While hit new movies might make millionaires out of actors, directors and key grips, movie theaters often make little to no money on the actual ticket sales of high-profile, first-run movies. Instead, they depend on those movies to bring in customers to pay big bucks for huge drinks and buckets of popcorn. Thus, you can imagine why theater owners in New York City aren’t exactly doing somersaults in celebration of Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s proposed ban of large sodas. [More]
movie theaters
Movie Theaters Trying To Lure Customers With Any Non-Movie Event They Can
By 6.12.12
In a bid to save the movie theater industry, venues around the country are turning to just about any other kind of entertainment event they can possibly show that isn’t actually a movie. If you’ve got that big old screen and seats for plenty of people, why not pull in some business with say, a nice opera or live boxing match? [More]
Atheist Group: Movie Theater Discriminated Against Us By Pulling Ad
By 4.30.12
An atheist group in Texas is claiming discrimination after a local movie theater backed out of an agreement to run ads for the organization during pre-movie slideshows. [More]
Does 'No Outside Food' Discriminate Against People With Food Allergies?
By 4.26.12
Domenica is gluten intolerant, and there are a number of other foods she can’t eat as well. During a recent visit to the movies, she was caught bringing in outside food and argued with the manager. There isn’t anything available at the concession stand that she can eat without becoming ill. Sure, a private business can set their own rules. But is it discriminatory? In spite of what theater owners might tell you, buying snacks at the cinema isn’t mandatory, and no one’s going to go hungry after a few hours. [More]
Illinois Attorney General Twists AMC's Arm, Makes It Accommodate Disabled Moviegoers
By 4.5.12
It took pressure from the Illinois Attorney General, but AMC Theatres agreed to make adjustments that allow blind and deaf people to enjoy movies in more of the chain’s theaters in the state. The chain agreed to add captioning and audio-description features to 460 screens. Before the deal, only a couple dozen AMC theaters in Illinois offered the technology. [More]
Theater Owner: I Charge So Much For Popcorn Because You Spill It All Over The Place
By 3.20.12
Earlier this month, a man in Michigan attained minor Internet folk hero status when he sued his local movie theater for charging sky-high prices at the concession stand while refusing to let customers bring in their own grub. But now one theater owner has tried to explain just why he and others charge the so much. [More]
Man Sues Movie Theater Over Price Of Snacks
By 3.6.12
Unless you smuggle your nibbles and beverages into a movie theater, grabbing a bite to eat at the movie theater can easily double or triple the cost of your ticket. But one Michigan man is fed up with being gouged at the concession stand and has filed suit against his local AMC theater. [More]
Chowing Down At The Movies Can Add Up To Thousands Of Calories
By 2.8.12
Like to snack at the movies? That tub of popcorn and large soda can amount to almost a full day’s calories, two days’ worth of fat and a cup of sugars. [More]
Utah Movie Theater Fined For Showing Hangover II
By 9.30.11
There are a number of theaters across the country that like to combine movie-showing with beer-drinking and as long as all the patrons are of legal drinking age, there are usually no issues about what’s being shown on screen. But the state of Utah has decided that if you show a movie featuring naked bodies, that makes your business answerable to the same rules governing strip clubs — and subject to thousands of dollars in fines. [More]
When You Hard Sell Customers Too Much, They Sort Of Leave
By 9.15.11
Aggressive sales pitches are a delicate balance between selling customers on what you have to offer and pissing them off so much that they never return. When AMC theaters recently changed their loyalty program from free to paid, employees began to sell memberships too aggressively for AgentG2’s taste. He found the experience off-putting enough that he doesn’t plan to return to AMC. He wonders: did he overreact? [More]
8 Simple Rules For Sitting Near Me In A Movie Theater
By 8.16.11
Ringing cell phones, incessant texting, screaming kids and chattering neighbors can all make moviegoing a harrowing experience. There’s an unwritten social contract that anyone in a theater should know to adhere to, but too many people seem unaware of its existence. [More]
Would You Pay $50 A Month To Watch All The Movies In Theaters You Want?
By 6.28.11
MoviePass is a new in-beta service that lets movie buffs watch as many movies in theaters as they want for $50 a month. [More]
This Caller Is Incredibly Unhappy With Movie Theater’s No-Texting Policy
By 6.6.11 — Updated: 4.14.16
There are few things more annoying than someone so selfish she thinks it’s perfectly okay to text in the middle of a dark movie theater. On the flipside, there are few things more amusing than when said texter gets kicked out of the theater and later calls back to leave a lengthy, profanity-laced rant on the theater’s voicemail. [More]
AMC, Cinemark Join Regal In Battle Against Movie Studios
By 4.11.11
One way to get on the bad side of movie theater owners is to announce a plan to undermine their sales leverage by offering $30 on-demand versions of films at home when they’re still in theaters. [More]
Regal Fights Back Against Studios Offering Early On-Demand Movies
By 4.7.11
Unhappy with a movie studio plan to offer $30 on-demand movies while they’re still in theaters, Regal Cinemas is reportedly planning to play fewer trailers from the participating studios: Fox, Sony, Warner Bros, and Universal. [More]
Should Tron Guy Be Allowed To See Tron Movie In Tron Suit?
By 12.23.10
If you’re not familiar with internet legend Jay “Tron Guy” Maynard, well… that’s him in the picture. And while he’s known around the world for his handmade suit that replicates the look of the original Tron costumes, Tron Guy’s local cinema doesn’t want him wearing the suit inside the theater. [More]
Bedbugs Use People As Popcorn At NYC Theater
By 8.18.10
When you’re trying to enjoy a movie, getting munched on by tiny, parasitic insects ranks right up there with suffering through Stephen Sommers’ filmmaking skills in terms of dampening the experience. [More]
AMC Guarantees Upsell Or Your Popcorn Is Free
By 7.10.10
Bad moviegoers, you haven’t been spending nearly enough on overpriced concessions. Don’t worry though, AMC is going to make you a promise: if they don’t offer you an upsell on your next visit to the concession stand, you’re going to get a free small bag of popcorn. [More]
