It should go without saying that I see a lot of movies. I don't have much in the way of habitual behavior when I go to the theater. I prefer an aisle seat (the better to make a hasty exit should the place catch fire, and I can avoid the center sections, where most of the talkers seem to congregate), and I occasionally like to get a drink. A medium Diet Coke is my poison, of which I'll usually consume half and then eat the ice (another reason sitting away from others is a wise move).
Most of the promo screenings are at one of the two Edwards Theaters in town. A medium drink was, until last week, $3.75 for 24 oz. When I came in for my caffeine and aspartame fix on Tuesday, however, I discovered things had changed:
Cashier: Can I interest you in one of our combos?
Pete: Christ, no. Medium Diet Coke, please.
Cashier: That'll be four dollars?
Pete: Four? When did that happen?
Cashier: Uh, last week. I think.
Okay, whatever. Summer crowds are bigger, so Regal Cinemas (Edwards' parent company) apparently felt like squeezing a little extra profit out of moviegoers.
Pete: Okay, fine. Four dollars it is.
[the cashier pours my drink and deposits a cup of ridiculous proportions on the counter. The thing is clearly a 32 oz. cup.]
Pete: I'm sorry, I ordered a medium.
Cashier: That is a medium.
Pete: ...That's a medium?
Cashier: Yes, sir.
Pete: [realizing he can barely fit both hands around the thing]. Okay. Thanks.
Jesus. I assume hope people ordering the large (44 oz.) are sharing, because there's absolutely no way one human being can consume that much fluid in a movie that runs - on average - an hour and 45 minutes and not have to void their bladder like a beer-bonging freshman. Even worse is the drink that comes with the aforementioned combo, which is 2 liters (68 ounces) of soda goodness that comes in a cup with a bore like a 120-mm howitzer shell.
And forget bladder capacity. How much goddamned sugar is in a non-diet drink that big?
>How much goddamned sugar is in a non-diet drink that big?
A 68 oz. Coke Classic has about 221 grams of sugar. That's a bit more than 1 1/7 cups. It's about 884 calories.
The USDA recommends a total of 40 grams of sugar per day for a 2,000 calories daily diet.
So the talkers congregate in the middle? I usually sit in the middle and towards the back. I am always annoyed by talkers. Maybe I'll try an aisle seat next time.
Great marketing scheme. Call the huge-bore drink The Bladder Buster. That'll appeal to all male college freshmen, male junior high school students and male movie critics (sorry Pete). And just think what it'll do for the adult diaper industry?
I hate the financial raping that is the theatre experience. Matinees at $6.75? Of course, I often plan ahead and stick a Coke in one pocket and some M&Ms in the other. And get baked on the way there. That takes away some of the aggression when I get my slim change of a twenty back after paying for me and the missus.
Uh...I'll have the Baked Basshole, two small coffees and an apple fritter to go, please.
Up here too, $32 bucks Canadian for two drinks, two popcorns, two candy bars and $20.00 for the tix.
And they wonder why there's a slump.
People should stop going to the theatres until it forces them back into reasonable pricing.