Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Rarely go to the movies. Especially now with large TV at home. I usually wait for the DVD....When we do go, if I remember, I will bring my own soft drink or occasionally candy. I'm not too big on eating during a movie but DH and kids are.....Sometimes do succomb to popcorn to share. I understand it's a business but I also have to make it work for my family. The other option is often just to stay home.
No, because if I wanted to save money, I'd just watch a movie at home. I found it's too noisy to eat while watching at a theater, all the crunching and crackling sounds.
Many theater chains have already filed bankruptcy in the last 5-10 years because they don't make much money except on food.
most every theater i've been in has a sign that says "no outside food/drinks allowed".
they make their money on the concessions.
i have no problem with that.
i really like movie theater popcorn; its part of the moviegoing experience for me.
we always go to the 'dollar' theater; it runs movies after they leave the main screen in town. usually a month or so after they are released. its much easier to swallow the cost of the concessions when you only pay a buck to get in (two on the weekends).
the only time i've taken something in from outside was a 12 pack in a cooler at a midnight show. i didn't try to sneak it in. i just walked right in carrying it. a theater employee was inside after the movie started playing and heard me pulling a bottle out. they didn't make me leave, but told me i had to return the cooler to the parking lot. was it dumb? yes. but I was about 19 or so and just trying to have a good time.
I always bring food in from the outside. I hate movie theater popcorn and that weird golden liquid they put on it (many claim it's butter, but I have my doubts ). I sometimes bring in a bag of kettle corn (I love the stuff that comes in the red bags), some chocolate pretzels, or some gummy candy along w/ some water.
a lot of people have been commentating about how concessions are how theaters make money and many are going bankrupt. I sympathize, but not my problem. times are a-changing and these companies, like every other ones out there, must change along w/ them or die. it's not always worth it to bother going to a movie theater when you can just wait a few months and watch the movie via On Demand or Netflix on your big screen, hi-def TV. between dealing w/ stale food, crying babies, loud kids running around, idiots texting during the movie, other idiots babbling in the back, and sticky substances on the floor, going to the movie isn't the fun it once was and is sometimes more of a headache
I will pay big bucks to go to a nice theater w/ comfortable seats, clean floors, good, restaurant quality food (nothing overly fancy, just a burger or wings or other finger foods and appetizers), booze, and MOST importantly, no children or idiots on cell phones! I know a few of these high end movie theaters exist, but I haven't been to one yet or personally know of any. however, if these theaters want my money, they should consider upgrading their services.
We all realize that theaters need to make money and a majority of the money comes from concessions. The theater manger in the earlier post described how cheap it is to make popcorn. It probably costs pennies a bag, yet they charge $4 for a small.
Soda again, same deal, only costs pennies to make.
Stores and restaurants charge less than half of what a theater charges for food and still make a profit. And they are not making money on tickets. Once the initial cost of the theater is paid for, there should be still enough money for overhead and profit with lower concession costs IMO.
How many more people would buy food if the prices were cut in half? I'm sure many more. I sometimes bring in candy for the kids. I would for sure buy a popcorn and drinks if the prices were half of what they are now.
The law requires that they are NSF certified, and have air filters, plus onboard fire supression systems. The model I linked to has a $14,000 price tag before shipping, taxes, and installation. How many bags of popcorn do they have to sell just to pay for the popper?
I noticed that the theater near me is advertising free admission to anybody that is unemployed. That is a genius marketing move. It costs the same to play the movie no matter how many people are watching it. If they let a family in for free, they might be more apt to buy some popcorn. It also serves as a goodwill gesture for when times are better.
The law requires that they are NSF certified, and have air filters, plus onboard fire supression systems. The model I linked to has a $14,000 price tag before shipping, taxes, and installation. How many bags of popcorn do they have to sell just to pay for the popper?
I noticed that the theater near me is advertising free admission to anybody that is unemployed. That is a genius marketing move. It costs the same to play the movie no matter how many people are watching it. If they let a family in for free, they might be more apt to buy some popcorn. It also serves as a goodwill gesture for when times are better.
Yes, it costs money to open a business.
What I'm saying is if one person buys a bag of popcorn for $4, then the theater makes a certain amount.
If the theater charges, say $2.50 a bag, how many more people would buy popcorn?
"What I'm saying is if one person buys a bag of popcorn for $4, then the theater makes a certain amount.
If the theater charges, say $2.50 a bag, how many more people would buy popcorn?"
I used to have to do that type of analysis. It gets discouraging. Every time the prices would go up, the number of sales would go down, so I knew that some customers were getting priced out. That experience is one of the reasons that I am furious about the whole concept of inflation and the effects it has on people. Inflation, for those who don't understand, ultimately is a hidden tax that the government imposes by pumping excess greenbacks into the economy, as a way of paying of debts. Businesses have no alternative but to try to keep up.
I haven't run the figures in a long time, so all I can do is show a generalized example. Say you have a popcorn currently selling at $4.00. You consider raising the price to $5.00 because of some reason like minimum wage has gone up, or the price of freight has gone up, or the price of oil has gone up, or the price of power has gone up, etc..
COG (cost of goods) before was = 90 cents
COG now is = $1
Sales tax is 10% and is figured into the price, so:
Original price $3.63
Original gross profit $2.73
New price $4.54
Actual raise in price (before tax) 91 cents.
less 10 cents increase in COG = 81 cents
New gross profit $3.54
Expected reduction in purchases 10 out of 100.
$2.73 (original profit) x 100 customers = $273.00
$3.54 (new profit) x 90 customers = $318.60
$45.60 additional profit while serving 10 fewer customers.
Even if 20 customers out of 100 stop buying, it is more profitable to sell the higher priced item.
Remember that the higher profit is actually in inflated dollars, so overall the true gain is reduced even further.
Obviously to you and me, but not to accountants, is that the higher prices erode the "good will" of customers. To a certain extent, operations personnel and management will balk at price increases. However, when payrolls start to get cut, the objections start to fade.
Conversely, when prices are too low, the mix of clientele changes, and the rowdier customers become more prevalent, and drive away the "good" customers.
As you can see, pricing is an incredibly difficult balancing act, as so many outside forces enter into the equations.
As I said before, anyone who thinks that theatres are making giant profits has only to look around and note how there are far fewer theatres now than in the past. If the profits were there, the numbers would be growing.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
). I sometimes bring in a bag of kettle corn (I love the stuff that comes in the red bags), some chocolate pretzels, or some gummy candy along w/ some water. 
