Census Movie theater contraband

movie theaters are the only place where i ever buy a ginormous soda. it costs four dollars but it's like $3.50 for a small, which is ridiculous. i also get the biggest popcorn for this same reason. i might not even eat it all but at least i feel like i'm getting slightly less ripped off.

 

I always get a the biggest sized slushee/slurpee/icee.

 

I have people come in at work always getting stuff for the movies like candy.

 

I bring in snacks like bananas and granola bars, healthier and lower-priced than the exorbitantly expensive horror foods on sale at the counter.

 

We don't really have to sneak stuff in where I work, they let you take in anything except for fast food because it smells and distracts people (but constant rummaging from sweets and popcorn apparently doesn't ).
And despite having to promote the awful over-priced stuff we sell, I don't really approve of eating in such places. I mean you wouldn't eat in a theatre except during the interval, a movie isn't really different apart from not having live actors.
I guess it's a reflection of modern times, people feel the need to eat everywhere these days.


*feels old now and might go on a rant about "In my day...." *

 

Lately, I've been seeing movies at either a single-screen theater near my house, or at a couple of drive-ins I know in PA. All three are independent, family-run businesses who could use the extra cash. Besides, the single-screen is a cinema cafe where I can get dinner for the same price as admission alone at a big chain theater, and the drive-ins are giving me two movies for the price of one. So, sneaking stuff in would be a rotten thing to do them.

 

Bacon cheeseburger, or nothing.

 

If it makes you feel any better on the rare occasions I splurge on theater food it's usually almost gone by the end of the trailers. This is mostly due to lack of self-control, though.

I tend to not sneak things into theaters. I mean, okay, I do bring my water bottle inside, in my backpack, but I ALWAYS have that. I don't think of it as an occasion different from any other in that regard. The only time I snuck food into a theater was when some friends and I went to see an LotR marathon at a single screen theater in town. We brought in literally ovewr $80 worth of food, most of which actually was eaten between the 7 of us in the interval. It was glaringly obvious; we had hugely stuffed backpacks. No one ever tried to stopped us. I felt like a king. And then, hours later, I felt horribly full.

 

I've taken to putting a can of coke in my purse, yes. Not to replace coke I would otherwise buy, because I almost never get food at the movie theatre anyway because it's so insanely expensive and I can go 2 hours without stuffing my face. I don't really feel like I'm cheating them out of anything. I'm just getting coke instead of my customary water from my brita water bottle that I always have with me anyway.

I don't like candy, though, so I don't bring that in. Maybe some granola bars, but there's generally just one of those in my purse to begin with, not specifically for the movies. So again, I'm really not cheating them out of money they'd otherwise get from me for food, because I don't like their food and wouldn't buy it anyway.

 

Then only bit of stress I have when sneaking in liquor is worrying that somebody among the crowd smells the booze, and then gets an attendant to check up on it. Thankfully, that hasn't happened yet.

 

I would report someone drinking booze probably at a PG-13 film because there are always a lot of kids and pre-teens there and I don't really enjoy the idea of some drunk dude around a bunch of kids. However, I would let it slide at an R-rated film.

Of course, obviously you guys don't have Alamo Drafthouse, wherein the drinking of beer is highly encouraged If I could drink, I would do so there. They actually have good food and when my family goes there, we definitely order food. But it's also made to order, actual food and isn't really much more expensive that eating burgers and chicken fingers and wraps and salads at something like a Corner Bakery. And they bring it to me in my no-talking theatre with the great picture and sound and no commercials beforehand, just awesome fun movie and tv clips... Ahhh Alamo Drafthouse

The Arclight also lets you buy and bring in beer for any screening specifically marked as 21 and over only.


EDIT: Also, fun fact... the theatre that you see people walking into in the AMC Theatres opening logo is, in fact, now the Alamo Drafthouse Kansas City It used to be AMC's flagship theatre (they're based in KC), but they weren't doing well with an upscale, reserved-seats theatre when we're so oversaturated with nice AMCs where you can get tickets for $5 Mon-Thur. So they wound up selling that location to the Alamo... yet it remains the theatre in their opening logo. Only someone from KC would know this, but it still amuses me when I see a movie at an AMC. Because it's probably not what they're going for to make me think, "Man... I wish we had an Alamo Drafthouse here" every time I see a movie at an AMC

 

I never get drunk when I bring booze to a film... I bring just enough to get niiiiiiiiiiiice, low level buzz going. I want to actually know & remember what I'm watching on the screen... and my brother always gives me **** for it, since he's a complete straight edge. I've heard so, so many great things about the Alamo Drafthouse... any chance at all that a location is ever built here in La La Land? Also, naturally, I would so love to be able to smoke a cigar in a theater, but realize that will never, never happen.

 

I usually sneak in my flask. Cherry Coke and Bacardi is a wonderful thing.

 

There have been rumors that they're trying to open an Alamo location in downtown. I really hope it's true. I would go there all the time.

Of course, it would be a lot more expensive than the KC one, which is $7 for matinees and $10 for evening shows. I wish there were anywhere around here that had $7 movies. The downtown Cinemark in KC is $4. I've been way too spoiled by growing up where AMC is based because they do a lot to try to make people in the area like them, such as their $5 weekday films, which then also drives down the prices in every other theatre in town, too. Alas, LA is just the opposite, with it feeling often like everyone's racing to the top to be as expensive as possible. The 3D IMAX of Into Darkness at the real IMAX screen at the AMC Citywalk was $20. $20. I imagine the Alamo out here would be something like $14-15, on par with the Arclight.

As to smoking in theatres... ew. The other day I was at the movies and the guy in front of me smelled insanely strongly of cigarettes. I had to move seats before the film started because I seriously couldn't stand it. I couldn't imagine how much someone would have to smoke to give off a really strong cigarette smell from like 4 feet away. Smoke smells are absolutely disgusting.

 

When I was a young'un, it was nothing to bring in a grocery sack of popcorn. Openly. A lot of folks did it.

But then...late 70's or so, suddenly "bring your own food" was banned. So I don't eat or drink at the movies the rare times I go. I don't go for the food, anyway, and too much liquid - well, don't want to miss the movie.

But otherwise - movies and popcorn just naturally go together. And if someone else buys/shares, I won't sit on my hands.

 

But then you'll be drinking room temperature Cherry Coke! Or room temperature Bacardi!

Oh yeah, and the Cherry Coke would probably be flat too.

 

What's wrong with room temperature Bacardi?

 

nothing if you're not a communist

 

Since one is going up in San Francisco, I'd imagine that those rumors of a Downtown/L.A. location will prove to be true. It's ok, I paid the same price for an AMC IMAX screening of Into Darkness closer to my section of the Valley (Woodland Hills)... don't know if constitutes a real IMAX screen or not. And as for the smoking thing, in a perfect world, 1-2 screens in a multiplex would have available for smoking. But, like I said before, it will never, never happen. A (cigar) smoker can still dream, though.

 

I'm sure some people would love to be back in the old days when no-one ate in screens but everybody smoked. I'm impressed anyone could see the movies given the cloud that must have been hanging around those places

And no multiplex here would have special smoking screens even if they wanted to, indoor smoking is illegal.

 

I'm not understanding this imaginary "no one ate at the movies" era. Was that a UK thing? 'Cause I'm pretty sure people have always eaten at the cinema.

 

I don't get that either

 

Or he's just REALLY REALLY old

 

When I was growing up, mom would always pack sandwiches and soda for the movies. Heck, there was even a theater that openly let people bring their own food so one day we went in with a bunch of my cousins (all children) and an ice box packed with food and drinks. Best picnic ever.

 

Why would anyone need a bucket of KFC to get through a movie? Also, gross. (The story, not KFC. I mean, KFC is also kinda gross, but I still like it.)

My cousins and I used to sneak candy in all the time. Now I"m pretty happy to get popcorn (though it is ungodly expensive). My friends snuck booze into the last Twilight movie and had a great time until the buzz wore off. Unfortunately, I was the one driving that night