Why do people feel the need to eat at the movie theater?

Question

If you want to eat, why can't you eat BEFORE you see the movie? It makes no sense to me. I was watching "The SImpsons Movie" and this girl next to me was gobbling away as if she hadn't had a decent meal in years -- hot dog, popcorn, nachos, soda, the whole works. I mean seriously, who started this tradition of eating at the movie theater and why?

It's hard to enjoy the movie when the person sitting next to you is munching away, very loudly. And the smell doesn't help, either.

Answer 1

It is about feeling nurtured, indulged, and entertained. Helps shallow thinking too.

Answer 2

Part of the reason is emotional; you'll snack, maybe, at home in front of the TV or while playing a board game. So naturally, the "feel good" thing works at the movieplex as well.

Did I say, "MoviePlex?" Now, that gets at the heart of it. Commercial reasons are the driving force. Hard to find the stand alone theater these days. Most have at least 3 screens -and many have 15!

And what do you see when you take in a show? You see most people going to one or two movies -the "blockbusters." The others may have just a handful of people in there. So, the theater owner has the expense of all the movies, but profitable revenue from only one or two. In fact, because movie distribution these days is pretty much a syndicated affair, (Studios being part of it) some chains are REQUIRED to screen the unpopular in order to even have the popular.

More: if you were born before styrofoam cups were invented, you may recall the time when movie theaters practically disappeared completely! Part of the reason was television, but part was also a more general change in population patterns. Big downdown theaters were often architectural masterpieces, as you see from the few that have been restored. But downtowns themselves became "ghost towns" at night because people were moving to the suburbs. Some cities were down right dangerous at night -you didn't go there. And so, theaters and other entertainment venues moved to the suburbs, to the shopping centers and malls. After all, that's where the customers were. All of this going on while television was keeping people home at night. One answer, as theaters competed with each other and the television, was to offer something more than just the show, a box of popcorn and selection of candy. So theaters began to equip with better sound systems, lush seating, multiple shows -and MORE FOOD. And it was the food that supplied revenue to support all the other upgrades. You've noticed, I'm sure, that the food, while it is cheap stuff, ain't cheap to buy. What could be better? Get that cheese dog, pretzels, large cola and box of Good 'n Plenty all in a plush cushioned arm chair with a hole for your drink and then throw it all on the floor when you're done -and there you go!

Still more: When movies were "king," a thing called the depression happened. And the movie house, struggling for business, employed all kinds of tactics to get customers, including giving away dinner plates and drawings for money. Entire collections of "Depressionware" were distributed at the flick. And of course, FOOD was offered -sometimes very cheap food -even free food- because back in that day, your primary source of entertainment and even news was the theater; a food offering was simply a way to compete with some other theater. But for those who were hungry, the movie could be a good source of cheap nutrition (well, food).

Bottom line: its not just about the movie -but about the EXPERIENCE!

And so the "tradition" is born of American culture in much the same way as the others -there must be more and better. Offering "refreshments" has always been a draw -to everything!

Problem is, for some of us (I, included) LESS is sometimes better.

Still, there are alternative movie venues, and chief among these are Imax theaters, were the visual impact is so compelling that you'd choke on your Hershey bar if you were even allowed to bring it in. Yeah, I'll PAY for those shows and NOT have to put up with munching, sticky floors, garlic breath and all the rest of it. The predecessor to all this was "Cinermama," a technique that used 3 projectors to throw material onto the screen -left, right and middle. One of the early properties was the Boyd Theater in Philadelphia, whose huge auditorium held perhaps a thousand customers, each one of them enthralled as Todd AO filming technology thrilled the wits out of us as we rode fire engines or cascaded over waterfalls. NO eating or drinking in the theater. Imax, apparently, is the successor, and their future is by no means financially assured, I'm sad to say.

Well, the hell with it. What say you come over to my place tonight and we'll have some dogs and popcorn while we watch the "Bond-a-thon?"

Good Lord, deliver us.

Answer 3

Personally, I totally dig popcorn and Reeses Pieces at the theater. But hotdogs and pizza and nachos just seems so bizarre to me. The movie cinema is just not the best environment for me to be scarfing down a damn meal. To answer your question, I think eating at the movies probably gained popularity with kids and Saturday matinees, as a way of keeping the kids entertained. But that was just snack foods. Things that could fit easily in the hands. I would imagine money is the culprit behind the other stuff.

Answer 4

Food and social events does have a long correlation and tradition, which has already been stated. How many parties have you been to, that inevitably end up in the kitchen?

I myself have been guilty of having a hot dog or pretzel, when i was rushed out of the house, to the theater, and I hadn't eaten all day. The same for my friends who don't always have time for dinner and a movie, with the combination of work, school and relationships.

And finally, I don't have a problem with people eating. If they do it silently. I bet most of the people annoyed by this, are the same ones that are annoyed by people that crunch carrot sticks loudly in the office, or chew with their mouths open in restaurants etc etc. And that's not the movie theater's fault.

That's just people with bad manners, and a low level of consideration.

Answer 5

You may not like it, but it has been going on long before you were born. Eating during social events is common to all societies and cultures. Eating gives comfort. A movie without popcorn is nearly un-American (or un-British, or un-something else).

My suggestion, since most movie theaters do not fill, except for the opening night, etc., it might be possible to move your seat and get away from the people who annoy you. To pay $7 or more for a movie, then be bothered by your neighbor isn't my idea of fun. You won't change the culture, though, so munch away yourself. Idly complaining about the actions of others, may spoil your evening, and make you appear as an unhappy and grouchy person.

Answer 6

Good question. I know that when I go to the movies I ALWAYS get a drink and popcorn and my husband always gets red licorice ropes. It is just "part of it" for me. He always gets the licorice because he is a smoker and cannot smoke during the movie, so he eats to candy instead. I think that most people get some kind of snack at the movies. Sorry it bothers you so much. I guess the only way to avoid the "smell", etc is to wait for the DVD to come out.

Answer 7

It's been included in subliminal messages for years. The commercials/intro to the movie will show people eating popcorn, drinking soda, and just generally chowing down.

The concessions charge extravagant fees for popcorn, candy and other foods, so it is in the best interest of the theater management/owners to encourage people to eat while watching the movies.

Answer 8

I guess this is why more people are doing movies at home. With surround sound and building theaters into homes, it makes it better not to have to go public. I would always rather have a movie at home than a theatre. And who wants to pay the price to put up with disrespectful people in a theatre. It's not about the food, it's about the talking and the rudeness in other arenas. Who needs it? Home is best. Spend some money and get your best system that works for you and forget theatres. We have.

Answer 9

Wow! That was excessive what the young lady was eating. Personally, I like to have a snack while watching the movie because it reminds me of being at the theater when I a kid. I once saw a family sneak in a whole KFC meal! It was funny. They were sitting there eating that greasy chicken, hiding it when the ushers would walk by. However, it was in bad taste.

Answer 10

I am a very slow eater (and single) I would much rather sit and watch a movie (or TV at home) while eating dinner, than trying to gobble it down at a food court at the mall before the show. Yes, I'm one who takes a bite, and sets the fork down for a minute or two before I take another bite....sound strange?

Answer 11

I guess I never realized that people would be annoyed by my eating at a movie. You have to have popcorn at the movie theater! It sets the mood and is part of the reason that my family loves to go.