Movie Theater Popcorn Prices Too High?

Let's Ask Ourselves Why We Have to Pay so Much for Popcorn and Concessions at Movie Theaters

Joshua Cook, Yahoo! Contributor Network
Jun 5, 2007 "Share your voice on Yahoo! websites. Start Here."

When we go to the theater to see a movie these days, we realize it is going to cost almost twenty dollars for two people, and that's just to get in to see the film. Then there is the 'sticker shock' of wasting another twenty dollars just on food and drinks. How many of you just ranted and steamed about these popcorn and drink prices? Now, how many of you have ever stopped to ask, or even think, about the reasoning behind those popcorn and drink prices you hate so much? I worked at a movie theater for years, and have heard all the reasoning's and conspiracy theories you can think of. I am here to tell you the real reason for the high popcorn and drink prices at movie theaters.

While it is true that movie theaters do make a considerable amount of income from showing the films you just dropped ten dollars to see, this is considerably less than half their total revenue. When a film starts playing in a movie theater, the film distributor takes a larger percentage of the ticket sales for that first week. This percentage is usually in the seventy percent range on average. Each week that film stays in the theaters, the less the film distributors take, which means, the more the theater receives.

This movie theater and film distributor system has been in existence for so long, and actually used to be even worse for movie theaters, that the owners had to find a way to supplement their income, or lack thereof. They toyed around with many different ideas, but shied away from popcorn, due mostly to the mess and a fear that it would distract from the movie going experience. That was, until the Great Depression.

It was during the Great Depression that movie theater owners really warmed up to the idea of selling popcorn during the films. A major part of this was due to the fact that it was cheap to make, and would actually satisfy moviegoer's hunger. While sales of most other things dropped, bags of popcorn, which were sold for about a nickel, were flourishing. After the Great Depression, sales of popcorn, and other concessions, continued to be an integral part of movie theater owners' revenue. Now it's unimaginable that you could go to the movie theater without spending the money on popcorn.

Published by Joshua Cook

I am a freelance writer for hire who has a true passion for writing. Born in Kenosha, Wisconsin, I moved to the Seattle area about three years ago. After a recent dark period in my life, I came out stronger... View profile

Movie theaters only get a percentage of the films they show.
Popcorn was not the first idea for more income, just the cheapest and easiest.
The Great Depression had a lot of influence over popcorn becoming the mainstay.

While it is true that movie theaters do make a considerable amount of income from showing the films you just dropped ten dollars to see, this is considerably less than half their total revenue.

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Movie Theater Popcorn Prices Too High?

Let's Ask Ourselves Why We Have to Pay so Much for Popcorn and Concessions at Movie Theaters

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