AMC A-List & other theater subscriptions (1 Viewer)

[Colin Jacobson]

I snuck a hoagie into the movies last year. I recommend you do the same.

I miss the days when AMC let you bring whatever you wanted into theaters. It's been a few years, but you used to be allowed to take in outside food or drinks!

 

[Tino]

I miss the days when AMC let you bring whatever you wanted into theaters. It's been a few years, but you used to be allowed to take in outside food or drinks!

I don’t ever recall that. At any movie theaters for that matter.

 

[TravisR]

I doubt it's officially allowed but I've never seen someone get stopped from walking in with outside food or drinks in their hands either. When I brought a hoagie in, I figured that was too over the top and would require someone to say something so I hid it.

 

[Robert Crawford]

I don’t ever recall that. At any movie theaters for that matter.

Neither do I, except in my youth, when my buddies and I would sneak into the movie theater for free with the candy and snacks we bought at our local corner store with our movie ticket money. Get one of us in the theater legitimately and some how the exit door gets opened. My childhood delinquency on full display. Luckily, I grew up and became a law abiding adult.

 

[Tino]

Yeah. That would defeat the whole purpose of concessions where theaters make the bulk of their profits.

 

[Tino]

I doubt it's officially allowed but I've never seen someone get stopped from walking in with outside food or drinks in their hands either. When I brought a hoagie in, I figured that was too over the top and would require someone to say something so I hid it.

I’ve been stopped trying to bring in coffee. Perhaps some chains looked the other way but no way was it “officially” allowed.

 

[TravisR]

Get one of us in the theater legitimately and some how the exit door gets opened. My childhood delinquency on full display. Luckily, I grew up and became a law abiding adult.

There's a Leave It To Beaver where Beaver lets his buddy in the exit door and they all get caught by the usher. Beav's Uncle Billy was not happy.

I’ve been stopped trying to bring in coffee. Perhaps some chains looked the other way but no way was it “officially” allowed.

I can't imagine bothering to stop people from doing that (whether I was the lowest rung employee or the manager). Once again, I'd make a bad movie theater employee from the company's POV and a good one for the customer.

As I was leaving a theater a year or two ago, I saw bags from McDonalds on a seat! Maybe someone had a really big purse and they snuck it in but I think they must have just walked in with the food and no one cared.

 

[Malcolm R]

Like most rules and polices these days, no one can be bothered to enforce them so they only become a punishment to those that obey them.

 

[Colin Jacobson]

I don’t ever recall that. At any movie theaters for that matter.

No, AMC did allow it through 2009.

I remember a couple of times I ate at a Chipotle-style burrito place in the same shopping center as my local AMC and I brought in my drink with me. I thought they'd say "no can do, chief" and make me dump it.., but they didn't.

At that time, I just figured that AMC was ignoring policy - or turning the proverbial blind eye.

However, a little while later the "Washington Post" had an article about AMC's Best Picture showcase, a new concept at that time.

The article mentioned how AMC allowed outside food/drink, so that told me it wasn't just slackers at my local AMC - it was actual policy.

Here's a 2009 article that mentions the new ban:

https://www.bizjournals.com/kansascity/stories/2009/11/30/daily1.html

 

[Colin Jacobson]

Yeah. That would defeat the whole purpose of concessions where theaters make the bulk of their profits.

Not really. Just because people could bring in outside food/drink didn't mean they did - at least not en masse.

I suspect AMC finally decided they probably were losing too much revenue and wanted to squeeze that last penny, though I suspect most of the people who brought in outside food/drink weren't gonna buy concessions anyway.

In the example I gave earlier, I only had a drink because I ate close by before the movie. If AMC made me toss the drink, I wasn't gonna buy a new one from them.

I also suspect AMC ended up with more accidents, spills and messes via the outside food/drink...

 

[Josh Steinberg]

I’ve never had a problem bringing stuff into AMC. Not that that’s my grand ambition in life but I used to go to AMC on my way home from work and would often have leftovers from my lunch or dinner meal with me - I’d rarely eat them at the theater but I still had them with me and never had a problem.

Regal did start checking bags around me maybe in 2013 or so - it’s supposed to be a weapons check and I’ve never had them looking too closely at food items but it seems possible that someone there might have said something. But it’s never actually happened.

 

[TravisR]

I’ve never had a problem bringing stuff into AMC. Not that that’s my grand ambition in life but I used to go to AMC on my way home from work and would often have leftovers from my lunch or dinner meal with me - I’d rarely eat them at the theater but I still had them with me and never had a problem.

Regal did start checking bags around me maybe in 2013 or so - it’s supposed to be a weapons check and I’ve never had them looking too closely at food items but it seems possible that someone there might have said something. But it’s never actually happened.

I remember my Regal did that for a week that I saw and they had a sign about it for maybe a month. After that, I figured they just changed the policy because the one time I saw them actually looking in purses, they caused massive congestion in the 20 foot space between the box office and the ticket taker.

 

[Josh Steinberg]

It was still happening at my local Regal pre-shutdown and it definitely led to some long entry lines at busy showtimes...they just kinda poke a stick around in your bag. But they never once asked to check my pockets so if I had anything, I just put it in my coat pocket. No one ever asked why I needed a coat in July with a suspicious Poland Spring-shaped bulge in the pocket.

 

[Colin Jacobson]

I’ve never had a problem bringing stuff into AMC. Not that that’s my grand ambition in life but I used to go to AMC on my way home from work and would often have leftovers from my lunch or dinner meal with me - I’d rarely eat them at the theater but I still had them with me and never had a problem.

I'm not sure I ever "tested" the policy at AMC. I didn't have outside drinks with me all that often anyway!

Regal would definitely be more into enforcing their policy - I had them poke around a bag I brought with me a few times, although they seemed to do it in a half-hearted manner!

 

[steve jaros]

A-List Report for October 27 - November 26

A-List Report for October 27 - November 26
After seeing just five A-List movies in October, I managed to get nine in during November. Movie date, name, and amount "saved":

10.29.20: Alita: battle angel .......................$5
10.30.20: Poltergeist (1982) ...................... $5
11.5.20: Synchronic .................................... $10
11.6.20: Let him go .................................... $10
11.12.20: Guardians of the Galaxy ........... $5
11.13.20: Come Play ................................... $7
11.19.20: Freaky ......................................... $10
11.20.20: The last Vermeer ........................ $7
11.25.20: The Holiday (2006) ...................... $5

Money saved ............. $64
A-List cost .................. $24
Net A-List savings ..... $40

Lifetime totals:
Movies seen via A-List since July 29, 2018 …......... 271
Cost if I bought tickets at box office ...…................ $2316
A-List cost .................................................................. $504
Cumulative lifetime savings ............…................ $1812

 

[Colin Jacobson]

This week's A-List selection: "Croods: A New Age" (IMAX).

I thought the first film was a fun ride, and the sequel holds up well by comparison.

Like the prior flick, it breaks no new ground, but it's a lively and entertaining 95 minutes that I suspect fans of the original movie will like.

 

[steve jaros]

This week's A-List selection: "Croods: A New Age" (IMAX).

I thought the first film was a fun ride, and the sequel holds up well by comparison.

Like the prior flick, it breaks no new ground, but it's a lively and entertaining 95 minutes that I suspect fans of the original movie will like.

Thanks ... I have never seen the first Croods movie, and probably would not be seeing this one if not for the paucity of offerings right now. But I am going to see an A-List IMAX showing tonight, so appreciate the heads up.

 

[Colin Jacobson]

Thanks ... I have never seen the first Croods movie, and probably would not be seeing this one if not for the paucity of offerings right now. But I am going to see an A-List IMAX showing tonight, so appreciate the heads up.

Be curious to know what you think since you're going in blind!

 

[steve jaros]

Be curious to know what you think since you're going in blind!

I was entertained, but also overwhelmed - basically by the color and noise explosion. The Crood's pre-historic world is like a Candy-Land, where all the trees are colored like Lollipops and Rainbow suckers. Especially in IMAX, I found that barrage of color overwhelming.

But when the movie stopped to catch its breathe, I appreciated the strong characterizations and interplay among the characters as well. Underneath the kaleidoscopic assault on the senses, it has a heart.

 

[Colin Jacobson]

I was entertained, but also overwhelmed - basically by the color and noise explosion. The Crood's pre-historic world is like a Candy-Land, where all the trees are colored like Lollipops and Rainbow suckers. Especially in IMAX, I found that barrage of color overwhelming.

But when the movie stopped to catch its breathe, I appreciated the strong characterizations and interplay among the characters as well. Underneath the kaleidoscopic assault on the senses, it has a heart.

The 1st one wasn't quite as colorful - it was the move into the Betterman realm that went all crazy in that regard.

Both are fairly similar in terms of pacing and manic energy. I described it as a mix of "Flintstones". "Ice Age" and Looney Tunes:

The Croods [Blu-Ray] (2013)

Reviewed by Colin Jacobson: Though it reinvents no wheels, The Croods provides an enjoyable animated adventure. It comes with enough amusement and cleverness to turn into a likable piece. The Blu-ray boasts excellent picture and audio along with a mediocre set of supplements. The lack of...

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