The children and I went to see the FREE summer movie today. It's the first time we have been this summer. We really have a good time when we go. It's the only time we all go to the theater to see a movie because, let's face it, $35.50 to see a movie is NUTS!!! ( (1) $9.50 per adult ticket and (4) $6.50 per child ticket -- $32.50 if we go in the afternoon)
So, back to the FREE movies! They were awesome last year! We were able to buy $1 boxes of popcorn and $1 sodas, too. $8.00 to have a nice snack and see a movie...THAT I can do :-)
HOWEVER....they have now changed the deal. The movie is still FREE. Super! Thanks REGAL!
BUT.... they no longer have the $1 popcorn and $1 drinks. :-(
Have you seen what they charge for popcorn at the movies?
One SMALL popcorn is $5.75! Are you kidding me? I can get a sandwich, fries and a drink for that at Chick Fil A!
A small soda? $4.50! Right! I mean, soda is SOOOO very expensive. It's not like I could go to the grocery store and buy a 2 lt. "name brand" soda for $1.39...oh, wait... I CAN!!!
To be fair, they did offer a "deal". I could get 1 large pop corn and 2 drinks for .... are you ready for this???? $17.00!!!!!
Let's whip out that calculator and do the math (really...these numbers are TOO big for me to crunch in my head). 
4 small sodas = $18.00
(at these prices, mom doesn't get one)
Total = $41.00
Do you know how many groceries I can get for $41.00?
Now, I understand that these people are in business to make money. HOWEVER, this is ROBBERY!!!
I have no problem plunking down my $8 for pop corn and drinks. They are still making money. You can't convince me that they lost money on that deal. No way!
But now? They are going to loose my money...about $72 over 9 weeks. Oh, we'll still enjoy the FREE movie, but we won't be buying snacks there. We'll have a hearty breakfast before we go and I'll be glad to feed the kids their fill of pop corn and soda at home!
I realize that I'm not entitled to a FREE movie every week for 9 weeks. I realize they offer this deal and still expect to make money. I totally get it. I'm willing to buy REASONABLY priced snacks...I just don't appreciate being taken advantage of! So, let's forget the FREE movie part and just look at the cost of a regular movie night out.
My kids want to see the movie "Up". That is a full price film. (Better grab that calculator everyone:)
4 kids tickets = $26.00
4 small pop corns = $23.00
4 small sodas = $18.00
Total = $73.50
OR, even just a movie? $32.50 just to watch a film?
Uh...Netfilx is HOW much per month?
$8.99 for 1 movie per month.
Umm....
I'll let YOU do the math on that one!
Prices at the movies are absolutely ridiculous now! You can't go in and snack for a reasonable price! I sneak stuff in in my purse :)
How are you getting free movies? Sounds interesting!
Well, I hate to admit it, but when we go to the movies, We have 3 teenage boys, we usually carry in our own snacks and drinks.I buy a large family size bag of chips, divide it into quart size ziplock bags, and get everyone one can of pop to carry in. We have never been chased out, and I have never seen a sign that says no outside food. They are too expensive. Sometimes at the Phoenix Theatre, we do splurge and get the 8 dollar tub of popcorn, because you get free refills.
I probably shouldn't say this, but those people who are at the movies on the weekends spending too much money - they don't have the money to spend. The have credit card debt out the wazoo and live from paycheck to paycheck! It's no big deal for them to put it on the card, because they have to make a payment on it every month anyway!
We don't go see movies anymore because we can't afford it. But when we did, we carried our own food in. I always had a diaper bag or big purse and I just carried canned drinks and candy bars and whatever else. We have seen all the free movies they are offering this year so the kids are not interested. We are staying home and borrowing movies (old ones) from the library. BTW, the Greenville library has been very difficult to me. Do you have problems with them. I went to register my kids for summer reading and they wouldn't allow me to do it without the kids being there. Why? I don't get it. We may just stick with Pickens County. It is a lot easier but the prizes are not nearly as good.
I KNOW!! I thought the SAME thing about the prices at the concessions. I almost said forget it. I have 4 kids too. One's a baby, but the other 3 (plus a cousin) really wanted popcorn. Oh well. Then my friend, who was there with her 3 kids said, hey lets split that $17 deal. So, we came out a little over $8. And you can get free refills on the popcorn...
The reason that they charge exorbitant prices for the concessions...the local movie theatre owner makes pennies if anything on your movie ticket. Why? Because they pay GINORMOUS licensing fees to the distributors of the movie and the movie studio. Think franchise fees.
And why do they have to pay HUGE fees to get the movies? Because the movie studios need to charge Huge sums to cover the HUGE budgets they spend to produce these films AND then they have to pay the actors LUDICROUS sums of $$$ to act in these films....god forbid Angelina Jolie & that crowd have to limit themselves to a mere 6 houses, 20 servants, 2 fleets of luxury cars and private aircrafts because they can only get 5 BILLION dollars for ACTING in 1 Movie instead of 7 Billion.
So in order to pay the actors and pay for the budgets AND STILL make Obscene piles of money themselves, the studios charge the little theatre owner Large amounts to LET THEM show the movie. Sometimes the theatre owner actually looses money on the ticket sales.
They have to make their money with charging us poor slobs-the movie going public-through the nose for the food & drinks. If enough people stop buying the overpriced food, eventually they'll raise the ticket prices even more until no one can afford to attend a movie.
The whole system is corrupt and needs cleaning up! Boycott attending movies! Watch them on tv, even rent them a couple months after they are released. Make your own movies. Do something else but don't pay these kind of prices!
Can you tell this whole issue chaps my hide?lol
Why do you buy individual bags? Just buy a large (free refills) and bring a few small brown paper lunch bags to spread the popcorn out amongst your kids. :)
That said, I agree. Last time we went to the movies I told my husband that we should just BUY the movie when it comes out and STILL save money! ha ha. :)
liz
I wouldn't actually buy a popcorn PER child. I was just crunching some numbers. I won't even buy 1 pop corn to share anymore because, let's face it, pop corn just don't (and shouldn't!) cost that much. I could eat a nice meal out for the cost of 1 pop corn at the movies :-)
I haven't bought anything at the movies since the first movie we went to this summer when I kind of "had" to. I thought the pop corns were $1 and had already set the kids up for it. Instead I bought the ONE $5.00 popcorn and ONE drink for them to share. For all the other movies we've seen, I packed my own pop corn and drinks *smile*