It's not me, but the worst case of smuggling in theaters that I've experienced is people bringing full meals, not snacks. So what happens is that the focus is now on the food and the aroma. Not the movie. People get distracted and sometimes find it unfair that others were able to actually smuggle. Not to mention the smell makes everyone hungry, and they all head for that restaurant right after. 🤣😂
I'm a massive snack smuggler - recently have been loving bringing in a massive turkey sub from the grocery store by my favorite theater, or if I go to a matinee I love a thermos of coffee and a pastry.
My friends showed me the snack sneaking lifestyle in college. It was perfect timing as I was broke and owned a lot of oversized sweatshirts. I never felt that bad about it because we would usually still get popcorn (which is kind of unparalleled). Now that I’m older, the combo of watching more at home & learning how to budget for movie nights means my sneaking days are long behind me. I pass no judgement on sneaking community — but I dream of a day when hitting up the concession stand doesn’t feel like highway robbery.
I do get the popcorn and the drinks from them, but candies are another story. As you mentioned, not all of us can always pay a high price. Much for a Snickers bar. I recently went with my daughter and forgot to stop at the convenience store, and she wanted M&Ms an an frozen drink (boom, $18 bucks just for that). I understand that the business makes money out of concessions but damn the prices are extremely. With what I pay at the theater for ine candy I can buy fuve or six times that at the store. When I go alone I tend to get a small soda and popcorn and skip the snack, but we are four at home and paying over $30 bucks in just a few bars and sweets is crazy, so in that situation the convenience store is the way to go.
I genuinely love movie theater popcorn so much that I almost never go to a movie without ordering some, so I’ve never felt the need to smuggle snacks into the theater. I’ve also been pretty rigid on this ever since I first found out that theaters depend on concession sales to survive.
The one time I did smuggle something in (fairly recently actually) we were a little early and starving before the movie, so we got some empanadas at a nearby stand. I couldn’t finish both of my empanadas in time, so I stuffed my second one in my purse to eat later. I still bought a drink and I think some candy at the theater to make up for it. As fellow rule-follower, I didn’t feel great about it, and probably won’t do it again unless out of necessity… but I gotta admit it was a very satisfying movie empanada.
I'm usually a good moviegoer who purchases all concessions at the theater, but there's always a first. During the pandemic, my husband and I walked into a movie with a full meal from the restaurant around the corner. (The movie staff let it slide since there were very few people going to the movies at that time.) We ended up having a private screening with half a chicken, a full salad, and chips and guacamole - and we still bought popcorn and candy!
That’s amazing! I do think COVID allowed for some exceptions to the typical moviegoing practices. After all, if the theater is empty, no cares if you’re bringing in fragrant dishes!
I’m in Ireland where we are ( per capita) the most cinema going Country. Does this mean that the cinema tickets are cheaper, of course not this is Ireland so we pay the highest price in Europe to see a film. When 2 tickets with 2 popcorn’s and 2 drinks were averaging €60 I decided to bring in my own goodies. At Twisters I may have made a bit of rustling sounds but I only did it when the movie was at its noisiest. Apparently in New Zealand it’s a criminal offense to bring things in. If that was a thing in Ireland we would continue to do so, we do not fear the consequences!!!
Fascinating! I agree, the popcorn and soda prices in particular are shocking in most places, and while I haven’t research it yet, I’m sure Ireland has particularly high prices. I am, however, in the middle of researching a piece about allergens and popcorn offerings at major chains in English-speaking countries, and I will say Ireland is shaping up to have the best popcorn options, so you’ve got that going for you!
I also agree, how can a movie theater call the police on roughly 50% of its customers? There’s power in numbers! At some point, it’s not a good business decision.
My first job in high school was at a movie theater. We were a four screen independent house, so we didn't have some of the more egregious examples you might find at the multiplex - but I will never forget sweeping up a guy's pistachio shells. At least bring something to put them in!
Pistachio shells is heinous!!! I'm glad the indie cinemagoers were generally respectful though. Did you feel there was pressure to enforce no-outside-food rules?
It's not me, but the worst case of smuggling in theaters that I've experienced is people bringing full meals, not snacks. So what happens is that the focus is now on the food and the aroma. Not the movie. People get distracted and sometimes find it unfair that others were able to actually smuggle. Not to mention the smell makes everyone hungry, and they all head for that restaurant right after. 🤣😂
True -- if someone brought cooked fish into a movie theater I think I would need to be institutionalized.
I'm a massive snack smuggler - recently have been loving bringing in a massive turkey sub from the grocery store by my favorite theater, or if I go to a matinee I love a thermos of coffee and a pastry.
Wow, a thermos!!! Do you try to hide it when you walk in?
My friends showed me the snack sneaking lifestyle in college. It was perfect timing as I was broke and owned a lot of oversized sweatshirts. I never felt that bad about it because we would usually still get popcorn (which is kind of unparalleled). Now that I’m older, the combo of watching more at home & learning how to budget for movie nights means my sneaking days are long behind me. I pass no judgement on sneaking community — but I dream of a day when hitting up the concession stand doesn’t feel like highway robbery.
I do get the popcorn and the drinks from them, but candies are another story. As you mentioned, not all of us can always pay a high price. Much for a Snickers bar. I recently went with my daughter and forgot to stop at the convenience store, and she wanted M&Ms an an frozen drink (boom, $18 bucks just for that). I understand that the business makes money out of concessions but damn the prices are extremely. With what I pay at the theater for ine candy I can buy fuve or six times that at the store. When I go alone I tend to get a small soda and popcorn and skip the snack, but we are four at home and paying over $30 bucks in just a few bars and sweets is crazy, so in that situation the convenience store is the way to go.
I genuinely love movie theater popcorn so much that I almost never go to a movie without ordering some, so I’ve never felt the need to smuggle snacks into the theater. I’ve also been pretty rigid on this ever since I first found out that theaters depend on concession sales to survive.
The one time I did smuggle something in (fairly recently actually) we were a little early and starving before the movie, so we got some empanadas at a nearby stand. I couldn’t finish both of my empanadas in time, so I stuffed my second one in my purse to eat later. I still bought a drink and I think some candy at the theater to make up for it. As fellow rule-follower, I didn’t feel great about it, and probably won’t do it again unless out of necessity… but I gotta admit it was a very satisfying movie empanada.
I'm usually a good moviegoer who purchases all concessions at the theater, but there's always a first. During the pandemic, my husband and I walked into a movie with a full meal from the restaurant around the corner. (The movie staff let it slide since there were very few people going to the movies at that time.) We ended up having a private screening with half a chicken, a full salad, and chips and guacamole - and we still bought popcorn and candy!
That’s amazing! I do think COVID allowed for some exceptions to the typical moviegoing practices. After all, if the theater is empty, no cares if you’re bringing in fragrant dishes!
I’m in Ireland where we are ( per capita) the most cinema going Country. Does this mean that the cinema tickets are cheaper, of course not this is Ireland so we pay the highest price in Europe to see a film. When 2 tickets with 2 popcorn’s and 2 drinks were averaging €60 I decided to bring in my own goodies. At Twisters I may have made a bit of rustling sounds but I only did it when the movie was at its noisiest. Apparently in New Zealand it’s a criminal offense to bring things in. If that was a thing in Ireland we would continue to do so, we do not fear the consequences!!!
Fascinating! I agree, the popcorn and soda prices in particular are shocking in most places, and while I haven’t research it yet, I’m sure Ireland has particularly high prices. I am, however, in the middle of researching a piece about allergens and popcorn offerings at major chains in English-speaking countries, and I will say Ireland is shaping up to have the best popcorn options, so you’ve got that going for you!
I also agree, how can a movie theater call the police on roughly 50% of its customers? There’s power in numbers! At some point, it’s not a good business decision.
My first job in high school was at a movie theater. We were a four screen independent house, so we didn't have some of the more egregious examples you might find at the multiplex - but I will never forget sweeping up a guy's pistachio shells. At least bring something to put them in!
Pistachio shells is heinous!!! I'm glad the indie cinemagoers were generally respectful though. Did you feel there was pressure to enforce no-outside-food rules?
As a teenager earning minimum wage, I didn't feel much pressure to do anything.
I asked a version of this on Tiktok recently and some of the answers might shock you https://www.tiktok.com/@11amsaturday/photo/7393805340736900382
Ohh thank you for sharing this! I'm a follower but didn't even realize you had a tiktok! The espresso bar is a MUST tbh.