$7 Popcorn
07/26/06
$7 Popcorn
Well, since when did popcorn suddenly start costing $7 per bag? This better be some good goddamn popcorn! And soda! In a society where $5 can get you a six pack of cheap beer how the hell did we end up paying ** FIVE AMERICAN DOLLARS ** for 64 ounces of Coca-Cola .. In fact.. No, not even 64 ounces. When you take into account the massive displacement of the ridiculous amount of ICE they fill your cup with, you probably get 28 ounces of soda!
Of course, you know it, I'm talking about the movie theaters!
My wife and I spent $25 last night -- on a movie. It's my fault for being dumb enough to go to these places, but I don't think I ever recall seeing prices this ridiculous. It has been at least 6 months since I last went out to see a movie, and I can honestly say, the prices have skyrocketed. It's bloody fucking murder and these places get away with it.
How is this any different from price gouging hurricane victims an extra 150% on a pack of batteries? The retailers know the products are in high demand therefore they raise the prices to take advantage of that, of course, people know they need the stuff so they'll still buy it either way.
Movie theaters know people can't just sit there sucking their thumbs for 2 hours, so they offer refreshments -- if you'll call them that...
The problem is, this is the very same process! They know you want to eat and or drink something, and they know that there are a lot of people coming through the doors and they milk their customers for every cent their parents are worth!
Large Popcorn: $6.50
Nachos: $5.50
Large Soda: $6
We got a medium drink -- no ice, a box of rasinette's and a box of sno-caps and the fucking total was 10 dollars. That is approximately $3 per candy and $4 for a medium drink.
Where does the price gouging law draw the line? Convenience? Convenience stores are already more expensive than grocery stores or mega marts, and when a crisis appears, god forbid they raise prices! Oh my god that would be terrible... but Carmike Cinemas can charge 700% gross-profit on everything and get away with it?
The fact is, Movies have gotten too big budget and the only way for these places to make any money is to fuck you up the ass at the refreshment stand and it's absolutely pathetic how much we'll pay for the luxury of having disgusting and unhealthy shit streaming into our throats for 2 hours while we sit in these uncomfortable stiff auditorium seats and stare at a movie screen that's not even fucking straight and watch trailers and commercials for 20 minutes.
I can't stand it anymore.
Comments, Pingbacks:
Comment from: Roulette [Member] 
It's true profiteering. Insane ticket prices, through the roof snacks, commercials before the movie and tons of previews. Squeezing every last dime out of it's customers.
I recall as few as 10 years ago, movies were a place I went to enjoy a lazy afternoon. No more. It's too expensive unless it's a movie I REALLY want to see. No more mediocre movies. Hell, for me and a date, I could afford to buy the DVD sight unseen.
I saw an interesting study on the subject recently. It basically surveyed people and discovered that all things being equal, if a movie were released on DVD, theater, and pay-per-view service, the largest mass of viewers would by the DVD. I would guess that has something to do with the outrageous tickets combined with the high quality home entertainment systems available.
I recall as few as 10 years ago, movies were a place I went to enjoy a lazy afternoon. No more. It's too expensive unless it's a movie I REALLY want to see. No more mediocre movies. Hell, for me and a date, I could afford to buy the DVD sight unseen.
I saw an interesting study on the subject recently. It basically surveyed people and discovered that all things being equal, if a movie were released on DVD, theater, and pay-per-view service, the largest mass of viewers would by the DVD. I would guess that has something to do with the outrageous tickets combined with the high quality home entertainment systems available.
Permalink
07/26/06 @ 13:17
Comment from: Abba Zabba [Member]
You seriously think your desire for "disgusting and unhealthy" shit at the movies is like a hurricane victim's desire for gas or batteries?
That's idiotic. People don't "need" refreshments at the movies. People don't need to go to the movies at all! Yes, it would be nice if the movies were cheaper, or if you could get that 64-ounce bucket of corn syrup for the $.25 it costs the theater. But you can't seriously think that this is price gouging which should be prohibited by law!
Anyway, it has nothing to do with the budgets of movies. Theaters aren't owned by studios. They don't care how much a movie cost to make. What they do care about is how many people go to the movies. And with movie attendance declining over the last few decades while costs (rent, energy, etc.) stay constant or increase, they need to make money somewhere. So they make it off the suckers who pay exorbitant prices for stale popcorn and candy that costs $1.50 at the grocery store.
That's idiotic. People don't "need" refreshments at the movies. People don't need to go to the movies at all! Yes, it would be nice if the movies were cheaper, or if you could get that 64-ounce bucket of corn syrup for the $.25 it costs the theater. But you can't seriously think that this is price gouging which should be prohibited by law!
Anyway, it has nothing to do with the budgets of movies. Theaters aren't owned by studios. They don't care how much a movie cost to make. What they do care about is how many people go to the movies. And with movie attendance declining over the last few decades while costs (rent, energy, etc.) stay constant or increase, they need to make money somewhere. So they make it off the suckers who pay exorbitant prices for stale popcorn and candy that costs $1.50 at the grocery store.
Permalink
07/26/06 @ 13:36
Comment from: nf [Member]
I don't think my reasoning is idiotic at all. I don't think the government should get in the way of anything it doesn't have to, but my god, microsoft bundles media player and internet explorer and there's a fucking crisis in the marketplace!
Who cares if they bundle the whole software portfolio with Vista? nobody needs it and they *can get their own software*
You cannot bring your own refreshments into a cinema.
Cinemas have no competition, competition is what makes the free market possible, and when theres no competition, everything gets VERY out of hand.
Retailers are legally allowed to charge as much as a customer will pay for a certain item, and while movies are not equal to emergencies, a movie theater is still the only place in the world that can force you to pay extortionate prices.
Oh, they need to survive? Too bad. Sink or swim -- it's the song of the industry and many companies fail because they cannot compete, which is proabbly one of the reasons you don't ever see independantly owned theaters anywhere any more. Heh, What are those??
Unfortunately the only real solution to this problem is getting everyone else to stop paying for their shit, that would send a clear message, but it will never happen. Americans are soft and will take all the crap everyone else dishes out because they don't know any better.
If the only value they can create is stale popcorn and candy that noone wants, then the cinema industry needs to seriously re-invent itself.
I'd like to see some franchised pizza stands opening up in the lobbies, maybe a food-court style system. They rent the space out and the cinema gets their cut. The stands can charge a reasonable price for considerably better food, and the world is happier.
Who cares if they bundle the whole software portfolio with Vista? nobody needs it and they *can get their own software*
You cannot bring your own refreshments into a cinema.
Cinemas have no competition, competition is what makes the free market possible, and when theres no competition, everything gets VERY out of hand.
Retailers are legally allowed to charge as much as a customer will pay for a certain item, and while movies are not equal to emergencies, a movie theater is still the only place in the world that can force you to pay extortionate prices.
Oh, they need to survive? Too bad. Sink or swim -- it's the song of the industry and many companies fail because they cannot compete, which is proabbly one of the reasons you don't ever see independantly owned theaters anywhere any more. Heh, What are those??
Unfortunately the only real solution to this problem is getting everyone else to stop paying for their shit, that would send a clear message, but it will never happen. Americans are soft and will take all the crap everyone else dishes out because they don't know any better.
If the only value they can create is stale popcorn and candy that noone wants, then the cinema industry needs to seriously re-invent itself.
I'd like to see some franchised pizza stands opening up in the lobbies, maybe a food-court style system. They rent the space out and the cinema gets their cut. The stands can charge a reasonable price for considerably better food, and the world is happier.
Permalink
07/26/06 @ 14:20
Comment from: Abba Zabba [Member]
Cinemas have no competition? There are a lot of forms of entertainment out there. Want to go out somewhere? Go to a play, or a concert, or a sporting event. Want to see a movie? Watching one on TV is free. Renting one costs half of what a ticket costs. A DVD costs what 2 tickets cost. You have plenty of options. But if you want to legally watch a first-run movie, yes, you have to go to a cinema. So what?
And a movie theater is not the only place that forces you to pay exorbitant prices. In any place where options are limited, prices are higher. Look at the food prices in Disneyworld. Or the way gas is always a lot more expensive on highway rest-stops, which are a lot more convenient than getting off the highway. That's just capitalism. It's not price gouging. Price gouging is illegally overcharging for something important in a critical situation. This is just a theater ripping you off because you can't sit 2 hours without eating a bucket of popcorn.
And a movie theater is not the only place that forces you to pay exorbitant prices. In any place where options are limited, prices are higher. Look at the food prices in Disneyworld. Or the way gas is always a lot more expensive on highway rest-stops, which are a lot more convenient than getting off the highway. That's just capitalism. It's not price gouging. Price gouging is illegally overcharging for something important in a critical situation. This is just a theater ripping you off because you can't sit 2 hours without eating a bucket of popcorn.
Permalink
07/26/06 @ 15:32
Comment from: nf [Member]
A play is not a movie. A sporting event is not a movie. TV movies are delayed one year from release, except for pay-per-view which, like home video, is delayed at least 6 months.
I dont care about disney, or gas stations, and have not experienced any gas stations being more expensive off highway rest stops though Ive made several long distance road trips, Sorry.
I stand on my ground here. Cinemas need to adapt and grow. I don't see why in 2-3 years we can't go to a theater and have our choice of pizza-hut, taco bell, subway, or even the theaters own good-ol popcorn and soda.. It's the perfect solution for America's want-everything-right-now culture and it will keep the movie theaters making money without having to be dirty about it.
I don't care what the circumstances are, $6 for popcorn and $5 for a soda is dirty, filthy outright ugly business practice. This is NOT disneyworld and there are no multi-million dollar high-maintenance rides, no million-dollar gasoline/oil bills, no billion-dollar operating expenses. It is a building with 10, 12 or 20 auditoriums with 10 minimum wage highschool students working inside.
I dont care about disney, or gas stations, and have not experienced any gas stations being more expensive off highway rest stops though Ive made several long distance road trips, Sorry.
I stand on my ground here. Cinemas need to adapt and grow. I don't see why in 2-3 years we can't go to a theater and have our choice of pizza-hut, taco bell, subway, or even the theaters own good-ol popcorn and soda.. It's the perfect solution for America's want-everything-right-now culture and it will keep the movie theaters making money without having to be dirty about it.
I don't care what the circumstances are, $6 for popcorn and $5 for a soda is dirty, filthy outright ugly business practice. This is NOT disneyworld and there are no multi-million dollar high-maintenance rides, no million-dollar gasoline/oil bills, no billion-dollar operating expenses. It is a building with 10, 12 or 20 auditoriums with 10 minimum wage highschool students working inside.
Permalink
07/26/06 @ 15:55
Comment from: sTmykal [Member]
Wait... you *can't* bring your own refreshments to a theater? Since when? I've never seen it stated or implied that it was "wrong" to do so. Event when I worked at a theater, no one ever said jack about people bringing in their own stuff. Most of my co-workers were highschool/college kids who just wanted the night to end so they could go get drunk.
Let's be realistic here.
1. There's no "pat down" (yet).
2. Rules or not - No theater flunkie is going to bother with people who may or may not have brought their own goodies in.
3. If anyone tried to remove me from a theater for eating something that I brought in, you bet there'd be a scene.
So really, what the fuck are they going to do? Next time make some PB&J sammiches and bring some cokes. If you want some popcorn, grab some Jiffy Pop and an insta-hot hand warmer (available at any camping supply store) and pop your own right there in the theater. Hrm... instapop - popcorn... sounds like a good product...
Better yet - get some MREs. Just add water and the strawberry shakes are almost believable.
If you're really desperate, go to a spot that shows dinner AND a movie. We have a few here in town. Eat some grub, drink some beer, watch a flick.
Let's be realistic here.
1. There's no "pat down" (yet).
2. Rules or not - No theater flunkie is going to bother with people who may or may not have brought their own goodies in.
3. If anyone tried to remove me from a theater for eating something that I brought in, you bet there'd be a scene.
So really, what the fuck are they going to do? Next time make some PB&J sammiches and bring some cokes. If you want some popcorn, grab some Jiffy Pop and an insta-hot hand warmer (available at any camping supply store) and pop your own right there in the theater. Hrm... instapop - popcorn... sounds like a good product...
Better yet - get some MREs. Just add water and the strawberry shakes are almost believable.
If you're really desperate, go to a spot that shows dinner AND a movie. We have a few here in town. Eat some grub, drink some beer, watch a flick.
Permalink
07/27/06 @ 10:17
Comment from: Omi [Visitor]
Well, I'm not sure what the options are for you nf, but here there is competition. There are different cinema chains that show the same movies. So there is some competition. There are dollar movie cinemas here, where if you have the patience to wait all of 2-3 weeks, you can watch the movie for 1-2 dollars. Some of the theaters here do serve stuff like subway and taco bell. There are even some theaters that you can go and have a beer and pizza.
Its simple, the theaters charge rediculous prices for stuff cause the consumer will pay for them. Its simple ecomonics, supply and demand. Its assinine to even suggest the government should step in cause refreshments at a movie theater are a luxary, not a need.
Altho it is entertaining to see you call americans soft and lazy. After all, didn't you just do what all these soft and lazy americans do? You bought and paid for over priced refreshments at the cinema ;)
Permalink
07/27/06 @ 10:26
Comment from: Larathiel [Visitor]
The theaters here in Charlotte have signs on the doors saying people can't bring in their own food. However, I also have friends who have severe food allergies so the management can risk a medical-discrimination law-suit if they want to get pushy about snacks. (So far they haven't.)
So far the cost here hasn't reached quite the insane levels You're seeing nf but then I only need a medium drink and a medium popcorn and the folks I'm with (who aren't deathly allergic to the stuff) maybe get just a bit more.
Still, none of us currently have surround sound home theaters with 60" screens. We also prefer to enjoy cool new action/sci-fi flicks on a huge screen the first few times we see them *before* eventually buying the DVD. (Our way of supporting the rare studio that actually happens to make a *good* movie — same for music albums and books.) Also, my very best friend is working on screenplays, scripts and soundtracks of his own and even little mistakes in lighting, effects and editing show up prominently on a huge screen — better to learn from the mistakes of others at $20 a pop then to commit Your own at a personal expense numbering in the millions.
Anyway, You've got a pony-tail. Go for the Silent Bob look and just fill Your trenchcoat will all the stuff You need. ;-) I'm guessing You'd still need to buy the popcorn (too bulky) but that would save You a good bit and You'd also have a better selection.
So far the cost here hasn't reached quite the insane levels You're seeing nf but then I only need a medium drink and a medium popcorn and the folks I'm with (who aren't deathly allergic to the stuff) maybe get just a bit more.
Still, none of us currently have surround sound home theaters with 60" screens. We also prefer to enjoy cool new action/sci-fi flicks on a huge screen the first few times we see them *before* eventually buying the DVD. (Our way of supporting the rare studio that actually happens to make a *good* movie — same for music albums and books.) Also, my very best friend is working on screenplays, scripts and soundtracks of his own and even little mistakes in lighting, effects and editing show up prominently on a huge screen — better to learn from the mistakes of others at $20 a pop then to commit Your own at a personal expense numbering in the millions.
Anyway, You've got a pony-tail. Go for the Silent Bob look and just fill Your trenchcoat will all the stuff You need. ;-) I'm guessing You'd still need to buy the popcorn (too bulky) but that would save You a good bit and You'd also have a better selection.
Permalink
07/28/06 @ 00:21
Comment from: bman [Member]
Im with nf on this. The real problem is the inflated leasing prices for the movies from the supply chain of shit handed down to us from Hollywood. Yup...its shit. Of all the movies released there are very few even worth watching at those ticket prices anymore.
Yes, occasionally there is some blockbuster that deems itself worthy enough to schlep down to the theatre, stand in riduculously long lines to part with your $20.00 bills only to be seated next to some fat smelly pile of shit who hasnt bathed in a few days and listen to his/her kids scream the entire time in between bobbing your head around because the dumbass in front of you is like 7'4 tall and you cant see the 15 minutes of advertising and spam that they force your eyes to digest before the picture begins.
I dunno about you, but I say gimme back my 3 dollar ticket prices, put the tall people in back, charge gelatinous piles of blubber for 2 seats (airlines do), have the concierge pass out duct tape for the kids and for god's sake limit the opening spam to Timmy the trashcan then get on with the movie.
Yes, occasionally there is some blockbuster that deems itself worthy enough to schlep down to the theatre, stand in riduculously long lines to part with your $20.00 bills only to be seated next to some fat smelly pile of shit who hasnt bathed in a few days and listen to his/her kids scream the entire time in between bobbing your head around because the dumbass in front of you is like 7'4 tall and you cant see the 15 minutes of advertising and spam that they force your eyes to digest before the picture begins.
I dunno about you, but I say gimme back my 3 dollar ticket prices, put the tall people in back, charge gelatinous piles of blubber for 2 seats (airlines do), have the concierge pass out duct tape for the kids and for god's sake limit the opening spam to Timmy the trashcan then get on with the movie.
Permalink
07/28/06 @ 07:47 Leave a comment:
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