Movie theater popcorn has the fat equivalent of about two days' worth of meals, so that's actually a bargain if you think about it in a tangential, bizarre way.
I would sneak in candy, but I really like eating popcorn during the movie. It's a mindless little activity to do that helps you concentrate on the film. There's always too much salt though, so I can never finish a whole bag (even a small). I always feel a little ripped off, but whatcha ya going to do?
One of my jobs in high school(1980-82) was as an usher at the local multiplex. At that time the numbers looked like this...
a fifty pound bag of unpopped popcorn cost the theater $5 us
from that fifty pound bag the theater would make approx. $600 us in sales
When I asked my manager how we could justify our prices and why anyone would pay that much for popcorn and candy he told me something that I still remember to this day..."If there's a seat, there's an ass to sit in it."
@dtm: Remember that time you had the crush on the chick at the photo store across the way in the mall and you spent like 50 bucks on film and you didn't even have a camera?
Yep, and don't forget 15 minutes solid worth of ads for everything from new movies to Mazda and Skittles. Taking up more of your time, and making more cash for the theatres.
Now I'll go to a movie or two per year, but most of them I'd download because I'm not going to pay as much as I would for a DVD just to see a movie once and go home.
If you want theaters to survive (which is an open debate given our personal home theaters), you almost have to buy a bag of popcorn to give them some sort of profit - ignoring the small mortgage you have to take out to afford your night out. Personally, I think the box office needs to raise their price on the ticket so they can make a larger profit and charge a more reasonable price on the refreshments (although I recognize that the agreement they have with the MPAA makes that nearly impossible to do without giving more money to the studio). Then again, I wouldn't think a higher ticket price made sense if my wife did not demand the jumbo popcorn and pop every time we were watching a new flick. Damn those nights out are expensive.
I generally go to the Regal Battery Park 11 theater since it's so close to my office. They don't care what I bring in there. Me and some other people once went to a late showing with Chinese takeout. Nuts to theaters with their concession rules. I already paid $12.50+ to see their movie, I'm not buying their high-priced vittles. WHAT A BUNCH OF.......
Guys, that's average movie ticket price, factoring in all the matinees and cheapie theaters in existence. In the sticks, movies are less expensive, too.
Why is it that you giz guys have been photoshopping everything with the apple/itunes store styling/advertising lately? (i.e. the white background and planar reflection below subject) This post has absolutely nothing to do with apple or anything related to it. Do you just think its cool? Its getting a little redundant and annoying.
You do realize that many other companies have used that same background for years? Probably not. Either way, go suck a tailpipe from an SUV you damned troll.
You can bring in ANYTHING from outside. When I saw Watchmen the other day, I brought in a Red Robin Cheeseburger meal, and a 12 pack of PBR, no hassle, no problem (OK we put the beer in a backpack, as it isn't legal to BYOB to a business without paying for 'corkage')
What people need to remember about concession prices is that theaters make on average $1.08 per movie ticket. This won't even cover most theater rent costs. Concession is the only way to make a theater profitable.
@Jrsy Devil's Food Cake®: Actually it is chump change. Most theatres are running bulbs that are 2000-5000 watt xenon bulbs. Just the bulbs alone are pumping out 2-5 killowatt hours every hour. It takes a LOT of money for a theatre to stay profitable.
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a fifty pound bag of unpopped popcorn cost the theater $5 us
from that fifty pound bag the theater would make approx. $600 us in sales
When I asked my manager how we could justify our prices and why anyone would pay that much for popcorn and candy he told me something that I still remember to this day..."If there's a seat, there's an ass to sit in it."
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Now I'll go to a movie or two per year, but most of them I'd download because I'm not going to pay as much as I would for a DVD just to see a movie once and go home.
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Speaking of movies and Woz, I once got talked into seeing this horrible chick flick with him and his girlfriend (Now Fiance) last year.
I can't even remember the title, but good lord, it was awkward.
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[www.natoonline.org]
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You do realize that many other companies have used that same background for years? Probably not. Either way, go suck a tailpipe from an SUV you damned troll.
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You can bring in ANYTHING from outside. When I saw Watchmen the other day, I brought in a Red Robin Cheeseburger meal, and a 12 pack of PBR, no hassle, no problem (OK we put the beer in a backpack, as it isn't legal to BYOB to a business without paying for 'corkage')
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Where you at?
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about twice as much, yes.
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Yeah but when it's a 15 screen multiplex with show times running throughout three quarters of the day that ain't exactly chump change either..
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The bigger the theater, the larger the upkeep.
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