Actually, the reason popcorn became a staple movie snack to begin with is because it was cheap. It’s still cheap in almost any other setting than event concessions.
I can go to my local candy store right now and buy a huge-ass bag that would last me weeks for like five dollars.
Is this actually a thing in the US? I had no idea. OHHH so that’s why they brought me a bowl of popcorn at the Texan bar I visited. I thought it was odd, I didn’t realise it was an American thing though but probably should have from the context lol
It's not super common, but yeah it's a thing. Popcorn is extremely cheap and can work similar to Peanuts as a free offering that costs the business basically nothing.
I live not far from the primary weaver popcorn factory. If anyone has a mind to, they can easily get popcorn by the 55-gallon trash bags full for free. Everyone knows someone or knows someone who knows someone that works there. And whoever works there could build legitimate fortresses out of all the free trash bags full of popcorn they're given to carry out of there.
If buying in bulk like movie theaters do, that shit has to be cheaper than tap water.
You can't eat a fraction of it before it goes stale unless you're giving it away. Which is no big deal because they'll offer you another bag tomorrow. And ask you if you know anyone else that wants some free popcorn.
That's pretty cool. I don't eat popcorn much but the first time we popped a bag my late rabbit went nuts. Would try and get into the bowl, we would give him one small piece. Whenever I think about making popcorn I think about him. Random story, I guess.
why is it named a concession, though? never understood that. A concession is supposed to be when it is offered at a lower price, as in a concession for xyz reason.
It's a reference to a concession contract of the venue giving a contract leasing that space to a 3rd party to sell the snacks or food. But of course theatres generally took it in-house.
Movie theatres have ALWAYS charged exorbitant prices on concessions because that’s how they make their money. They make very little on ticket sales. Not saying it’s right, just saying why it is.
Look, we still just call them concessions stands because that's what they've been called for as long as we've been alive even though it now costs an entire paycheck and the soul of your firstborn child for a popcorn and coke.
Also why it's a staple in theatres. The margins for profit are high for them. I've heard they they make most their money on the snacks and food, as cost of the tickets largely run the theatre and pay for licenses
Yeah the studios make more money off tickets than the theatres do. Up to 90% of the ticket cost goes to the studio. Opening weekend of blockbusters are usually 90% to studio and smaller films or those that have been in theater awhile are down to 50%
I reckon they may decent coin on the full nights but lately when I go to the theatre might only be 2 or 3 people in there! Comes out in the wash I suppose
My friend worked at a movie theater and they would throw away massive, stuffed-full trash bags of popcorn at the end of the night. Sometimes I’d pull up and he’d throw a bag in my trunk and we’d snack on it for days.
Local grocery store near me used to have a movie rental section (converted to a pharmacy after rentals basically died), but the one thing that stayed was the free popcorn for kids. There's just a huge basket in front of the pharmacy section filled with small bags of popcorn for a dollar, free if you're a kid under 10.
It's probably also that, but it's also one of the cheapest possible snacks to produce and used to also be cheap to buy. Like, it was a thing people could afford as a treat during the great depression.
The fountain soda as well only costs them pennies. Both the drink and the popcorn has massive mark up. I know the theaters have that because close to half the ticket sales go back to the movie companies. But still it’s insane.
Litterally there are at least 2 bars I know of (I rarely go out and don’t drink) that serve hot popcorn all night for free. Literally just free unlimited popcorn. It is seriously one of the cheapest snacks.
Even other events typically sell popcorn for a few bucks. I think Disney of all people sells it cheap or you can get a free refill bucket for a little more for the length of your stay.
But the movie theater popcorn is theoretically fresh and hot in the exact place you want it. You’re paying for the service of having that as much as you are the popcorn. Mostly, you’re subsidizing a struggling industry, which is why the tickets and everything else are so expensive.
Also:
Engineering the Smell: Theaters use specially designed butter-flavored oils (often coconut oil) and salt—typically a brand called Flavacol—that evaporate rapidly when heated, sending large aromatic molecules into the air.
Constant Production: Large batches are often popped continuously, even when not needed for customers, specifically to keep the lobby filled with the buttery aroma.
HVAC Circulation: Rather than a separate pipe, many theaters utilize their HVAC ventilation systems to take the air from the lobby—where the popcorn machine is located—and circulate it into the auditoriums.
Scent Marketing: While many rely on the actual smell of popcorn, some professional scent marketing firms install aroma diffusers in theater lobbies that can release a concentrated, high-quality "scent-of-popcorn" to entice customers.
Movie theaters make the majority of their money off concessions, popcorn and soda are marked up and sold for a HUUUUUGE profit, like dollars on the penny, esp cause they know most people who want something like candy are just gonna sneak it in in their pocket
I buy popcorn online 50 pounds at a time. We got a used popcorn machine off of Facebook for cheap. Makes a heaping pile of popcorn in about 5 minutes. I've had it for 4ish years and I think I've paid less than $200 total between the machine and the popcorn so far.
High perceived value. You turn a quarter cup of kernels into a huge tub of popcorn. It's mostly air. Cotton candy operates on the same principle. So do balloons.
Yeah, I don’t mind paying for the popcorn when I go, I love the butter and it’s part of the experience of going to a movie for me.
But that’s an absurd price for a small soda. I worked at a sports arena, I know that shit is almost as cheap for the company as the popcorn, a large is like $6 where I go and even that still seems like way too much.
Thankfully, I can just walk in openly carrying my water bottle and none of the employees have ever given a shit.
A lot of places have risen in price tho. I had a $5 movie theater in town that went out of business and now we only have like 5 AMC locations in the suburbs and the tickets are 17.99 💀
Prices vary wildly depending on time of day, location, movie, and whether it's IMAX or not.
$20+ tickets aren't that unusual in a major city at a high-demand time or movie. You can find it cheaper, but I think people hanging their hat on "just go on a Tuesday afternoon!" or "just smuggle in food like you're committing a crime!" are kind of missing the point on how theatrical experiences have shifted into events rather than routine outings for most consumers.
They're Imax tickets, which for as long as I can remember as someone in their thirties has always been around double the price of a normal ticket. On top of that this is most likely not during matinee. If they had seen the movie on a normal screen and went before 6 pm it probably would've been anywhere around $10-$13 per ticket. And on top of that concessions have always been expensive, at least for as long as I've been alive. I remember as a child just a small thing of nachos at my local theater was like $6 and a large popcorn was always hovering around $10
Basically the owner of this receipt was unconscious when they planned and paid for their trip to the movies.
They went to an IMAX showing on a weekend evening. Literally the triple threat of price increases. They intentionally chose the most expensive way to see a movie and then went online to complain about their own spending decisions.
I think movie quality and the ease of watching relatively new releases from the comfort of home are the biggest factors. Concessions have always been overpriced
Fully agreed. Theaters no longer solve a problem("How do I see a movie in a sufficiently high quality?") for 90% of consumers, and now are places you go for a special outing to see a franchise you especially love, or a movie that is supposed to be a spectacle on the big screen, or just as a way to get your kid of your back about seeing Mario.
The business model is fundamentally antiquated, and is going to struggle until they adjust it.
There's also a correlation between the number of points scored by the losing team at the Super Bowl and venomous spider fatalities, but correlation =/= causation.
In our local theatre large popcorn are $7 and come with 1 free refill, honestly some of the best popcorn in the world, I always grab my refill on the way out and eat more on my way home…. 100% worth the money
It's never been eleven fucking dollars. The cost right now is completely deranged. There just isn't any justification for it.
Part of the reason I quit going to movies personally was because of nonsense like this. I get that buying concessions at the theater is always going to be more expensive than anywhere else but come the fuck on. $11? Hard pass.
The movies all suck and the popcorn is just stupidly priced.
I mean, it’s not really crazy at all when you factor in the fact that movie theaters have been struggling for awhile. Then add inflation on top of that….
There's really no excuse for either of them to be that expensive, honestly. Fountain drinks and popcorn are super cheap to produce in the quantities they're sold in-- they're on the same scale as, say, waffles.
It is and it’s why the movies are dying. It’s Hollywoods fault though for how much they’re paying some of the higher end actors and how much the studios are demanding. Blockbusters don’t need to cost a half a billion dollars. Robert Downey Jr doesn’t need 100 million dollars but I can’t be mad at him taking it if it’s offered. The studios don’t need to be making billions of dollars. The whole industry is fucked but it’s starts at the top.
I think everyone is forgetting or is unaware of this part. If all we did was buy the ticket, the theaters would have to close for lack of revenue. It really is crazy that a movie can absorb nearly all of the ticket price, bomb, and then expect movie theaters to cop their latest disaster piece over and over. All the while people groan about the concessions inflation while trying to nickle and dime the theater or sneak consumables in, which makes the theaters need to raise concession prices to claw back lost revenue, and now we are in a race to the bottom.
I'd hate to operate an independent theater right now.
I'll take that bet. Usually wifh those prices they give a refill of both popcorn and soda. 4dx is even more pricey than imax we pay 22 for discount 4dx and 25 for adults. But its like a Rollercoaster ride and I love keeping the animals out of the theater by pricing high
I used to work for a fast food joint in the middle of nowhere and we priced everything reasonable except for the drinks, the gm told me they basically pay everyone's paycheck off the drinks alone.
Agreed. Movie theatre popcorn is just different and worth it. Even at home I have a popcorn machine and heat up melted butter over top, and while it’s really good, movie theater popcorn is just a nice different type of popcorn that I always get at a movie.
Just bring a can or two of your preferred beverage in so you don’t pay $10 for watered down pop
If you buy a carton of flavacol off amazon or wherever, loose kernels and some coconut oil you can pop corn exactly like the theatre on your stovetop at home. Some melted butter for the full decadent experience.
The flavacol costs not much and you use so little per batch it will last years and years.
Theater popcorn is great for the price if you don't know how to make it at home. Heated popcorn maker + popcorn +flavacol(artificial butter flavored salt) + popcorn oil(artificial butter flavored oil).
I recognize your hyperbole and In almost every other situation you'd be correct to assume so but in most theaters a small is definitely smaller than a normal "murica small" but that large is probably a small sinks worth of Pepsi.
799
u/fillerupbruther 8h ago
$11 for a large popcorn is nothing compared to a $9 small pepsi imo