Crumpled bills and a handful of coins plink onto the counter. The cashier rings up the total – a whopping $20 for just two drinks and a popcorn.

“I probably spend double the amount of money on concessions than tickets,” freshman Abby Fry said. 

According to Reader’s Digest, for the first month or so of a screening, money from the tickets go back to the movie studios. So, theaters rely on the concession stands to make money, which is why they are so overpriced. 

“Of each dollar spent [at the concession stands], roughly 85 cents is profit,” analyst Warren Miller said. Moviegoers are paying almost six times the normal price for food at the concession stands.

In addition to high prices, popcorn costs almost nothing to make, making it an ideal product for profit. After all, $30 dollars of raw popcorn is worth $3000 to movie theaters. That means for every dollar theaters spend on popcorn, they earn $100.

AMC and other theaters have had a ban on outside foods since 2009 – but that doesn’t stop many.

“I just sneak in popcorn in my bag instead,” freshman Kirsten Lee said, who is a frequent moviegoer. 

The cost for a large popcorn at AMC theaters is about $8 – which is every close to the average ticket price. It has around 1,500 calories and as much salt as you should have in an entire day. That’s also the equivalent of three Big Macs from McDonalds.

Another popular snack, nachos with cheese, comes up over 1,000 calories, too. A thousand calories is actually half of your daily recommended calorie intake. That’s a lot for a snack – not to mention the calories from your sodas and candy as well.

“If you’re going to the movies, it’s about having a good time,” Kitchen Manager Willie Brown said. “Eat whatever you want.” 

Despite the high prices and poor nutritional value of the concession stand foods, in the end, movies are for enjoying yourself or having fun with friends.

“I’ve heard that movie theaters don’t make much money off the movies and that most of their income is actually from the concessions,” Fry said. “Why not help them out a little bit?” 

Drinks and popcorn balanced precariously in her arms, Fry enters the darkened theater. She sits back in her seat, pops a handful of popcorn in her mouth and watches as another world comes to life on the screen right before her eyes – the movie is starting.