The Major Theaters here are AMC. They'e about as consumer-level and patronizing as Wal-Mart.
Remember when Movie Theater Popcorn was awesome?
- Thread starter Trekker4747
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The Major Theaters here are AMC. They'e about as consumer-level and patronizing as Wal-Mart.
They don't salt it here. It's pretty much plain.There's also the salt distribution problem. They don't butter or salt the popcorn before it goes in the bag, so the result is way too much butter and salt on top and nothing on the bottom. I usually ask them to fill it halfway, hand me the bag so I can salt it, then have them fill it to the top. Once I just took a salt shaker from the counter into the theater with me and added salt when needed.
Hell, I should bring me a cup of "butter"* into the theater with me. So I can do that. What's bad is that the bags don't allow for a lot of shaking and shuffling of the corn to distribute the butter well. Remember the big, giant, paper tubs you used to get?Good old days.
I've asked my theater before if I can get a half-fill so I can butter it and then fill it up before but they often deny me unless it happens to not be busy.
Can't imagine wanting to *salt* theater propcorn. The Flavorall/oil they use is salty enough!
I don't understand how any one can go to the movies and not buy popcorn and a coke. I think is the best taste around. My girlfriend and I went to see Indiana Jones last week and the first thing we bought was popcorn and a coke it was great.
I prefer nachos but even theater nacho quality has dropped a lot in the corporate theater companies. And, as I said in my first post, theater popcorn just isn't that good to me anymore. But I usually will get nachos, a coke and sometimes some candy.
There's also the salt distribution problem. They don't butter or salt the popcorn before it goes in the bag, so the result is way too much butter and salt on top and nothing on the bottom. I usually ask them to fill it halfway, hand me the bag so I can salt it, then have them fill it to the top. Once I just took a salt shaker from the counter into the theater with me and added salt when needed.
Hell, I should bring me a cup of "butter"* into the theater with me. So I can do that. What's bad is that the bags don't allow for a lot of shaking and shuffling of the corn to distribute the butter well. Remember the big, giant, paper tubs you used to get?
I've asked my theater before if I can get a half-fill so I can butter it and then fill it up before but they often deny me unless it happens to not be busy.
Can't imagine wanting to *salt* theater propcorn. The Flavorall/oil they use is salty enough!
Trekker, the best way to butter the popcorn and get even distribution is to get a water cup from concession. Fill it about half way with butter. Every time you hit a dry area, pour more butter and shake. I know its not healthy to eat all that butter but I do the water cup thing. It works pretty good, unless the theater doesnt have the self serve dispensers. I dont think AMC has self serve butter. I also like to put a that apple cinnamon seasoning and a bunch of Jalapenos into the mix.
I remember back in the early '80s, when Siskel and Ebert were on Sneak Previews on PBS, they did an episode in which they showed what was involved in reviewing movies. One of them used to make his own popcorn at home and bring it in his briefcase because the theater popcorn was so bad.
But it is a tradition...I have to get either nachos or popcorn and a soda if I'm watching a movie in the theater. And I don't find that peeing is nearly as much of a problem as when I was a kid. I remember several instances of having to will my bladder closed for the bulk of a precious blockbuster that I didn't dare a miss a minute of, like Superman. In subsequent viewings, I'd give in, but would wait for a slow scene.
You can pretty much carry in whatever you want if you've got a purse or you're wearing a jacket in appropriate weather. I've never been to a movie theater that was searching people at the door. A friend and I smuggled wine coolers into The Hunt for Red October...it was winter and we were wearing heavy coats.
In the '80s where I lived in central Florida at the time, they opened a couple of places, the "Cinema & Brew" and the "Cinema & Pub", IIRC. Both featured bar and table seating where you could order real short-order food, like chicken fingers and such, as well as alcoholic beverages. And they did let in kids, they just couldn't serve them drinks. I don't know why that didn't take off. One of them was still going in the mid-'90s, though I'm not sure if they're still around today.
But it is a tradition...I have to get either nachos or popcorn and a soda if I'm watching a movie in the theater. And I don't find that peeing is nearly as much of a problem as when I was a kid. I remember several instances of having to will my bladder closed for the bulk of a precious blockbuster that I didn't dare a miss a minute of, like Superman. In subsequent viewings, I'd give in, but would wait for a slow scene.
You can pretty much carry in whatever you want if you've got a purse or you're wearing a jacket in appropriate weather. I've never been to a movie theater that was searching people at the door. A friend and I smuggled wine coolers into The Hunt for Red October...it was winter and we were wearing heavy coats.
In the '80s where I lived in central Florida at the time, they opened a couple of places, the "Cinema & Brew" and the "Cinema & Pub", IIRC. Both featured bar and table seating where you could order real short-order food, like chicken fingers and such, as well as alcoholic beverages. And they did let in kids, they just couldn't serve them drinks. I don't know why that didn't take off. One of them was still going in the mid-'90s, though I'm not sure if they're still around today.
Burger King used to have decent fries and then they started changing them and they suck beyond imagination now.
As long as popcorn sales don't go down they wouldn't care if the popcorn tasted like dogshit.
As long as popcorn sales don't go down they wouldn't care if the popcorn tasted like dogshit.
I remember several instances of having to will my bladder closed for the bulk of a precious blockbuster that I didn't dare a miss a minute of, like Superman.Amen. The first time I saw Superman Returns, I willed my bladder closed for the entire Kryptonian continent sequence because I figured the movie would be over in 15 minutes anyway. Imagine my agony when it turned out that I was 45 minutes away from the end, not just 15.(Still, great movie. I saw it 3 or 4 more times in the theater.)
The only times I've seen theaters searching people at the door were for preview screenings or midnight openings searching for video recorders & camera phones. The theaters in my area are extremely lax about searching for food & drinks. I often bring in a whole tote bag full of bottled water and they don't care. (But then, I don't think movie theater employees are paid enough to care.) One time a theater even let me bring in an entire footlong Subway sandwitch once I told them that if they didn't let me bring it in, I'd just sit out front and eat it before I bought a ticket. Granted, this was on a particularly slow day at one of the slowest theaters in town.
I'm not sure either. There used to be an indie theater near my dad's house called the Madstone. They had a wine bar and showed pretentious, artsy films (and the occasional revival of Evil Dead II & Ghostbusters). But they didn't let you take the wine into the actual theaters and they ended up getting driven out of business by the Harkins Valley Art & Harkins Camelview because they got a better pick of indie films to show.
There is also a theater in Chandler that has changed ownership several times in the last several years. (It has probably the worst location of any movie theater I've ever seen.) For a while anyway, they served short order food. I'm not sure if they currently do under the current management. (Their new speciality seems to be weirdo art films like the one that Crispin Glover directed and midnight screenings of The Rocky Horror Picture Show.)
I'd agree that most movie food sucks now. The nachos are stale. The hot dogs are like shriveled up dicks. The few places that sell chicken fingers, they're mostly dried up breading with hardly any meat on them. What they really need to do is, like, build movie theaters that have an entire working McDonalds built right into them. (Personally, I'd prefer a Subway but I figure McDonalds is so ubiquitous that they're more likely to try it sooner or later.)
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Check this out: We've got a new theater here that's got a full restaurant and bar upstairs, no one under 21 allowed, and the place is absolutely beautiful. Full digital screens, floor to ceiling, just awesome. Take a look at the website:
http://www.warrentheatres.com/tvspots2.asp
http://www.warrentheatres.com/moore.asp
I saw Indiana Jones there a few weeks ago. Quite the experience.
In the UK I've never been told that I can't bring my own food in. There are small signs about it, but if you just carry it in a bag no-one says anything. After all, what does the average cinema ticket drone care about the profits his cinema makes on food - better for him just to avoid the hassle of asking.
Those of you mentioning going to the bathroom made me think that even in my years of going to the pictures (I'm 21, so it must be about 14 or 15 I guess) people seem to fidget and walk in and out a lot more than they used to. I've been busting for the toilet through many of my favourite films, but I never go (unless its a second viewing), I'm not sure, but people don't seem to pay as much attention as I expect them to... maybe I'm the unusual one.
Those of you mentioning going to the bathroom made me think that even in my years of going to the pictures (I'm 21, so it must be about 14 or 15 I guess) people seem to fidget and walk in and out a lot more than they used to. I've been busting for the toilet through many of my favourite films, but I never go (unless its a second viewing), I'm not sure, but people don't seem to pay as much attention as I expect them to... maybe I'm the unusual one.
Dusty Ayres
Commodore
In Canada, Cineplex/Famous Players Silvercity and Colosseum theaters have Burger King , Baskins & Robins and New York Fries concessions built into them so that people can order that instead of popcorn and nachos. Of course, as I said before, people can just buy seasoning, spread it on their popcorn and savour the flavour. Maybe you need to get tough on the movie exhibitor chains where you live.
Yeah the healthly food Nazis pretty much ruined it for us. Someone upthread mentioned Oreos. I used to love them but I noticed over the past few years that they just didn't quite taste right. Then I got to looking at the label, they've removed the "trans-fats."
Another good thing ruined by the food Nazis.
SOOOOO ... we now have confessions by people who make those food noises during the movies. I can't tell you how many times scenes have been ruined in films by people shaking their giant popcorn rattles, or cups of ice, or churning their straws up and down in the plastic lids.
Usher!!!!!
--Ted
Usher!!!!!
--Ted
When I was a kid (1970's), my older brother and I popped popcorn in the pressure cooker (actually, mom did) and we filled a grocery bag with it and took that to the theater to eat. The ushers always had to check the bag but it wasn't barred from entry. I miss those days.
About 20 years ago, I discovered the truth about movie popcorn. My girlfriend worked at a theater, and I was picking her up and saw huge bags of popcorn just sitting in the storeroom. Jeez, they just heat up old, stale popcorn that's God knows how old and just reheat it. It hasn't been the same for me ever since.
Well, the beauty of popped popcorn is that it doesn't really "go bad." Ever buy a tin of Topsy's or other bagged popcorn?
I think it's nostalgia. I worked at a theater about 15 years ago and the popcorn wasn't all that great.
Not all theaters do that!
