The lights go down as the movie is about to start. Suddenly, someone in your row pulls a box of chicken nuggets and fries from under his jacket. A video of a man doing just that in a theater last summer has gotten more than 5 million views on TikTok. He’s not the only customer to sneak food into a movie.
The three biggest theater chains in the U.S.—AMC, Regal Cinemas, and Cinemark—don’t allow outside food. But that doesn’t stop many people from bringing their own snacks anyway.
A lot of moviegoers who bring outside food into theaters want to avoid paying the high prices at concession stands. At many theaters, a large popcorn and drink costs about as much as a movie ticket. And the portions are so huge that a lot of the snacks wind up in the trash.
But many people think breaking a theater’s rules is wrong, even if you don’t agree with them. Also, they point out, theaters rely on concession stand sales. Some theaters earn about 40 percent of their money from the sale of food and drinks. Sneaking in your own snacks hurts the theater’s business.