Aibu to eat in the cinema?

[Roguegal]

I’ve seen loads of people on mumsnet complaining about people eating on the cinema, while watching the film.

In my opinion it’s always been completely normal and acceptable to buy food to eat with the movie. Usually popcorn, sweets, some cinemas even sell hotdogs and nachos and serve a beer.

Aibu to think it’s very normal and fine to eat while watching the movie and that most people do it?

Of course it’s normal. Anyone who thinks otherwise is weird.

i don’t like the smell or sound of people chomping but concessions make money for cinemas. Popcorn famously has a huge mark up. Cinemas can’t exist on ticket sales alone. That said, I do like going to the NFT where there is no eating. I am a film snob.

I eat in the cinema, bring on the nachos and pick & mix!

However, the absolute worst thing is during a quiet part of the film hearing someone rustling and scrunching packets, drives me nuts!

Why do you need to eat at that time? Will it fit your food pattern for the day/week?

https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11722569/

It is important to understand that eating whilst watching TV impedes feelings of fullness and increases how much you eat.

That might not matter to you unless you've got a cinema yearly pass and go every other day.

Absolutely normal thing to do.

As long as it doesn't make any noise, no problem.

As long as you do it quietly, then it's fine

Rustling sweets, loud chewing and lip smacking can fuck off

😂

Um, yeah, eating at the movie theater has been completely normal for as long as I can remember. My local movie theater now sells entire pizzas, burgers, wings, nachos, and all sorts of other actual meals, so clearly eating during a movie is not only allowed but somewhat expected. I mean, why would theaters sell all this food if people weren't supposed to eat it while watching the film? Granted, I still mostly see people with popcorn and candy, but the idea that eating in a movie theater is somehow rude or inappropriate is genuinely baffling to me. Obviously, there's a difference between eating your popcorn and being obnoxiously loud or making a mess, but complaining about people simply eating food in a place that literally sells food for that exact purpose seems a little ridiculous.

It depends on the food for me.

The usual things you’ve mentioned- popcorn, sweets, always been an option and no issues whatsoever.

BUT lots of people at our local cinema now get a McDonalds, KFC or Five Guys beforehand as they are in the same retail park and bring those in and I hate that. The smell, the rustling of all the packaging etc, no thanks.

One of the worst thing about the cinema. No wonder everyone is so fat nowadays.

You're sitting on your arse expending no calories whatsoever..... why do you also need to stuff your face???

I hate the sound of people eating. Gross.

Because cinema popcorn is delicious and I don’t get it anywhere else. So while, yes I am eating more than I would otherwise (as I’d be eating nothing), the same is also true when I meet my friends for coffee and a cake. It’s a treat.

As you right say, eating at the cinema is very different to eating in front of the TV in terms of frequency (although in my case the claim is absolutely not true. I eat more when hanging around the kitchen chatting with family, I eat less when sat watching TV as it’s too much effort to get up and replenish the food when it runs out, so portions are much more controlled).

Yea I go to the cinema maybe 4 times a year so this is unimportant to me.

I find it revolting, noisy, smelly and unnecessary - so luckily have a sort of art house cinema where people do no such thing except on weekend block buster. And it doesn't sell hot food.

Yep. Smelly junk food is not good. 🙄

I started a thread a month or so ago asking peoples favourite cinema snacks. Seemed a pretty tame topic. Cue the tirade of people saying it was disgusting and why cant folk just stop eating constantly? Blah Blah Blah

Eating at the cinema is normal and part of the experience for me. I can sit on the sofa and not eat at home, but where is the fun in that? I want a huge screen and a bucket of popcorn the size of my head, thanks!

I went on Saturday and took a blanket and a (small) tupperware with some brownie batter in it, that I'd saved from that mornings' baking. I ate it with a little spoon, happy as larry. Shoot me.

I don’t get this thing about obesity and asking why you need to eat at that time.

You don’t NEED to eat, you plan to eat as it’s part of the activity.

It’s not a new thing, a quick google tells me that people have been eating popcorn in the cinema since the 1930s

I’ve always enjoyed food with a movie and I’ve never been overweight. You could apply the same logic to going for a meal, you’re sitting on your arse them eating calories.

Should people only ever consume the food they meed at the exact time they need it and never enjoy any other type of food anywhere else?

Our cinema now sells the big family bags of Kettle chips, I can’t think of a less cinema friendly crisp!

Wow who took the jam out of your doughnut.

Ah see a little spoon means you clearly didnt stuff your face/cram it in/gobble it up etc so you're ok.

It's normal to do it, which is exactly why the cinemas sell the food.

Doesn't make it any less annoying though!
The smells, the crunching, the rustling of packets...

Yes it’s fine. You should make an effort to chew quietly.

We've had to move several times recently at cinema showings of quieter films where we've been unfortunately sat next to overweight people with family size packs of doritos. Nobody can eat them quietly. Blurgh 😝

This is one of those things I’ve only ever heard people complain about on mumsnet.

I have ever heard anyone mention it and whenever I go to the cinema the vast majority of people have food.

I get quite irritated by noise and smells but I can’t say I can even hear any rustling over the sound of the film.

It's only a problem if it's noisy, like rustling sweet wrappers and furtling about for crisps.