IamA Movie Theater Employee, and I've seen the dirty part of the movie business. AMA!

Does anyone worry about the sound mixing when putting some movies next to each other?

I mean, I absolutely love Frozen but when I was watching Walter Mitty I didn't want to hear Let It Go from the theater next door. I'm always hearing explosions from surrounding theaters when I'm in a not so loud part of a movie.

We do sound-proof tests once a year to make sure you can't hear the movies in other theaters.. So I'm pretty sure that isn't a problem for us. That would make me so mad though!

ps- I love Frozen too but when we got the sing-a-long version of it I died a little. Imagine hearing a million three-year-olds singing along at every single showing. It was rough.

What's your stance on people sneaking in snacks?

The mark-up seems insane to be honest. The cost of tickets has risen well above inflation over the past years (I have no data on this to be honest..educated guess). Can you blame the public for taking one back via the old starburst in the girlfriend's purse? Or the jelly beans in the back of the jeans?

Honestly, when people complain to me about the prices I TELL them to sneak stuff in. If you claim that you can buy this at Walmart for a dollar, then why don't you?

At the same time, I hate when people complain about the prices. We don't get any of the money from tickets because they go to the movie producers, so we ONLY get money from selling concessions.

Thanks for the reply. So the revenue really comes from the concessions for the theatre, that's fair than. The real bandits are the producers it seems but since they have the content that everyone wants/needs, they can name their price. Best of luck and hopefully people don't sass you too much about the prices.

Yeah, I mean I think they are ridiculously high too, but considering they pay our electricity/water bills then they seem okay to me!

This is why when I go to my local drive in I buy the food there. That and it also taste really good.

I wish we had a drive-in! I want to visit one so bad :(

I never knew that this was the case. So all revenue from movie tickets go to the producers? Then how come movie theaters have varying prices even though they are showing the same movie (in my country at least)?

That all is decided by corporate. Some theaters make money from the tickets, but mine doesn't because we are so small and our tickets are so cheap. However, in one of our larger theaters within our chain, they charge way more for tickets because people in that state will pay more for the ticket. ex. Wisconsin people may pay $6 for a ticket while New Yorkers pay $11. It just depends on how popular the chain is.

When I worked at a massive theater in Tampa in 2000 they claimed that they made (If I recall correctly) something like 7 cents per ticket. I'm not sure if that is 100% accurate, but it was something like that and equally as surprising.

We aren't really that massive (10 screens, ~300 people in a busy day) and seeing that we have to pay the same price for movies as everyone else, I don't think we make that much. I couldn't tell you for sure though, corporate does most of the ticket sales work.

Do you get money from 3D surcharges? Or DBox?

Not that I know of. Our 3D charge is only $1 more, and I'm pretty sure that just goes to insurance on our 3D glasses (ours are big and clunky and reuseable)

We don't get any of the money from tickets because they go to the movie producers, so we ONLY get money from selling concessions.

Quick question. I heard a while back that theatres got a percentage but it rose over time e.g. opening week the studios took the biggest cut but over time the theatres got a bigger cut due to opening week being the biggest sales and this is where theatres lost out.

This may vary by country but I'm just wondering if you knew anymore about this.

Edit: Never mind saw below that it seems to vary by theatre. For what it's worth I always buy my snacks at the theatre. Sure it's a bit expensive but I can't be bothered taking a backpack in and my local does really good popcorn.

I explained this somewhere else in this page, but since we are a smaller theater in our chain and we have cheaper ticket prices, we generally don't make money off of the tickets. Our corporate always calls our theater the "ball-and-chain". :P

Not OP, but snacks are how the theaters make money. The movies themselves are so incredibly expensive, the ticket cost just barely pays for them at most chains.

exactly!

How do I convince moviegoers that I am way more important and entertaining than the film they paid through the ass to watch?

Be super loud and annoying, turn the brightness on all of your devices up as high as it will go, and bring as many screaming children as possible.

Seriously though, what the fuck is up with people in theaters and max brightness on their phones? That shit would blind me, damn.

I don't know, but whenever I have to yell at someone for using their phone it's because the brightness is like 500%. Chill.

How are you dealing with this situation now? Have you noticed a major decline in sales because of it? I've only seen 6 movies in a theatre in the last 8 years due to the loud talking, cell phone answering crowds.

I don't notice a huge decline, but I have had a lot more complaints. But if there is someone in the theater being obnoxious, people usually come outside of their movie and ask us to yell at them. If it's an entire theater of teenagers then I usually pause the movie, tell them all to put their cell phones away, then play the movie and kick out anyone who whips it out.

I too work in a cinema, though in England, and we once had a guy come and kick up a fuss about the fact that his own phone went off in the film. We even have the generic turn off your mobile message. But nooo, apparently it's our fault someone decided to ring him.

I wouldn't even know what to say to that.. hahaha.

Man, I went to see Big Hero 6 and there was a woman and her two kids in front of me, and she just had her phone on for the whole 15 minutes... Had to tell her to put it away and stop 1. being a nuisance, 2. bad example for her kids.

that's so rude of her.. why bring your kids to a movie and then do that?

Do you ever get parents who bring their kids to see movies that they shouldn't? What's your stance on that?

ALL THE TIME. I had a dad bring his 3 year old daughter in to see "We're The Millers" and when I warned him about the movie he said, "She has an older brother". UM what??? Not the same thing! And today I had a mom bring a 6 year old in for Fifty Shades. When I tried to warn her about the movie she said, "I know, I read the book". THEN WHAT ARE YOU DOING??

That is seriously my biggest pet peeve, parents who bring toddlers and young children to R rated movies. Some guy actually had the audacity to bring his autistic 8 year old son because he needed to be "desensitized". Kid was screaming before the movie even started because the lights went out. Unbelievable.

That's horrible. I hate that too. But there really isn't anything I can say or do about it if I want to keep my job.

Can't you guys refuse service to anyone?

We can, though there are strict guidelines for it and I can never remember what they are. I just try to serve all customers. Even the rude ones make for nice stories.

Had a father bring his 6 year old son to Kingsman the other day and then screamed at us afterwards because the movie was too "inappropriate" for his kid. We always warn parents before bringing kids to R rated movies but they do it anyways... and then we get yelled at

EXACTLY! This happens to me all the time. Even when we read off the list of things wrong with the movie.

"This movie has sexual content, violence, and strong drug use." "That's fine for my 4-year-old son, he has an older brother."

Former movie theater employee here, I only made it six months before I couldn't handle it anymore, so props to you! How long have you been working for?

Also, do you have a funniest or most annoying customer story? Mine involved a woman paying for $21 in concessions in dimes, nickels, and pennies on the night that Madagascar premiered. It was awesome.

I've been working here for over two years, though now that I'm in college I don't work as much as I used to. And I HATE when customers call and ask me to read alllll of the movies and showtimes that are playing. They're in the newspaper, online, and on the movie hotline.. so don't bother me!

Seems like you should just be able to transfer them to the automated hotline if they do something stupid like that.

I just give them the number for it and tell them to have a nice day :)

Why can't the sound levels for the previews be reduced to the same levels as the actual movie?

Most theaters have a separate projector for ads (they come via satellite from corporate) and the ad projector is always turned up louder. I have never understood why though because in my theater it's always turned down.

WHAT?

Lol. We try to keep our ads quiet so people can hear themselves when they're trying to find their seat/get situated :)

TURN DOWN FOR WHAT?

EXACTLY

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The floors are very gross, but I sweep them between shows and try to mop them if there is a pop spill. Though I once found what I thought to be semen on the floor of a theater. Long story short: Do NOT trust the five second rule in a theater. Let that starburst stay on the floor pls.

You called it pop! Midwest?

Haha, I called it soda in an earlier post. I'm covering my tracks ;)

I work at a theater. I have found used condoms and all sorts of funs items in the theater from used tampons to a pair of dirty men's pants. Also if there is food even if it is completely sealed don't eat you have no idea what was done to that food.

I know.. we used to have this guy (who got fired, unsurprisingly) who would eat food he found in the theaters ALL THE TIME.

Q: Are theaters contractually obligated to keep a certain movie in heavy rotation even when it is failing in the box office like Jupiter Ascending?

We have to keep movies for a minimum of 2 weeks, and our corporation decides what movies we lose and when. But bigger chains have to keep them for longer. And yeah, I think we got like 14 people in two weeks for Jupiter Ascending. It wasn't that great.. haha.

That movie probably got screwed by a dumb title and Channing Tatum with eye makeup.

Yeah, the series wasn't bad! The movie, however..

A relatively new thing in Toronto, Canada is theaters that only check your ticket at the main entrance - so once you're in - you're in. So... now it's not uncommon for kids to go for 2 or even 3 movie marathons! The theater turns a blind eye... cause as you've said they're making money on concessions.

Have you seen/heard of this being done by theaters?

Well, we only check your ticket at the main entrance, too. So it is entirely possible to go to many showings. However, we have about 30 minutes between shows where nothing is playing, and it is likely that a theater employee could recognize you during that time. My personal belief is, if you have the attention span to sit through several movies at a time, go for it!

I actually did that for the first time a few months ago. We went to see maleficent as our third movie but it was out for almost two months and there was nobody in the room. We got a little scared that employees would notice that there weren't any tickets sold for it so they wouldn't put the movie on and see us. Eventually 2 girls walked in and we still saw the movie.

So question, are movies put on even if no tickets were sold?

We try to shut movies off is they haven't been sold and it's 15 minutes past when they start. We do this to save power, though, not to ward off any movie jumpers.

I did that once. Halfway through the second movie, my ass was so numb I thought I'd have to crawl out of the theatre. Was it's worth the $15... maybe, but I don't think I'd do it again.

I just don't have the attention span to sit through more than one movie!

What is something that people don't know about movie theaters?

Movie theaters are really diverse, so it's kind of hard to speak for all of them. But something that is cool that we all have in common is that the movies usually come in under a code name, or pseudonym. This is a security measure so that people who were to get their hands on the film wouldn't think it was important. For example, "The Dark Knight" came in under "Rory's First Kiss". Frozen had some weird name too but it was really long and I can't remember it right now.

Not at my theater they don't. TDK Rises was actually delivered via UPS to my personal house. I come home and shit is on my back porch just hanging out. Guy knew I worked there and left it since the theater was closed at the time. Label read Dark Knight Rises and everything.

That's weird.. and kinda sad because I love seeing the cool nicknames they put on the boxes :(

King Kong was labeled "Tiny Dancer."

HOLD ME CLOSER, TONY DANZA!

thats so cool!!!

What's the secret to movie theater-style popcorn? I wanna make it at home but it's never the same.

Lol, I get this all the time. I think the kettle makes it pop more fully (better than a microwave) but the butter is what really makes it taste great. Although it's not actually butter, it's oil.

This is the "butter" we use: http://www.farmandfleet.com/products/863082-kernel-seasons-popcorn-popping-oil.html?utm_medium=shoppingengine&utm_source=googlebase&gclid=CNfm6pmhkMQCFYNDaQodzLsAgg#.VPfL7FX3-iw

I was also a movie theater employee, and I can confirm that this oil is NOT what makes the popcorn amazing. Here it is (or at least some similar variant): flavacol This is some amazing tasting salt material which is grated extremely finely, giving it a huge surface area to volume ratio, thus allowing it to dissolve into the popcorn easier than typical salt.

Can confirm. Worked at a theater for 7 years. If you put the oil alone, the popcorn tastes like balls.

I just meant when you are popping the popcorn. NOT on actual popcorn.

We just use the oil when we pop it. We have a completely different type of "butter" for the popcorn that we put on top.

Alright, so I'm gonna blow the lid on this whole situation. You're in love with stale popcorn. I worked in theaters for years, from usher to concession to projection to management and blah blah blah. We cook the popcorn, but it in a bag, and let it hang out till we need it, usually no more than a day or two. We do this to compensate for rushes and such. When we need it, we'll put the bagged corn into a warmer and serve it. True story, the only time I ever got complaints about the popcorn was when we got crazy slammed and had to pop fresh corn. I assume it's just such a standard industry wide practice that people are accustomed to stale popcorn. Also that butter oil shit. People go nuts for it.

We aren't allowed to put popcorn in a bag and use it later. We used to, but people complained that it was too stale, so our boss put an end to that.

Have you ever caught someone making the video of a movie (like piracy stuff). If yes, what is your role in this situation? Do you hand them over to cops or what?

I actually haven't caught that, though I feel like those people are really sneaky about recording movies. If I did catch someone my boss would want to call the cops, though I would probably just ask them to put it away/leave the theater depending on how nice I am feeling and how nice they are being.

So there are no predefined rules for these kind of situations?

I'm sure there are.. though I haven't read the employee handbook in over two years and there hasn't been a situation like that since I've been there. I would try to be understanding about it and not call the cops if they agreed to delete the footage and leave, though my boss would probably just call the cops right away.

do you get to watch movie before they are released to the public?

Yes! My theater has Friday night midnight showings for employees only (and one guest) but in the summer/the night before big movie premieres we usually move them to Thursday. I got to see Mockingjay before y'all.

I saw mocking jay on the Thursday before too. AMC theaters screens them like that. The first viewing is before the midnight release. Thursday at around 7

We don't ave those showings all the time, but when we do the employee showing is the night before (Wednesday)

Would theater cancel the movie show just because there were not enough ticket sales? Then what happen to the people who bought the tickets?

We wouldn't do that. We;ve run shows that only one person is sitting in!

I've been that one guy before. Do you get disappointed when that one person shows up?

Edit:never mind, you answered this when I asked it elsewhere

its cool, lol

do you ever get complaints about the sound being to loud?

Yeah, so we go and turn it down. Then we get complaints about it being too quiet. It sucks because the movies fluctuate so much and turning it up/down will make the quiet parts quieter and the loud parts louder.

Wouldn't a compressor on the audio help with that?

Whoa, I'm not a projectionist, so I don't know these things. But I do know that the movies come with special instructions and most of the time these instructions ask us to play it at a minimum/maximum audio level for optimal viewing. So, I don't know if that would screw that up..

I've heard that the light-stick walk-through are meant as some sort of security measure. How? It's not like they turn into lightsabers... yet.

Are you talking about the little lights in the aisles of the theaters? Those are just so you know where to walk in the dark, lol

They're probably talking about when an employee walks through with the little stick flashlight at some theatres? I had that job at one once- we were counting to make sure there weren't people jumping theatres. Paying for one and staying for a second showing, that kind of thing.

Yeah, we do that too but only for rated R movies/when we get a complaint.

No, about twice per screening there's an attendant that walks in with a flashlight-looking thing (like what you'd use to guide a jet on the tarmac), then stands near the screen staring at the crowd, then walks away.

Oh, that's annoying. We try to only walk in during the show if we get a noise complaint or something. They are probably just counting how many people are in the theater to make sure nobody snuck in, or maybe they are making sure people aren't on their phones. It could be for a variety of reasons

Cool, thanks!

If it bothers you a lot you could always complain and they would have to either stop or at least explain why they do it!

How much does it usually cost for a theater to run a movie? What is the biggest expense for the theater?

I wouldn't know all of that because our corporate offices usually deal with movie/ticket prices and sales, we just keep track of concessions. I do know that we save a lot of money since we are only required to keep bad movies for a minimum of two weeks.

What's the most terrifying experience you've had whilst working? For example, someone bringing a weapon into the cinema etc.

One time I had a customer who was in my face cursing and yelling because I "sold her a ticket to a sold-out movie". What actually happened was that I sold her a ticket to see a movie and it was ALMOST sold out, so I warned her that she may not be able to sit with her whole family (6 people) if they bought these tickets. She ignored me and bought them anyways. Then, when her family couldn't find seats all together, she got up in my face screaming because she thought I sold her tickets to a sold out show.

have you found cucumbers left over in seats after showings of 50 shades of grey?

No but I did find a little bottle of "Warming Lube".. I'm thinking they took the cucumber with them

It's probably a pickle now.

lol probably!

Why would anyone take a cucumber to 50 Shades of... Wait, nevermind.

But how would they sneak it in/out of the theater... Wait, nevermind again.

Just.. Don't ask

Anything we can do to make you and other movie theatre employees' lives easier?

I thought this was just common knowledge, but PLEASE throw away your trash after a movie! When I'm ushering my job is to make sure nobody is talking during your movie and to clean up accidental popcorn/pop spills.. not pick up 100+ half drank coke cups!

Oh and pls no blowjobs in the back row. That would be cool too.

Movie theater employee here and I agree with this 100%. I love when people buy a large bag of popcorn and somehow all of it ends up on the floor and down the entire row of seats. Thats always fun to clean up -_-

I swear that some of them do it on purpose. I know this one lady was pissed at me because she kept asking for refills and I could only give her one. So she dumped alllll of the remaining popcorn (which was a lot) on the floor in the doorway of her theater.

Do you ever let the couples finish? Also, ever catch a threesome?

I've never caught a threesome but once I caught two women in the bathroom! That was the most awkward because they were loudly having sex in a stall and I had to kindly ask them to stop and come out. Usually the couples are just.. eh.. using their hands to please each other. If that's the case and they are in the back of the theater and nobody has complained, I try to just turn the other way. After all, it's terrible to be the one who has to be like: "Excuse me, can you please get your hand out of his pants? Thanks!"

For any reason, what customer(s) will you always remember and why?

We have a lot of regulars, they're all really nice old people :) I will always remember this one lady.. she comes in every Thursday and asks for a ticket to the best show. Then she orders a small popcorn and m&ms, then she puts the m&ms in the popcorn. She's so funny and last year she made all of us brownies and brought them in on christmas.

Do you get any creepy old dudes that are alone seeing really questionable films (kids films etc.)?

Yeah.. most of them are regulars, unfortunately. If we are really suspicious then the ushers try to find where he is sitting during the movie, so they can check on him throughout the movie.

What's your best and worst experiences working there?

Best: I just love the environment. Everyone is with their friends, family, or SO and coming to see a movie that they're really excited about. Their excitement can sometimes rub off on you.

Worst: Not a specific example, but I hate rude customers. Don't cuss me out because your 14 year old can't see a rated R movie without you in the theater. Not my rule.

Hey could you make me some fresh popcorn?

Also I want butter in the middle.

Oh, wait sorry i wanted to put salt in the middle too. Can you dump some out?

Thanks

LOL. I ALWAYS ask if you want butter, and if the answer is yes then I put it in the middle too. But I hate when people ask me to dump it out. That's just a waste!

Whoa whoa whoa, I believe you mean butter TOPPING. or butter flavor. ;)

Oops.. my bad ;)

Do you still watch movies in your free time?

I do a lot in the summer when I don't have school! (I'm in college). I get in free and I can get one other person in for free, so I see a lot of movies and take my friends, too.

That's so awesome!! Do you still like watching DVDs and stuff at home?

I do.. I appreciate movies so much more now :) I've made it my life goal to watch all the movies on IMDB's "Top 250" list

Has anyone ever fainted or freaked out so much they caused a scene and had to be removed during a scary movie?

When I went to go see The Conjuring, something like that almost happened with the people next to me but they left(it was a boyfriend and his girlfriend) after she started hyperventilating during the 'locked in the basement' scene.

We've had people leave movies because they were so freaked out, but we don't ask them to leave. Just let them make the choice. However, I did see a guy have a seizure last summer during a scene in 22 Jump Street. I don't know what scene because I haven't seen the movie but I'm guessing it was super flashy and obnoxious (his wife told us that he was epileptic). We had to call 911.

I've seen some shit.

So, are we talkin' feces here? Tell me more.

I mean, someone did shit themselves and leave their underwear with a turd in the theater once.. my boss told me that story though. I didn't have to deal with it, thank god. But I have cleaned up semen, broken up couples while they were having sex, seen a guy have a seizure, cleaned up puke twice, called the cops on a group of teenagers who were smoking cigs in the movie, ect. It's been a joy.

I feel like us cinema workers need a subreddit or something where we just share all our fucked up stories.

True, true. Cinemas, stuck between the food and entertainment worlds, have the most fucked up stories.

You could say that cleaning up is shit

hahahaha. So true, my friend.

I read that you have caught couples having sex in the theater bathrooms but you guys can't see what couples do in their seats right?

We don't have security cameras in the theaters but I have walked in to check on theaters and caught couples in the act. I've also gotten complaints before where I actually have to go stop them. Some of our theaters aren't stadium seating, so when I walk in the door I'm standing right behind the back row. That's usually when I catch people.

Thanks for that info. So is it against theater policy if a woman sits on your lap the entire movie? Like in the last row in the far corner?

Lol I've caught couples doing that! The girl wearing a skirt, sitting on his lap.. I wasn't born yesterday! And yeah, due to fire codes we are required to ask everyone to remain in their own seat.

Have you ever let people (girls or guys) inside without a ticket just because they were pretty or they were somehow related to you?

I've never let people in without a ticket, but I have let my underage friends into rated R movies without checking their ID (which is actually a big deal at my theater because my boss loves to ID people)

If movie theaters have to pay so much for first run films, could they make cash by playing older but super popular films to generate some cash? Like Rosemary's Baby and The Omen as a double feature or something?

Around christmas we show popular holiday movies and make some cash!

Do you receive any perks from the job that we may not know about? Advanced movie screenings? Free candy? And can you wear your outfit outside of work?

I get advances movie showings on occasion, free movies for me and a guest (unlimited), and free popcorn/soda while I work. But as for the outfit.. LOL

What are your thoughts or stance on someone sneaking in a double feature (going into another movie after the movie they paid for is over)?

Its hard to do at my theater because all of our movies start/end around the same time and usually have a large amount of time between the shows. However, if you can sit through two movies and not get bored, just do it.

Do you pirate movies for personal viewing? I ask because most defence for pirating seems to be " If I really care about a movie I will go see it in the theater, (then pirate it)." You see all movies for free, it seems odd that you would pay to go see one in your free time.

I don't pirate movies. Being in this business, I really get to see a lot of the work that is put into it. I would never want to hurt my company or the movie producers by pirating a movie after all of the effort and work they put into it. And I get to see movies for free and bring a guest, so I wouldn't need to pay :P

Movie theater employee here. Have to ask because it happens here all the time. Does your theater have a policy about asking for refunds before the movie is over?

We get people who leave half way through or at the end of the movie and demand refunds because they hated it. Our policy is that we dont give refunds because... well we didnt make the movie so its not our fault you didnt like it. If it was a legit problem with the print or the sound or something thats one thing.

I remember an old couple left Wolf of Wall Street and the old lady was almost hyperventilating she was so upset at all the sex in it.

Haha, aw. Poor lady. No, we won't give refunds to people who don't like the movie, but we will give refunds to people who claim they left early because of something that is our fault (theater too dirty, someone was talking loudly, etc). But if the movie is over and you claim any of these things, it's too bad. No refund for you.

I am also a movie theater employee who has gotten thousands of up votes only when talking about my job. My question is why didn't i think to do an AMA?

I don't know.. we have the best stories!!

When you say you make the best popcorn in the world, is it a exaggeration or do people really like it? (Sorry for being a dick about it)

People (in my town) love it when I make it! It's kind of an exaggeration, though I have had customers specifically ask my coworkers if I made the popcorn that day and if I could make theirs. I don't know why, all I do is add a little extra butter/salt when I pop it and layer the butter when I make it for the customer.

If no one shows up to a screening, do you not play it? Do you get disappointed when like 1 person shows up? (I have been that 1 guy before)

We don't get disappointed, it's a ticket sale! Lol. but if nobody shows up to a screening we generally shut off the movie after 15 minutes. We just do that to save power.

50 dollars. Omg. Really? You're so lucky..

Hahah yeah, it's all in bits and pieces though. I usually just find a dollar or two, but I have found a $20 and a few $10 bills in my time

Is it worth it to work a seasonal job at a movie theater? I will have to find a job this summer, and I have heard mixed reviews about movie theaters.

Totally! My job is seasonal now that I'm in college and it's a lot of fun. It gives me something to do when I come home and you usually get perks (free movies, posters, etc)

What would actually happen if you were caught jumping theaters ?

I would kick you out.. but it's really not that big of an issue at my theater.

Legally, would a manager do or could do anything ?

Not legally, no. All we could do is kick you out.

Q: what does Robin Quivers' vagina and the first 15 minutes of a movie have in common?

Oh god.. I don't know, what?