Taking your own food/drink to cinema

RHYSDAD

My solution to this problem is simple. I don't go to the cinema. At least 98% of the films i've ever seen at the cinema have turned out to be the biggest piles of !!!!!! known to the celluloid world. Many times i have rued the decision to hand over £15 or so hard earned pounds for me and the wife to go and see a film, only to find it was the crappest film since the last one. Much happier now i never, ever go.....

artha

Perhaps I never noticed but when we have gone to Pantomimes at various theatres/various cities we always take our own bags of sweets etc and are quite open about it. Lots of people do this and I've never seen anyone challenged or for that matter seen any signs saying it's not allowed. Why are cinemas and theatres different?

RHYSDAD

artha wrote: »

Perhaps I never noticed but when we have gone to Pantomimes at various theatres/various cities we always take our own bags of sweets etc and are quite open about it. Lots of people do this and I've never seen anyone challenged or for that matter seen any signs saying it's not allowed. Why are cinemas and theatres different?

Profit margins presumably......

DCFC79

Ive not been challenged when ive taken food into the cinema, ive stopped taking food these days as the films only on for 1 hour and 30 mins,

geordie_joe

marsupial_mama wrote: »

Are they really being ripped off? You do realise that if the cinema charged a market rate for seeing films, you would be paying an incredible price to see films?

No, if they charged a market rate we would be paying less to see the films.

marsupial_mama wrote: »

Shrek 3 for instance had a budget of $160 MILLION dollars. That money has to be paid back -

Dreamworks, the company that made the film made over $30 MILLION dollars profit from the film in the first three months alone. That $160 MILLION WAS PAID BACK, plus an extra $30 MILLION. Not to mention the profit all the other people involved in the film made.

The cost of making the film, and the profit came from the entrance fees charged by cinemas, not one penny came from the sale of food and drink.

marsupial_mama wrote: »

and it has to make a profit.

$30 MILLION in the first three months is good going.

Would you really visit the cinema if you had to pay over 10 pounds for the ticket? In essence, tickets are a loss leader.
[/quote]

I wish I had a loss leader than made me $30 MILLION in three months, I'd work three months then retire!

marsupial_mama

geordie_joe wrote: »

No, if they charged a market rate we would be paying less to see the films.



Dreamworks, the company that made the film made over $30 MILLION dollars profit from the film in the first three months alone. That $160 MILLION WAS PAID BACK, plus an extra $30 MILLION. Not to mention the profit all the other people involved in the film made.

The cost of making the film, and the profit came from the entrance fees charged by cinemas, not one penny came from the sale of food and drink.



$30 MILLION in the first three months is good going.

Would you really visit the cinema if you had to pay over 10 pounds for the ticket? In essence, tickets are a loss leader.

I wish I had a loss leader than made me $30 MILLION in three months, I'd work three months then retire![/quote]

LOL, agree with you, but the parts you took were not mine My lines are red, the OP is someone else
:rotfl:
I should have made it clearer what are my lines as response to his claims (again - mine are red..)

System

[quote=PolishBigSpender;17936441



Are they really being ripped off? You do realise that if the cinema charged a market rate for seeing films, you would be paying an incredible price to see films? Shrek 3 for instance had a budget of $160 MILLION dollars. That money has to be paid back - and it has to make a profit. Would you really visit the cinema if you had to pay over 10 pounds for the ticket? In essence, tickets are a loss leader.

isnt that what the mechandising is for ?

Having said this, perhaps you'll feel guilty when your children are ejected from the cinema for having brought in food and drink from outside. I wouldn't want to be the parent that has to explain why they didn't follow the clearly stated rules.[/quote]

just had a quick look through your posts and you seem basically to be one of lifes sheep you follow the rules whatever, maybe you would not be quite so sour if you just tried a bit of independant thinking now and again !

pogofish

olly300 wrote: »

PolishBigSpender I have been to the cinema in more countries than just the UK and none of them have charged such a high mark up on food and drink even though they also had the minimum wage. Hence I had no qualms with buying food and drink in those cinemas.

This is an important point. Also, I have found abroad that it is not uncommon to find a ticket option that includes a drink/snack at a not unreasonable mark-up. Never seen that here.

Personally though, I've never had a problem with taking-in a can of something to drink & a small quiet snack. Just so long as you don't take the pi**.

ExNicotineQueen

All the time! It's not surprising when London prices (this is N London mind you, not even central) want nearly £9 for a “combo” of a large (70% watered down) fizzy drink and either small hotdog or popcorn. :mad:

There is a Nandos nearby the cinema and I remember one time sitting next to a row of about 8 friends and as soon as the film started the woman took out takeaway Nandos for all 8 people lol! I’ve even seen a guy who had one of them fold-up tables and took out a 4 pack of beer and a curry from the Indian takeaway and proceeded to munch/drink whilst watching the film. The most I take with me to the cinemas is fruit (like grapes or dried fruits) and a big bottle of Lucozade.

Also the ice cream prices are extortionate as well, 2 (small) scoops of Ben and Jerry’s ice cream for £3.20? You can blimmin well buy one of the small size tubs for £1.50 and that holds more than that in it. A small tub of Maltesers is £4. A small bag of candy floss is £3.70. Extortionate! I refuse to pay rip-off prices for cinema food. The tickets alone are £9.80 per person, and even then, I still have some McDonalds 2 for 1 vouchers promotion so it brings the cost down to £4.90 per person.

koexelek

pogofish wrote: »

This is an important point. Also, I have found abroad that it is not uncommon to find a ticket option that includes a drink/snack at a not unreasonable mark-up. Never seen that here.

Personally though, I've never had a problem with taking-in a can of something to drink & a small quiet snack. Just so long as you don't take the pi**.

Agreed. If you took in a barbecue though, they might not like it :rotfl: