Top 5 Secrets Movie Theaters Don't Want you to Know
#5: Fooling Around
You would think that a movie theater is meant for one thing – watching a movie. However, you may be surprised at just how much sex goes on in these spaces. While people aren’t literally dropping their pants and having sex on the floor, making out and other forms of sexual conduct are quite prevalent in these dark and loud theaters. Heck, there’re even articles online giving you specific instructions on how to get away with having sex in a theater. To be clear, we’re not condoning it... this is illegal, and people get in serious trouble when caught. But while we always hear about the ones who get caught, we never hear about the ones who get away with it.
#4: Movies Start Late So Everyone Will See the Ads
No, that’s not when the movie starts – it’s when the previews start. If a ticket says that the movie starts at 7:00, the movie likely doesn’t actually start until 7:15 or 7:20. That’s because the theaters want everyone in their seats to watch the ten or fifteen minutes of advertisements before the actual movie. And, if people show up five or ten minutes late, they still usually get stuck with the tail-end of the advertisements. It’s an annoyance, but hey, it’s part of the business model. That said, you need to show up early anyway to ensure a good seat, so really, there’s no avoiding the commercials.
#3: Sometimes the Popcorn Isn’t Fresh
We aren’t saying that this is universal, but if you happen to go to a movie theater with somewhat shady management and low attendance, chances are you may be eating old popcorn. You see, movie theater popcorn stays fresh for quite a while, so it’s not unheard of for less-than-stellar management to simply bag the popcorn that didn’t move and sell it the next day. Of course, theaters are known to use all manner of tricks to maximize concession sales. Though the upsell and psychological tricks are pretty standard across the board, most reputable joints will simply throw out the old popcorn or give it to employees, so you shouldn’t be too quick to assume.
#2: Food Combos Don’t Always Save You Money
In most food establishments, buying a combo saves you some money, even if only a little. You would expect movie theaters to follow this general rule, but some of them don’t. Sure, they may offer combos to give the impression that you’re saving money, but do some math next time you’re at the theater. You may find that the combo price is simply the price of the combined individual items. Again, this is likely done to ensure that theatergoers buy more concession items, as theaters make most of their money on food rather than ticket prices. In their defense, they’re not lying to you, just preying on your assumption of what a combo entails.
#1: Employees Generally Don’t Care If You Sneak into Another Movie
It’s easy: you buy a ticket for one movie, watch it, then keep yourself busy (usually by hiding in the bathroom) until the next movie starts. Sneak in and boom: free movie. While this is certainly frowned upon (and illegal), some establishments may care less than others. For one thing, the employee making minimum wage probably doesn’t care that you’re sneaking into another movie. Also, because theaters make most of their money on concessions rather than ticket prices, some may turn a blind eye to you sticking around as long as you buy more food. Of course, this entirely depends on the individual theater and its employees.
