Everybody knows the deal: you walk up to the concessions stand hoping to get a single small popcorn and a water, and you leave having somehow spent $35 on snacks that won’t even last you through the previews. While it may seem strange that you’re spending $20 per person on movie tickets just to spend another $20 (at least) on a few meager snacks, there is a reason why you have to pay so much cash for convenience.
The reality is, movie theaters just don’t make that much money off of the movies they show. Most of that cold hard cash goes straight back to the studios and distribution companies who lease the films to the theaters in the first place.
The game-changer is the fact that so many people are willing to spend so much on concessions. Sure, your local theater is making pennies off what you spend on your ticket — but it’s the snacks where they actually get to keep all of the revenue they earn.
That’s also part of the reason why theaters have historically been so hardcore about not allowing viewers to sneak snacks into the movie theaters — they’re literally losing money every time someone decides not to spend anything on food or drinks. That’s also why you’ll see so much advertising happening within the theater itself to convince you to grab a quick snack before the movie starts.
Now, your local conglomerate probably won’t suffer much when you choose not to buy a snack or drink before heading in to your showing. After all, chain movie theaters have plenty of customers across the nation to make money off of. It’s your local, independently run movie theaters that really need customers to be purchasing concessions.
All that’s to say, buying a snack (or two) is basically like tipping your local theater, helping them stay in business. If you have a local independent movie theater you want to support, you might consider not sneaking in snacks, and instead spending a little extra on concessions. That way, your favorite local theater will keep its doors open for longer.
