Class Action Lawsuit Against Theaters Could Raise Ticket Prices

This past week a resident of Lovonia, Michigan filed a class action lawsuit against the AMC Theater chain for denying him the option of bringing in his own food and drink to the theater.  It’s a universally accepted fact that the prices charged at theaters for concessions are outrageous.  According to a Morningstar Equity Analyst, of every dollar spent on concessions at the theater 85% of it is pure profit, and that theaters stand to make roughly $3000 off of a $30 bag of uncooked popcorn.  Most of us feel this sting when we go to a night at the theater, with ticket prices steadily rising each year and concessions costing an arm and a leg, it’s easy to sympathize with the plantiff, but we have to realize that there is a reason for these high prices.  I personally to not indulge in concessions when I go to the theater, which keeps my outing relatively low cost, but it is the profit made from the concessions that help keep ticket prices at the prices they are now.  If concessions were priced at their face value, or at a value that allowed for reasonable profits, ticket prices would go up for all, that includes those of us that do and don’t purchase the concessions in question.  In times of a recession, I wouldn’t want to pay more than I am now for a ticket, and for people unhappy with prices of concessions at the theater they can choose to simply not purchase them.  As for being denied the ability to bring in snacks it is up to theaters to make that call, and as viewers it is up to us to either abide by their rules, or simply not flaunt the fact that we are bringing outside food and drink into the theater.