Answer:
Sneaking food into a movie is
pretty tempting. For one thing, the
options at the concession stand are
almost always junk food—nachos,
candy, giant greasy pretzels.
Then there are the prices. Why
pay $5 for a bag of M&Ms when
you can get them for a buck at the
corner store? Besides, it's not like
you aren't already paying big bucks
for your ticket.
Earlier this year, a Michigan
man decided to fight for his right
to snack. Joshua Thompson is
suing his local AMC theater after it
banned outside food. He argues the
ban violates a Michigan law that
prevents businesses from charging
outrageous prices.
"He got tired of being taken
advantage of," Thompson's lawyer
told the Detroit Free Press. "It's hard
to justify prices that are three
and four times higher than
anywhere else."
Most legal experts believe
Thompson has little chance of
winning his case, but he does have
a point; 85 cents out of every doUar
of treats a movie theater sells is
pure profit.
How do they get away with it?
The Snack Business
The truth is that movie theaters
28 SCHOLASTIC SCOPE • MAY 14, 2012
are more in the snack business than
the movie business. A huge chunk
of what you spend on a ticket
goes to the HoUywood studio that
made the movie. This makes sense,
since studios fund the production,
hire the stars, and pay for the
advertising that draws crowds to
the movies in the first place.
But that often doesn't leave
much cash for the theater, which
has its own costs. Theater owners
have to pay their employees, keep
their buildings clean, and provide
the latest high-tech projection
equipment. "If we can't keep a
majority ofthat ticket price there's
only one way that we can pay for
everything... and that's at the
concession stand," says movie
theater owner Jon Goldstein.
If customers stopped buying
food, owners would have to raise
ticket prices even higher.
Explanation:
