tenders, I can go out and buy 2 whole chickens for that price. As with most big companies they just charge more instead of addressing the probelm and they expect us to make up there money loss
guess my days of going to the movies are over for me and my family thanks AMC it was a fun ride while it lasted now we rent movies and have asnack party.
Just wait till they try to throw me out! I see a really good lawsuit in the making. I got over 3000 point on my regalcard last year.
How about just waiting a couple months and getting the movies from Red Box or Net Flix? Then you can eat whatever you want in the comfort of your own home and spend MUCH less on the cost of the movies, and not have to listen to others talking, not risk getting the flu from someone coughing on you, and not stick to the gooey floors or seats in the theaters!
Wake up, people! If you really want to be careful with your money, think farther than sneaking junior mints into a $10 movie!
Let's see...we're each supposed to ante up close to $11 for an adult movie ticket (at least in northern VA), pay $5-6 for a bag of popcorn and $4.50-5.00 for a drink ($4.50 for a bottle of water). And, we're supposed to do this during an economic hardship where actors and actresses make @ 20 mil per movie? You're freakin' out of your mind. I'm going to find any way I can to slip in my refreshments and if they want to search my purse they better get a Search Warrant!
I was wondering if they could just charge a cover charge like $3.00/$5.00 per family so that they can openly bring in outside food. That way it is a compromise. Your giving a little extran to cover their cost, but you are not spending $20.00 or more on food.
When we purchase the food, we always get the combos that are refillable. Sometimes it may be one large drink and one large popcorn that can be refilled. We take a few extra cups in my purse. We split out the drink, and we get a refill. I take our plastic popcorn containers or paper lunch bags and split the popcorn. Believe me, we stretch it out. It has worked really well. For a family of four, we pay about $12.00 total for snacks.
Also, we purchase the entertainment books and use the coupons for reduced rate movies. We go the dollar theater a great deal, and we go to matiness.
These are just my thoughts.
cn
Until theaters start dropping prices on concessions, I will continue to bring in outside food no matter the policy.
I'm paying TO SEE A MOVIE not paying to eat concessions. Therefore, I'm not cheating the theaters.
When my 7 year-old tells me not to buy at theaters because it's expensive - that's priceless. AMC, Edwards, MANN, etc...it's called SIGN OF THE TIMES! You have my money and I have my money to take care of my family in a cost-efficient manner.
Movie goers, it's time to get smart and do what is right for your families in these difficult economic times - BUY OUTSIDE FOOD, save money & feel good that you have a little extra to support your family.
My wife and I have dieabetes. Buying movie
snacks is very hazardeous to our health.
End of story. If movie theatres want you
to purchase their snacks- they need not
put a gun to everyone's head. They need to
lower their prices and offer healthier choices. People don't mind paying extra
money for snacks but don't feel like being
ripped off. Acting like Natzis is not going
encourage more business and satisfied customers. Food for thought and also a punn
Mr. henry Leroy
I also though it was standard policy not to bring in food from outside. In this economy, there is no way in hell my family and I are paying the high prices of food and drinks sold at the theater. We always have a black, reusable canvas bag my wife uses to put her purse, sodas and snacks in.
Well crap, for all the years I have been in KC I assumed the policy WAS no outside goodies.
But all I have ever bothered to sneak in is booze. Usually airplane bottles but a couple times, when sharing, pints.
Big purses are always a good plan; fellas, messenger bags, or worse case, a shopping bag when in a mall. Also, I try to bring in the same brands of candy and soda the theater offers, just in case. Cover any loud or suspicious noises with a fake coughing fit!
20 oz sodas fit into large purses. Freaking AMC. I'd got see more movies if it didn't cost an arm and a leg to get in the door.
I thought that was always the rule at every movie theater, which is why I always carry a big purse when I go to the movies.
like
dislike
