I know I'll be called Capt Buzzkill for this post, but here goes.
While I don't like paying the prices as much as the next guy, we need to understand what is driving the costs and how theaters work.
- For first run movies, the production house (Sony, MGM, Columbia, whomever...) receive nearly all of the revenue for the first two weeks, then they drop their revenue demands, per week, on a sliding scale.
- The independent theater makes up for the difference with high-margin snacks. Since you're a captive audience, they know you can't run out to the store to get food once you're inside.
- The dollar is trading at a horrible rate now (not worth very much) so it take more benjamins to purchase, finance movies and pay actors, promotional costs and distribution
Overall, I don't purchase food at the theater when I'm able to go.