Should you be allowed to bring your own food to a film?

SouthTippBass · 17-02-2014 11:01PM

wazky wrote: »

Who was Fanny?, your cousin?

No, I'm sure he means big fat fanny, the naughty nanny.

branie · 17-02-2014 11:04PM

SouthTippBass wrote: »

No, I'm sure he means big fat fanny, the naughty nanny.

Hey big woman, you made a bad boy out of me!

Pumpkinseeds · 17-02-2014 11:19PM

cloud493 wrote: »

I went the movies today. There is a sign saying 'please don't bring outside food and drinks in' but its rarely enforced. Anyway, we were all sitting there waiting for the film to start, lights weren't properly off, and one of the cinema attendants comes in, and starts walking up and down the aisle. He goes to these teenage girls who've got their own food with them, and asks them to hand it over. They say no. He asks again. They say no. So this time he tells them to leave the cinema. They're a bit pissed off by this, so he gets another attendant in to argue with them till they leave.

Seems a bit unfair to me no? Hardly a reason to chuck them out. What do you guys think? I mean even with the warning, its still unfair.

That says it all really. He probably wouldn't have challenged an adult. The sign you described sounds more like a request for people not to bring their own food, not a rule against it. An adult would have told him where to shove his attitude or demanded a refund if he insisted they leave.

Aspiring · 17-02-2014 11:22PM

Make two bags of butter popcorn before you head out, pour them both into a rucksack and you're good to go for the cinema.

zcorpian88 · 17-02-2014 11:29PM

Aspiring wrote: »

Make two bags of butter popcorn before you head out, pour them both into a rucksack and you're good to go for the cinema.

I'd be tempted to do that myself, would look like I was a scabby mean bastard if I were to bring my date along.

Must keep that in mind when I'm going with friends again!

Aspiring · 17-02-2014 11:37PM

zcorpian88 wrote: »

I'd be tempted to do that myself, would look like I was a scabby mean bastard if I were to bring my date along.

Must keep that in mind when I'm going with friends again!

Plastic bags work too but they're a lot less discrete. Filling the pockets is another option. Make your date fill her handbag, make use of all you can for the sake of the popcorn.

J_E · 17-02-2014 11:38PM

Aspiring wrote: »

Make two bags of butter popcorn before you head out, pour them both into a rucksack and you're good to go for the cinema.

Yeah, but then it's cold and any butter on them will have gone a bit starchy.

Aspiring · 17-02-2014 11:41PM

Cydoniac wrote: »

Yeah, but then it's cold and any butter on them will have gone a bit starchy.

Ah no you get one of those thermal bags it stays warm and the butter stays grand.

B.A._Baracus · 17-02-2014 11:47PM

That usher sounds a right jerk from what the op said. Like if he was the manager you would expect it. Not some jerkoff making 8.65 an hour who is on a power trip.

SamAK · 17-02-2014 11:49PM

Has anyone noticed that the popcorn in a cinema is far, far saltier than anything you'd buy in the outside world? Surely they're not ADDING MORE SALT to make us really thirsty and therefore buy another overpriced coke? Shirley, you can't be serious!

Has anyone noticed that when using a straw to drink coke in the cinema (i've yet to see a cinema that doesn't provide a lid and straw for your drink) - your lips stay really salty from the popcorn? Do yourselves a favour and remove the damn lid, and sip the drink, therefore removing the salt!

Also, when buying a drink, ask for NO ICE PLEASE.

SNEAKY HOBBITSES TRICKED USSSSSSSSSSSS!

zcorpian88 · 17-02-2014 11:50PM

Aspiring wrote: »

Ah no you get one of those thermal bags it stays warm and the butter stays grand.

Aspiring will become a hero to all us mean f**kers, teaching us the art of being stingy for the cinema. Kudos good sir/lady/ladysir :pac:

Temptamperu · 17-02-2014 11:51PM

I think they lost all rights to not allowing food the day they started doing fairy adverts before the movie.

Back in the day you went got a few trailers and then the feature. Cinemas weren't making money and used this as an excuse for over priced corn products. But now they get money for these advertisements so they have no right to put on the poor mouth.

Aspiring · 17-02-2014 11:53PM

zcorpian88 wrote: »

Aspiring will become a hero to all us mean f**kers, teaching us the art of being stingy for the cinema. Kudos good sir/lady/ladysir :pac:

Ladysir will do. Surgery was successful.

Jimoslimos · 17-02-2014 11:54PM

cletus van damme wrote: »

this is true , my ex used to manager one of the big cinema's in dublin and she was saying that without the food the cinema's would fold.

they don't make much money on the films alone given the cost they must buy them at.

Perhaps it is time that the cinema chains renegotiated the terms with the big Hollywood studios. More and more revenue is generated through viewers at home, whether through DVDs (although these are declining), on-demand services, Netflix, Sky, etc. Theatre releases could be argued as an advertising mechanism for the smaller screen version.

zcorpian88 · 17-02-2014 11:57PM

SamAK wrote: »

Has anyone noticed that the popcorn in a cinema is far, far saltier than anything you'd buy in the outside world? Surely they're not ADDING MORE SALT to make us really thirsty and therefore buy another overpriced coke? Shirley, you can't be serious!

Has anyone noticed that when using a straw to drink coke in the cinema (i've yet to see a cinema that doesn't provide a lid and straw for your drink) - your lips stay really salty from the popcorn? Do yourselves a favour and remove the damn lid, and sip the drink, therefore removing the salt!

Also, when buying a drink, ask for NO ICE PLEASE.

SNEAKY HOBBITSES TRICKED USSSSSSSSSSSS!

Don't think I have ever bought another coke in the cinema, even if I did run out of coke I wouldn't get up during the movie, I sit and watch the whole thing no distractions.

I think the more salt thing is the amount of butter in the popcorn, cinema popcorn is meant to be 76% fat, some of the machines out there have like a big pan full of butter and grease and whatnot. Making the popcorn nicer than typical packaged popcorn.

Also nice theory on the drink lids! Actually quite clever.

Killer Wench · 17-02-2014 11:58PM

My mom was the queen of smuggling in food. She once hid a bucket of chicken, a container of mashed potatoes and gravy, a side of coleslaw and four biscuits into a movie. I'll never forget the reactions of the other movie goers. It was probably the best movie experience that I have ever had.

Now that I try to be more health conscious, I still don't feel guilty about smuggling in food. Here in the US, so much of the food is packed with sugar and/or corn syrup. I smuggle in fresh fruit on the regular.

Aspiring · 17-02-2014 11:59PM

The desire to go to the cinema has really faded in latter years.

Going to the cinema for 2:
2 cinema tickets = €16
1 large popcorn and drinks= €9
and thats being stingy with the popcorn and you're still at €25

You could watch the same movie at home (obtained legally of course) with popcorn,drinks, etc for free.

Cinema prices need to come down

iguana · 18-02-2014 12:00AM

BetterThanThou wrote: »

As far as I know, cinemas make nearly all their profit from food, in fact, I've heard for some movies they even show them at a loss, as they'll make the money back on food/drinks. So for that fact, I personally wouldn't sneak food into a cinema, bar maybe some chocolate or something if I'm already buying popcorn/nachos in the cinema.

I fully accept that but I do wonder if their strategy is sound. While they have a large profit margin on the food they do sell, a huge amount of their customers won't buy it and sneak in their own. If the food prices were more reasonable surely they would sell an awful lot more of it. They'd have a smaller profit margin per item but possibly much greater profits as they'd sell more.

Temptamperu · 18-02-2014 12:05AM

Again. The cinema is bought and paid for by the advertising these days. Féck them. If I wanted ads i would stay at home and watch tv.

zcorpian88 · 18-02-2014 12:06AM

Killer Wench wrote: »

My mom was the queen of smuggling in food. She once hid a bucket of chicken, a container of mashed potatoes and gravy, a side of coleslaw and four biscuits into a movie. I'll never forget the reactions of the other movie goers. It was probably the best movie experience that I have ever had.

Now that I try to be more health conscious, I still don't feel guilty about smuggling in food. Here in the US, so much of the food is packed with sugar and/or corn syrup. I smuggle in fresh fruit on the regular.

Bahahaha, Brilliant

Jesus and I thought my mam was nuts for giving me a plastic bag with popcorn, crisps, biscuits or chocolate, maybe some jelly babies.

I do be still surprised at the price of certain items in the cinema, especially when bringing a girlfriend along, and you want to treat her. You look at the till after you buy your tickets and goodies, the register says like €31.30 and I'm there thinking "How much??!!" Then double checking the receipt afterwards. Seems like yesterday the cinema was £2 which didn't seem like a fortune when I was younger. Upwards of €8.50 per ticket to go now.

cloud493 · 18-02-2014 12:07AM

In said cinema yesterday, it was 5.10 for a regular sized coke, which is roughly the size of a one euro bottle.

thelad95 · 18-02-2014 12:12AM

iguana wrote: »

I fully accept that but I do wonder if their strategy is sound. While they have a large profit margin on the food they do sell, a huge amount of their customers won't buy it and sneak in their own. If the food prices were more reasonable surely they would sell an awful lot more of it. They'd have a smaller profit margin per item but possibly much greater profits as they'd sell more.

I read somewhere once that some cinemas make up to 6000% profit on popcorn. I also read somewhere that 68% of statistics are made up on the spot

. But in all seriousness, I don't know how cinema's can justify the prices they charge for popcorn and drinks. I imagine they must have large overheads with buying and showing films plus a large electricity bill but if they reduced the price to €1.50 for small, €2.00 for medium and €2.50 for large they would sell a lot more. Even these prices are extortionate but a lot more reasonable.

Eeden · 18-02-2014 12:17AM

I remember years ago in the Eye Cinema in Galway, they had a sign up at the concession stand saying that buying a medium or large popcorn and asking for an extra empty small bag to share popcorn was "Tantamount To Theft". The sign only stayed up a few weeks I think, as this idea was obviously ridiculous.

Cupcake_Crisis · 18-02-2014 12:32AM

Deleted User wrote: »

IMC have signs up saying only food bought there can be consumed there and no shopping bags or backpacks allowed into the screens!!

Seriously?? That's mad!! So if you had a bit of a shop you can't go to the cinema?? Ill be keeping an eye out for that sign, that's just...mental!!

I nearly always bring my own goodies with me. Half the time they don't be eaten, so im not gonna spend a tenner on a drink and popcorn to have about 3 handfuls!

I remember being in the cinema in Tallaght when it was still UCI and someone had brought in a bag of chips. An actual bag of CHIPPER chips!! We were starving for the entire movie. That's kinda taking the mick.

BetterThanThou · 18-02-2014 12:37AM

iguana wrote: »

I fully accept that but I do wonder if their strategy is sound. While they have a large profit margin on the food they do sell, a huge amount of their customers won't buy it and sneak in their own. If the food prices were more reasonable surely they would sell an awful lot more of it. They'd have a smaller profit margin per item but possibly much greater profits as they'd sell more.

I think even if they did reduce prices, they're not likely to sell much more popcorn. The kind of people who sneak food in are the kind of people who aren't going to buy food in the cinema unless the cinema can compete with the shops around it. And while Tesco can sell a bag of popcorn with a mark up of only 50c, if a cinema did that, they would make little to no profit at all. Lets just say a large popcorn and drink costs 8 euro, which I think it does in my local cinema. Lets say they bring the price down to 5 euro. It doesn't really make a difference, people would see 5 euro as a rip off when they can get a bottle of coke and a big bag of popcorn for probably under 3 euro in a shop. There's two types of people, the people who will sneak the food in to make a saving. And the people who can't be bothered and will pay up. So for this reason, I don't think reducing prices would sell much more unless they reduced to prices that can compete with supermarkets, and then, they'll be making way less profit, if even breaking even.

18-02-2014 12:45AM

My Makeup Perspective wrote: »

I would simply LOVE to be challenged going in! They have no right whatsoever to stop you carrying bags in, nor to search you.

Perhaps, but they may have a right to not sell you a ticket if you do have shopping bags/backpack.

Not trying to take their side or anything, in fact I think you'd be acting a right tit to start confronting paying customers about the contents of their backpack (why not their pockets or their handbags in that case?) but if that's what they say before taking your money then personally I'd have no qualms in taking my business elsewhere.

18-02-2014 01:05AM

Killer Wench wrote: »

My mom was the queen of smuggling in food. She once hid a bucket of chicken, a container of mashed potatoes and gravy, a side of coleslaw and four biscuits into a movie.

Jesus, that's priceless!:D If I was wearing a hat I'd be taking it off to your mother right now.

I remember a mate of mine bringing a two litre flagon of cider into the cinema with him once which I thought was impressive (he was 35 at the time by the way, not 16!) but that's just amateur stuff compared to your mam.

Tombi! · 18-02-2014 01:45AM

In Cineworld you're allowed with some exceptions such as anything that smells strong.

oak5548 · 18-02-2014 01:56AM

Apparently cinemas make little to no profit on the ticket price. Food is the main source of income.

MacFeegle · 18-02-2014 02:11AM

http://www.irishexaminer.com/ireland/price-of-popcorn-marked-up-by-700-229174.html

Said it earlier 700% profit on popcorn in the cinema. Its way to much and than they say they're making no money on the film. Why bother openin a cinema in the first place. Sure you can get 3 tubs of proper gourmet popcorn for a tenner. Tasty stuff too, better than the cinema stuff anyways

Should you be allowed to bring your own food to a film?

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