Cinemark's Bag Policy

"Grounds"! "Coffee"! Ha ha!

I think they'd say "no" to any outside beverage. The signs don't say "No Outside Food Or Beverage - Unless It's Something We Don't Sell, Then Go For It, Hoss!"

Besides, you shouldn't bring in outside coffee. Didn't you see what happened to Kramer???

 

For many years, AMC allowed outside food and beverages. They changed they maybe 5-8 years ago, IIRC.

Not sure why they altered the policy - assume it was $$$, but it was too bad. I liked the fact I didn't have to attempt to hide the stuff I brought with me!

 

You missed the part of the post that said there was "no bag check", which was the main reason for the rant to begin with.

 

When I attend a movie theater, I always choose seating near a hasty exit opportunity, unfortunately.

 

The Brick & Mortar Meltdown at Movie Theaters. But a Few Movies Still Make it Big

"In terms of per-capita ticket sales: During the record year 2002, with a US population of 288 million, 5.4 tickets were sold per capita. By banner year 2018, with a population of 327 million, this had dropped 24% to 4.1 tickets per capita. This is the brick-and-mortar meltdown for the movie theater industry which is gradually losing its battle against digital competition."

 

I think it all depends on the theater/staff....the kids usually are too busy staring at their phones or yakking it up to notice/care. a manager making his rounds might pounce.

 

you could try a kramer..

 

Why would Tiffany’s sell Rolex? That’s like Walmart selling Targets own brand...

 

Then the most rational approach might be to avoid annoying their most faithful customers, like my wife.

 

I agree: a clear bag is a sensible compromise. They just want to make sure a) there's no weapons in there, and b) you're not smuggling food or drinks inside. I understand both of those. If they didn't enforce that, there's always the possibility that the nutcases will bring in 3 steaks and a pecan pie and start gobbling it down right in the front row. Trying to come up with fair, realistic limits on human behavior nowadays is challenging, because people say and do things today that never would've happened in the 1960s or 1970s. The cellphone thing still bugs the hell outta me.

Speaking of which: when we saw Mary Poppins Returns for the second time, this time at the Disney El Capitan theater, an usher stood in front of the audience and politely warned, "if you have a cell phone or other electronic device, please put it away. Remember, you're here to see the BIG screen up there <pointing to the 60' screen behind him>, not the little screen in your hand." That actually got a little applause from our crowd.

 

Which is why I rarely go to a movie theater

 

Again, I see a hundred films in the theater a year and my wife sees more than 300. The average person sees fewer than five. Every single time there's any discussion of movies, I mean every... single... time... people claim that every screening is just filled with incredibly rude people talking on the phone throughout the whole thing. If that were in fact true, I would have 20 times greater chance of seeing such behavior, and my wife 60 times greater. In actual fact I had exactly two bad experiences in 10 years - more than a thousand screenings.

 

They got a new CEO and he's from Starbucks. No, I'm not kidding.

 

on a sidenote i had a friend who would smoke in the theater.....sitting in back row, i was positive he'd get busted but, nope. couple people turned around that was it....this was in the 80's but still.... and some of the midnight movies would reek of pot....i guess the rules kind of checked out after midnight.

 

Under the previous policy, we were definitely allowed to bring food in. On Trilogy Tuesday, which was a special screening of the extended versions of The Fellowship of the Ring and The Two Towers followed by the premiere of The Return of the King, the manager addressed the crowd and asked only that we not bring anything especially odiferous in.

 

I attend an up-to-date theater with 24 screens.

The theater hires off-duty police officers in uniform, as permitted, to patrol.

When I and a guest must adhere to a bag policy or go through a TSA checkpoint, I'll stay home.

 

At AMC, I had noticed that they didn't care if I brought a drink from Chipotle or wherever in with me, but I thought that was just the decision of that complex's manager.

I didn't realize it was formal AMC policy until AMC hosted one of those "Oscar Best Picture" marathons. This was a new idea at the time - like 2008? - and the "Post" ran an article about it.

That article pointed out that AMC's policy allowed outside food/drink. Without that article, I always would've thought it was just the leniency of my local AMC manager!

 

this actually just happened to me the other day. I bus into sacramento to work, on Mondays I see a movie after work becuase I have a evening obligation so I stay in the city. I usually go to regal or independent theaters as regal has more competitive prices and a loyalty program that actually is pretty decent, and independents because better movies. but the timing worked out best so I walked from work to the Cinemark with my backpack and was told I couldn't go in.

I offered to empty my backpack (just had empty lunch tupperwares and a umbrella) for them to leave it behind the desk nope. so I didn't have time to go anywhere else so just had to hang about rainy sac until the evening. needless to say I won't be going there again even if the timing is right.

and to those talking about the shooting you do realize he did not smuggle in weapons he went out the escape door and back in. so the policy is inane in the extreme.

 

Some clown with a spreadsheet concluded that they could boost concession sales by forbidding customers from bringing in bags, and in an act of breathtaking cynicism they used the Colorado massacre as an excuse - an act that would not have been prevented by the current policy.

 

yep......and now little ole grannies cant attend a night at the opera because of their purses....

ps you know those grannies would of thrown caution to the wind and popped for some popcorn and soda. if theyre doing theatre night that's part of the fun for that generation (and mine). sadly there are no Cinemark's around me to boycott but I am boycotting in spirit.

 

Just put the bag under your shirt. If they question it, just say it's a medical device. Or start a scene yelling how they're discriminating against those with a medical condition.