this post was submitted on 08 May 2025
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Wanna know what I don't have an extra $50 bucks for lately?
You do know you don't have to buy all the extras, right?
As someone who also didn't have movie snacks until I could pay for them myself, I think part of it is that snacks add to the experience. If I'm paying for my family to go to the movies it's supposed to be something nice. We have movie nights at home and buy popcorn in bulk so we can all cuddle up on the couch and snack to our hearts content or pause if someone spills or needs the restroom.
I go to the movies once every few years now and it's always for a big blowout movie where we can dress up and we go to a fancy theater that does food service and has dedicated layzboy style seats. We went and saw Barbie and all wore pink and got themed food/drinks at the theater (pink lemonade and Barbie-q-something). It was fun and imho that's the kind of theater experience worth having. I don't really remember seeing movies as a kid with my family but I'm sure we'll all remember this.
I think the idea of spending $60 for a family of four to sit in silence together and then leave is just not as appealing unless they get the "theater experience" of the addons. I'm also not one complaining though because I generally don't care about seeing things in the theater and I don't really know what it's worth to people who would enjoy it. I do understand that it doesn't feel worth $60 though.
If it's only a few times a year (or once every few years), then the expense shouldn't be worth complaining about. That truly is a special event.
I'm not complaining about the price, but you can definitely complain about the price regardless of how often you go. I don't go to Disney every year but I can still say it's overpriced.
I was just saying that if theaters are hurting for customers I understand why. If people are spending $60 just on tickets for a family of four they are probably not going to be going very often. We don't go very often and we make a whole event out of it and don't spend much more than the $60. People that buy popcorn and snacks for everyone at their local theater end up spending as much as we do and we get dinner and drinks out of it. Unless there's a discount running or the theater is a specialty theater like the one I go to they don't really offer a better experience than you can get at home for the price. The only draw imho is that the movie is new and nowadays things hit streaming pretty shortly after release. Generic theaters just don't offer enough for the price and the evidence is that they are failing. People loved having movie pass so it seems like there's still a desire to go, just not at current prices.
You're missing the point, and I can't tell if it's willfull or incidental, but everyone is saying it has become something we only do a few times a year, as opposed to regularly, because of the expense.
That just tells me you're single. There's never any scenario in which you spend 0 at the theatre if you have family, even more so if you have kids.
I am single, yes. But that never stopped my parents from saying no. I never had movie theater popcorn until I was an adult. You're the parent. You're in charge.
What sort of parent will say no to popcorn at the movies? Especially if their kids ask and its supposed to be a fun night out?
You don't seem to understand that you can't always say no or you might ruin the day for somebody else and in extension.. yourself
Any parent on a budget, or who knows it's not good for kids to always get what they want.
The problem is your kids have the expectation now.
If you make it abundantly clear before you get to the theater, there won't be any snacks; Then when they complain, take them home. They'll know you're serous next time, and it won't be a problem.
If I can't afford popcorn at the movie I'm not going to the movie as they money could obviously be out to better use.
Absolutely agree
You're not wrong, but you're also ignoring the fact that the whole point of a movie theater is to have an "experience" and the snacks are part of it. Sure, you don't have to get it, yes your strategy can be done and will work, and I have a long and storied history of stopping by the candy aisle in the grocery store before noisily making my way to my seat and enjoying my discount goodies. But buying a ticket to a theater is a matter of spectacle and experience, and that exact experience is becoming rapidly unaffordable even when you just buy the tickets alone anymore.
Do you make the same argument complaining on the expense of a vacation "experience", while insisting on buying first class tickets and staying at 4&5 star hotels?
I get you're being over the top to make a point, but it seems a bit ridiculous to compare overpriced popcorn to a first class plane ticket and staying at an expensive hotel. We're talking about experiences that people used to indulge in on a whim, or which were reasonably affordable for average folks. That is not the case with the examples you provided, and those kind of purchases are large even for some people of means.
It is ridiculous. But the logic is the same. Which shows the flaw in the logic.
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The extra popcorn and candy was always overpriced even in the 80s. That's why I never got any as a kid. Nothing has changed. Ticket prices have even pretty flat for a decade now.
Really they've gone up.
A bj behind the gas station?