Cinemark's Bag Policy

Discussion in 'Visual Arts' started by SBurke, Jan 12, 2019.

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  1. SBurke

    SBurke Nostalgia Junkie Thread Starter

    Location:
    Philadelphia, PA
    There's a nice AMC theater in Cherry Hill, NJ, not too far from where I live and easily accessible by car except at rush hour. I like it and one year co-workers got me a gift card for AMC. I'd never known about their policy though! Too bad it had to go. I suspect it was purely an economic decision. Back when you could make money selling movie tickets I would imagine the company figured they should give it a shot, hoping they would pull in moviegoers from the competition. But now it's unsustainable -- the money has to be made on concessions, it seems.

    The movie business undoubtedly is changing. Perhaps it's troubling but if the music business can serve as an example it should turn out OK.
     
  2. the pope ondine

    the pope ondine Forum Resident

    Location:
    Virginia
    I don't know if its gonna be much of a change, most of the people I see munching in my amc are dipping into those massive popcorn buckets... ive never looked across a row and seen a bunch of people with a spread aid out but, I guess theyre tightening their belt or maybe pushing towards amc-dine-ins


    [​IMG]
     
  3. Chris DeVoe

    Chris DeVoe RIP Vickie Mapes Williams (aka Equipoise)

    They are pushing towards dine-in theaters. I'm not a fan of them at all, and will always choose a non dine-in theater if at all possible. Chicago's AMC Block 37 theater is a dine-in, and it is the most expensive theater in the city, and I can see exactly the same film using the same projector at the AMC Galewood 14 for a quarter to a third of the price.
     
  4. PaulKTF

    PaulKTF Senior Member

    Location:
    USA
    "Cinemark Bag Policy" would be a great name for a punk band.
     
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  5. Vidiot

    Vidiot Now in 4K HDR!

    Location:
    Hollywood, USA
    Note that AMC made an announcement about 18 months ago where they admitted they weren't making much money with their theaters:

    In July 2017, AMC announced they would be cutting $30 million in expenses by the end of the year. This cost reduction will be accomplished by reducing operating hours and cutting staffing levels, and other measures.

    What I see at the Universal Studios AMC Theaters is they've basically cut most of the people who used to serve snacks, food, and drinks, and now it's all self-serve. You basically pay for a bag or a box or a cup, and then you have to do all the work. I think they're cheap ****s for not hiring high-school kids at minimum wage to do work like this, but that's me. And the prices for their food got no cheaper. Ticket prices do keep creeping up, year after year.

    Pacific Theaters (big in California) has been installing bars in some of their theaters, like the plush complex at The Grove, near Beverly Hills, because they can sell relatively-high-priced alcoholic drinks there. So a lot of their profits are coming from refreshments outside the norm. Gourmet food has been tried at some theaters as well. But they're not going to let you bring your own booze, snacks, food, or drinks in, because that's where they make a big chunk of their profit.
     
  6. Chris DeVoe

    Chris DeVoe RIP Vickie Mapes Williams (aka Equipoise)

    All of the AMC theaters I've been to in recent years have installed those Coca-Cola Freestyle machines. I have yet to see one have self-serve popcorn though.

    The AMC theaters in downtown Chicago all have bars, though they have to hire adults to serve alcohol thus their labor costs are a bit higher.
     
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  7. chili555

    chili555 Forum Resident

    Theaters make it less and less convenient and yet more and more expensive for people, especially families, to enjoy an evening at the movies. Then they complain that they aren't making any money and then they blame Netflix, et al. They should look in the mirror.
     
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  8. the pope ondine

    the pope ondine Forum Resident

    Location:
    Virginia
    im actually amazed that theaters have survived as well as they have considering all they have going against them (I remember when it took forever till a first run movie would eventually show up on video, not so much nowadays). they are smart to focus on the big movie spectacles 3-D and the summer bb'ers.... not my thing but its serving them well...maybe the dine-in is the way to go, focus on date nights, family night pizza and a movie etc.
    ps popcorn must be a hell of a mark up....corn/butter flavoring...what...20 cents for a large?
     
  9. misteranderson

    misteranderson Forum Resident

    Location:
    englewood, nj
    They'll get rid of employees altogether and replace with robots, as long as the C-suite execs keep their salaries, healthcare plans, and Bentley SUVs, and still cry that they're not making enough money. Nobody cares.

    Self-serve - no thanks. I can get myself a beer and make myself a burger and some popcorn at home. They're shooting themselves in the foot over and over again, but people are lazy, narcissistic, and dumb, so they'll keep going to the movies, at least in the short term.

    My local multiplex, which is generally very nice, with big screens, great sound, a little bar and food and everything, has a mouse problem in one of the theaters, to the extent that my wife refuses to go there anymore. They can't be bothered to hire people to do decent enough clean up to keep the vermin away, so why drop $30+ per person to see a movie?
     
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  10. Chris DeVoe

    Chris DeVoe RIP Vickie Mapes Williams (aka Equipoise)

    What theater is $30 a person? I'm headed to the AMC River East 21 tomorrow, and the first show of the day is $6.75.
     
  11. misteranderson

    misteranderson Forum Resident

    Location:
    englewood, nj
    I'm talking about all-in, ticket, drink(s), food, etc. -- which is where they want the business to go, and where it could realistically go if they cared about actually offering value for money.

    Sure, if it's just a movie ticket, out here it's $7-$8 or whatever. You're in Chicago - might be a little different, never been there myself.
     
  12. Chris DeVoe

    Chris DeVoe RIP Vickie Mapes Williams (aka Equipoise)

    Every single time I see anybody talking about why they don't go to the theatre anymore, they always quote some absurdly high price that assumes that everybody gets a large popcorn and a large drink and a package of candy and they're seeing it at a luxury dine-in theater. My wife saw 306 films in the theater last year, I saw a hundred, and neither of us are paying $30 per showing. In fact as a member of AMC's A*List program, she sees 3 films a week for less than $20 a month. Chicago is not an inexpensive city either.
     
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  13. brownie61

    brownie61 Forum Resident

    I buy nothing but my ticket when I go to the movies. Why buy overpriced crappy snacks when you can get a great meal for the same price either at home or at a local ethnic restaurant?
     
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  14. the pope ondine

    the pope ondine Forum Resident

    Location:
    Virginia

    that's really the way to do it .... sometimes that popcorn smell does sucker you in though....and than after a kilo of salt what do you need to wash that down with?
    ....as my dad used to say 'that's how they getcha'
     
  15. The Wanderer

    The Wanderer Seeker of Truth

    Location:
    NYC
    There's Just Something About Movie Theater Popcorn
     
  16. Dr. Funk

    Dr. Funk Vintage Dust

    Location:
    Fort Worth TX
    I remember midnight showings of The Rocky Horror Picture Show and The Song Remains The Same that were filled with cigarettes, booze, pot, and crazy antics.
     
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  17. Vidiot

    Vidiot Now in 4K HDR!

    Location:
    Hollywood, USA
    Call the health department on them -- that'll shape them up real fast.

    I gotta say, the restrooms at the Pacific Grove are a wreck at the end of each day, and they aren't taking care of the place like they should. And this is less than a mile from Beverly Hills, in a very tony neighborhood.
     
  18. Oatsdad

    Oatsdad Oat, Biscuits, Abbie & Mitzi: Best Dogs Ever

    Location:
    Alexandria VA
    The AMC Universal has self-serve popcorn??? :eek:
     
  19. Oatsdad

    Oatsdad Oat, Biscuits, Abbie & Mitzi: Best Dogs Ever

    Location:
    Alexandria VA
    Yup, same here.

    I like the Coke FS machines. Their Coke Zero isn't as good as "real fountain" CZ, but the FS offers such a huge variety of options that I can find something I like - and it's great when I want a non-caffeinated diet option, which isn't often found at standard fountains...
     
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  20. Chris DeVoe

    Chris DeVoe RIP Vickie Mapes Williams (aka Equipoise)

    As I've gotten older, I've become much more sensitive to caffeine, and the Freestyle machines have been a blessing. And I'm sure it's much better for my blood pressure.
     
  21. Gumboo

    Gumboo Forum Resident

    Location:
    Metry, Louisiana
    What's wrong with people? Can't survive a couple of hours without having a snack?
     
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  22. Oatsdad

    Oatsdad Oat, Biscuits, Abbie & Mitzi: Best Dogs Ever

    Location:
    Alexandria VA
    I'm fine with caffeine but not after a certain hour, so if I go to a 7PM screening, I want some non-caff! Coke FS has plenty of those options!
     
  23. Oatsdad

    Oatsdad Oat, Biscuits, Abbie & Mitzi: Best Dogs Ever

    Location:
    Alexandria VA
    :rolleyes:

    Yes, people can survive 2 hours without snacks, but many of us feel the snacks embellish the experience...
     
  24. misteranderson

    misteranderson Forum Resident

    Location:
    englewood, nj
    Yeah, I did the midnight movie thing a lot too in the early '80s, but I don't see how that applies to today's movie theater experience.
     
  25. misteranderson

    misteranderson Forum Resident

    Location:
    englewood, nj
    They were Instagrammed to death, but I'm not sure if it worked.
     
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