# Movie Theatres: Take in your own food ?



## bagpipe (Sep 19, 2006)

So, when you go the movie theatre and you've paid your $12 admission charge: do you buy their overpriced popcorn and watered down drinks, or do you smuggle in your own?


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## Don Doucette (Jan 3, 2007)

Years ago I used to work at the Starlite drive in in Hamilton ON
The movie distributors used to take 95% to 100% of the box receipts and the owner used to survive off of the over-priced concessions, at drive-ins it's almost impossible to police outside food and drink so at times it was tough, the owner would bring in old classic movies, that cost less, and have an all-nighter to help pay the bills. 
Now as I understand it all movie theaters operate much the same way so if I want to be able to go and see a movie, I am happy to pay for the WAY over-priced food, especially in locally owned theaters.

Don:smilie_flagge17:


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## FrankyFarGone (Dec 8, 2008)

I got to admit that the price at the theater been going up...but not the quality of movies in general.

Iam a big time FOOD smugler...hiding drinks(fruit juice...or red bull,when going to see one of my girlfriend movies choice,for keeping me from getting sleepy)
and almont M&M...wich are sold for crazy prize in theater.
I remember in the lord of the ring era,i push this a little furthur by brining
a hold slice bread,a spreading knike and a pot of freaking Nutella..
But know, iam off Sugar!

Frank:smile:


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## Michelle (Aug 21, 2006)

I used to bring a bottle of wine. hwopv


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## GuitarsCanada (Dec 30, 2005)

I have not been in a movie theater since Titanic came out.


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## davetcan (Feb 27, 2006)

Sometimes we buy (if we want popcorn) sometimes we smuggle (chocalate etc).hwopv


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## keto (May 23, 2006)

I go once or maybe twice a year, wife's family always buys us passes for xmas so that's the only reason. Being as it's essentially free, I'll buy a drink and some candy (dislike popcorn). But I checked the box that says "who can afford" though realistically for me it's more like "who cares for the hassle when I can watch it on my plasma in a month or 2 or 3".


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## greco (Jul 15, 2007)

GuitarsCanada said:


> I have not been in a movie theater since Titanic came out.


Isn't that about the era of the start of the talkies? (j/k)

Dave


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## torndownunit (May 14, 2006)

I love hitting Bulk Barn before the theatre.


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## Geek (Jun 5, 2007)

They have nothing for diabetics, so smuggling is a matter of life or death for my wife.


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## hoser (Feb 2, 2006)

When we do go, it's to the budget theater, and usually to take my 3 year old to something. I refuse to pay the outrageous prices at the regular theater, with a 3 year old it's a crap shoot as to whether they're going to sit through a movie anyway, and I can deal with losing out on 20 bucks in tickets better than 40.


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## Milkman (Feb 2, 2006)

I haven't been to a movie theater since The Two Towers.


It's just much better in my opinion to see movies in the comfort of your home. The sound and picture are every bit as good. You can pause it when you need to use the loo or get a snack. 


And you can replay a bit if you miss some dialogue.


The need to see movies when they are newly released is a non issue for me.


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## Starbuck (Jun 15, 2007)

Well since we got the Plasma and AVR system, I have no need to go to the Theater. I was never much of a theater person (I have the jimmy leg, can't sit still) However, it's a treat for my 3 year old. We smuggle chocolate, but she enjoys the popcorn tubs. it's not like we go often (twice so far) so for her, I'll buy the popcorn.


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## al3d (Oct 3, 2007)

We don't go very often to the cinema, having 2 large LCD SCreen, and a room dedicated to music/cinema, we watch blueray flicks here mostly, but when we feel like a flick out..wich is about 4 times a year tops..i'm not gonna start bringing my candy...and poporn at the cinema as something to it that can't seem to be duplicated..LOL


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## guitarman2 (Aug 25, 2006)

I also have a pretty nice home theater and own 2 plasma TV's (42" in the bedroom and 50" in the rec room.) So I prefer to stay home for movies. However once in a blue moon the wife will want me to take her out on a date night. When I go I feel that if bringing food in is against regulations then I won't do it. That being said I will bring in my own bottled water. I just can't bring my self to pay 3+ dollars for water. So I can't really criticize those who bring their own food. Even though I do buy the theater food I am technically breaking rules by bringing my own water.


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## Ti-Ron (Mar 21, 2007)

I go to theater for the movie I really want to see in theater! The last one was Pineaple Express and woth it!  But everything is going up, it's cheaper to wait and buy the dvd in special collector edition than go to the theater! I prefer to watch it at home with friends and my own food. I don't have a plasma tv or a big home theater system but my old tv is good enough for me!


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## Spikezone (Feb 2, 2006)

GuitarsCanada said:


> I have not been in a movie theater since Titanic came out.


Yeah that would have put me off movie theatres as well! LOL! Seriously, I've done both. If it's popcorn or peanut butter M&M's, I buy them in the theatre, but I havwe been known to bring inb other things from time to time. I am another one who mainly watches movies on my old DVD player and small TV, wired up through my fake-surround-sound stereo system-I like the special features on most DVD's.
-Mikey


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## mhammer (Nov 30, 2007)

torndownunit said:


> I love hitting Bulk Barn before the theatre.


Ditto for me.


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## Luke98 (Mar 4, 2007)

...But the popcorn is delicious...

I smuggle drinks usually, if i already have a pop or bottle of water with me... One time I bought a bottle of 7Up at a vending machine... $2.50!


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## torndownunit (May 14, 2006)

I like to go to the movies. My girlfriend and I enjoy the night out. I mainly go to movies that I think there is a benefit to seeing on the big screen

BUT...this is my issue, and a main reason I don't go anymore. I can't sit in a theatre for over 2 hours! Even 90 minute comedy movies now take that long to watch because of all the previews and commercials. If it's a shorter movie.... they just add more previews and commercials! You feel like you have already sat through a movie by the time all that crap is over with. And it takes away from the movie!

The one solution is to go to a late night show a couple of weeks after the movie has opened, and go late after the previews are over. You don't have to worry about not getting a decent seat that way. But it's still a pain!

The dropped the prices down from the $13 they once were, to about $9 at my theatre now. And cheap night is like $7.50. I am o.k. with paying that. I won't pay money for the damn food though.


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## keithb7 (Dec 28, 2006)

My money is too hard to come by to blow it on food at the theater. Rediculous prices, therefore I choose not to buy. Actually I only go to the theater about 1 may 2 times a year. Usually just at X-mas with my boys for a special treat. We hit a local large chain store on the way and I let them load up with a few goodies. Is this setting a good example? I think it is, by teaching them to watch their money closely.


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## Milkman (Feb 2, 2006)

Hmmm. $9 bucks each, food, babysitter. So, like, close to $50 for me and the missus to see a movie, where she might end up sitting behind afro hairy or the five teens who really find themselves amusing?


Yeah......I'll wait for it to come out on blue ray.


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## shoretyus (Jan 6, 2007)

Ok I have been holding my tongue on this ( moi ha ) I went to Slumdog's a couple of weeks ago with my mother in-law and her friend. She wanted to see the movie because 2 sis inlaws went the night before. 

Gramma as I call her is the Queen of the yardsales and sales in general. That's how she got so far in life. 

Ok...the high priced popcorn gets you free refills... so she brought her daughters bag from the night before ... go Gramma go .... 

:rockon:


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## torndownunit (May 14, 2006)

shoretyus said:


> Ok...the high priced popcorn gets you free refills... so she brought her daughters bag from the night before ... go Gramma go ....
> 
> :rockon:


Good idea. I actually had no idea the higher priced popcorn came with refills. I would never use it because I can't eat a bucket of popcorn. But it's a great tip for families.


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## GuitarsCanada (Dec 30, 2005)

Milkman said:


> Hmmm. $9 bucks each, food, babysitter. So, like, close to $50 for me and the missus to see a movie, where she might end up sitting behind afro hairy or the five teens who really find themselves amusing?
> 
> 
> Yeah......I'll wait for it to come out on blue ray.


Actually, that is a good point. I found that there is a lot of chatting going on during movies now. Like I said, been a while since I have gone but the last few seemed to have a lot of conversations going on. Very bizarre.


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## Ripper (Jul 1, 2006)

Our local movie theatre here in poedunkville does movies on sunday night for $3 regardless of age and their prices on the concession stuff is way under what they city theatres charge. We go now and then, load up on the popcorn, head up to the balcony and enjoy a flick.


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## traynor_garnet (Feb 22, 2006)

One of the first posts nailed it. Theater owners don't make any money off of ticket sales (literally). All their money comes from concession sales. This is why a popcorn and a pop costs $20!!!

I'm surprised nobody else has mentioned my favourite option: don't eat any garbage food at all. Seriously, why do you need to eat crap while watching a movie?

TG


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## torndownunit (May 14, 2006)

traynor_garnet said:


> One of the first posts nailed it. Theater owners don't make any money off of ticket sales (literally). All their money comes from concession sales. This is why a popcorn and a pop costs $20!!!
> 
> I'm surprised nobody else has mentioned my favourite option: don't eat any garbage food at all. Seriously, why do you need to eat crap while watching a movie?
> 
> TG


For some reason I always seem to have the munchies at movies. I'm not sure what could possibly be causing that :smile:


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## Rugburn (Jan 14, 2009)

traynor_garnet said:


> One of the first posts nailed it. Theater owners don't make any money off of ticket sales (literally). All their money comes from concession sales. This is why a popcorn and a pop costs $20!!!
> 
> I'm surprised nobody else has mentioned my favourite option: don't eat any garbage food at all. Seriously, why do you need to eat crap while watching a movie?
> 
> TG


Hey man, pocorn's AWESOME, just DON'T put that "topping?" on it. Butter baby, B-U-T-T-E-R!!!


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## cheezyridr (Jun 8, 2009)

Rugburn said:


> Hey man, pocorn's AWESOME, just DON'T put that "topping?" on it. Butter baby, B-U-T-T-E-R!!!


don't forget the bacon!


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## Steadfastly (Nov 14, 2008)

The movies at the theatre today don't interest me in the least. They are pretty weak when it comes to any drama. They all seem to center around sex, violence or action and very little serious themes or dialogue. So we borrow or rent some classics, curl up on the couch and have some snacks at home, Even then we watch very little television. We don't have cable or even an antenna. It's all DVD's or a few VCR tapes that are still kicking around.


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## cheezyridr (Jun 8, 2009)

in all seriousness, i don't go to the movies that often anymore. i don't like the cost vs. quality. hollywood rarely makes anything decent anymore, and you never get to see good asian cinema over here. as for the snacks? i usually sneak in my own popcorn and drinks. i couldn't care less if the theatre isn't making money on the film. i never asked them to go into that business. times are tough all over. have a pity party. i pirate alot of movies. music too. sometimes i rob grannies and eat babies.


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## Stratin2traynor (Sep 27, 2006)

I usually take my kids to movies or go see blockbuster action flicks on the big screen. I do in fact buy the overpriced popcorn and pop but if I have a craving for sweets, I stop in at a local grocery store and pick up some chocolate. Despite having a 50" plasma with surround sound etc... I still enjoy sitting in a theatre and watching the big show. But...I only go to matinees. Fewer people and way fewer loud mouthed morons.


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## Steadfastly (Nov 14, 2008)

I have gone to see a few Imax movies. The last one was at the Science Center in Toronto a few years back on the Nile River. Those kinds of movies are fantastic, but I hear they are starting to get involved in the newer genre garbage movies that Hollywood puts out. Good things just don't seem to last these days.......... Well, maybe few good guitars.


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## Morkolo (Dec 9, 2010)

I'm weak for movie popcorn, I swear someday I'll make up for all the butter I have put on that stuff.


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## ThePass (Aug 10, 2007)

Problem is for me ~ 4 kids ~ and we just went and saw "Tangled", so after paying $2000 for 6 passes (all of us) then each kiddies wanted the "kids combo" thing with the Tangled theme, blah blah blah.......$8 each; times 4 = $32 plus tax.

Hell, thats a case of beer!


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## Morkolo (Dec 9, 2010)

ThePass said:


> Problem is for me ~ 4 kids ~ and we just went and saw "Tangled", so after paying $2000 for 6 passes (all of us) then each kiddies wanted the "kids combo" thing with the Tangled theme, blah blah blah.......$8 each; times 4 = $32 plus tax.
> 
> Hell, thats a case of beer!


I know the feeling, went out to visit my brother the summer and we watched the Expendables and by the time we got out tickets, popcorn, drinks, and bars it was around $45.


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## ThePass (Aug 10, 2007)

I can see the "ma & pa" theaters (if they even exist anymore) depending on cash sales of this kind but these HUGE Cineplex Odeon joints nowadays and the Imax's, ect.....

I dunno.


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## Morkolo (Dec 9, 2010)

ThePass said:


> I can see the "ma & pa" theaters (if they even exist anymore) depending on cash sales of this kind but these HUGE Cineplex Odeon joints nowadays and the Imax's, ect.....
> 
> I dunno.


I used to go to the ma & pa theatres until I went to see Step Brothers, 3.50 for a Reeses Peanut butter cup bar. I almost broke the display case my jaw dropped that hard.


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## Stratin2traynor (Sep 27, 2006)

How about this. My kids got some movie passes from friends and family for christmas. The passes included popcorn and pop. So yesterday we decided to take all of the passes and head to an afternoon at the movies. There was me, my wife, my son and my two daughters who each brought a friend. So a total of 7. We get to the theatre and I hand over the movie passes after ordering the different tickets - Tron 3D, Gullivers Travels and some chick flick my wife wanted to see. Well, it turns out that I was at an Empire theatre and the passes were for a Cineplex theatre so we were SOL. Not wanting to disappoint the kid I thought WTF and gave the guy my debit card....When it was all said and done, our little family day at the movies cost me $160!!!! I could've gotten a nice pedal for that amount!!

PS - Tron Legacy in 3D was pretty cool.


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## ThePass (Aug 10, 2007)

$160 bucks!

Holy crap! That's mental. Yes, lol......that could have been a great pedal.

Oh well, what can ya do eh?


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## blam (Feb 18, 2011)

i smuggle once in a while....but i have no problem buying a tub of popcorn either.


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## ThePass (Aug 10, 2007)

MY lady took our four to see "Hop" the other day ~ the passes were FREE but still cost her (her & I dammit, LOL) fifty, yes 50(!) bucks in snacks.

Smuggle away!


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## Steadfastly (Nov 14, 2008)

Are there any good decent movies anymore?


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## Ti-Ron (Mar 21, 2007)

Steadfastly said:


> Are there any good decent movies anymore?


+10000 been a long time since I seen a good movie IN theater! Doesn't mean there's no good movies!


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## Presto1202 (Dec 8, 2010)

I do some combination of both, depending on if I remember to buy something beforehand or not. But since I do like eating popcorn while watching movies and it is hard to smuggle that in I usually just buy it there. 

I went to a movie theater in Morro Bay (by San Luis Obispo) a couple years ago it was such a throwback experience. It was a renovated hole-in-the-wall theater that only showed one movie a week. Me and my girlfriend were surprised the movie tickets only cost $4.50 each and it wasn't even a matinee! So we go in and get in line to get food and look at the prices and they were totally reasonable. Drinks were like $1.29 for a large while candy bars and popcorn were 99 cents! We ended up getting tickets and everything we wanted at the snack bar for $14.00 total. The movie was brand new at the time too (The Sentinel). The theater itself was like new inside with big seats and everything. It was a really refreshing and pleasant experience. I don't know how they did it, but I wish more small theaters could successfully pull that off.


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## bw66 (Dec 17, 2009)

Our local movie theatre is locally owned and operated, gives back to the community, _and_ is reasonably priced. I'm happy to buy their food.


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## Perkinsfan (Oct 17, 2007)

At the theater we buy popcorn/nachos and drinks.
At the drive in we bring whatever we feel like because we also bring our German Shepherd 
and none of the employees wants to get close enough to our vehicle to see if we have "contraband" 
food or drinks. LOL
Eric


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## Electraglide (Jan 24, 2010)

Perkinsfan......there's a drive-in near you? The closest one to me is in Enderby B.C. I think. Kids miss out on a lot these days. Fogged windows, the pleasure and pain, people jumping on your rear bumper at the wrong time, leaving as the sun comes up. Last drive in I went to there were no speakers....the sound was broadcast on fm and my old car only had an am radio. And snacks and drinks under the front seat. 
As far as taking food to a movie these days; can't see the point my self. The wife likes the popcorn and we get a couple of drinks.


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## Perkinsfan (Oct 17, 2007)

Yep, we have a drive in. It's near Fonthill Ontario.
They have 4 screens. Once in a while we go to the "all nighter" 4 movies starting at dusk. Very cool.
Lots of mosquitoes though, best to bring your bug spray!


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## david henman (Feb 3, 2006)

...with high definition flat screen tvs and multichannel sound systems, it's pretty hard to get motivated to out go a movie theatre.

unless you are one of those people that just has to see a movie the moment it is released, there is really not much point.

not to mention the inconsiderate rudeness and selfish, neanderthal behavior that you have to deal with once you get there.

i go about once every five years, to see a movie that is a visual and audio "experience", like avatar.

but, i go to an early show, where the audience is in the signal digits.

thus, paying the inflated prices for popcorn etc just isn't an issue.


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## david henman (Feb 3, 2006)

Steadfastly said:


> Are there any good decent movies anymore?


...part of the problem is that many television series have gotten so bloody good. the sopranos, for example. truly outstanding on every level.


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## david henman (Feb 3, 2006)

Steadfastly said:


> The movies at the theatre today don't interest me in the least. They are pretty weak when it comes to any drama. They all seem to center around sex, violence or action and very little serious themes or dialogue. So we borrow or rent some classics, curl up on the couch and have some snacks at home, Even then we watch very little television. We don't have cable or even an antenna. It's all DVD's or a few VCR tapes that are still kicking around.



...you would LOVE netflix!


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