AMC Theater Lawsuit: Joshua Thompson Sues Local Chain For High Concession Prices

Amc Theater Lawsuit

First Posted: 03/ 6/2012 2:58 pm Updated: 03/ 6/2012 2:58 pm

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Has high-priced popcorn finally reached its plateau? If one moviegoer gets his way, then maybe.

A Michigan man has just filed a lawsuit against his local theater due to their high concession prices. According to the Detroit Free Press, Joshua Thompson, a 20-something security technician, is suing AMC Livonia in the hopes of the movie theater lowering their price tag on snacks.

"He got tired of being taken advantage of. It's hard to justify prices that are three- and four-times higher than anywhere else," Thompson's lawyer told the paper.

Does Joshua have any chance of bringing relief to moviegoers? Not likely.

"Movie theaters are regulated, so the lawsuit won't go anywhere," said consumer lawyer Ian Lyngklip. "It's a loser," added Gary Victor, an Eastern Michigan University business law professor.

As for the refreshment that set Joshua over the edge, it was the $8 he paid for a Coke and a pack of Goobers. (Joshua allegedly paid $2.73 for the same items at a local drug store.)

This isn't the first time a Michigan resident has become fed up with some aspect of moviegoing. Last year, Sarah Deming filed a lawsuit against the distributors of "Drive" because of the film's allegedly misleading trailer.

You can read more about the new lawsuit over on Detroit Free Press.

[via Detroit Free Press]

Earlier on HuffPost:

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Has high-priced popcorn finally reached its plateau? If one moviegoer gets his way, then maybe. A Michigan man has just filed a lawsuit against his local theater due to their high concession price...
Has high-priced popcorn finally reached its plateau? If one moviegoer gets his way, then maybe. A Michigan man has just filed a lawsuit against his local theater due to their high concession price...
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busymissnanci
Don't always know what TO do, but always what NOT
161 Fans
04:32 PM on 03/06/2012
If they are regulated, then it must be the uber wealthy who made the rules. It cost $40 for my granddaugter to go to the movies and have one small bag of popcorn, one small coke, one box of goobers, and a bottle of water. $4.50 for a small bottle of water!! And that was with tickets discounted for a child and a senior!!!

I cannot afford that but once in a blue moon, and it is a shame. She loves the movies, and so do I, but as long as things are so expensive, we won't be able to go. SOMEONE, SOMEWHERE should loook into the "regulations" and make them reasonable. I don't mind so much paying $2 for a bottle of water - which is twice that of the convenience store, but sheesh!
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quadia
64 Fans
05:29 PM on 03/06/2012
AMEN to that! I used to take one of my grandsons to the movie frequently. No more.

When I was a young whippersnapper (which I was... once), I could get in the movie for 50-cents, buy a bag of popcorn for 10-cents, a candy bar for 5-cents, and a coke for a dime. Less than a dollar if I chose to buy it all. And that was a double feature, with a "Looney Tunes" and a newswheel beforehand. My, my have times changed! (To put things into perspective, the minimum wage wasn't $9/hr then, but $1.50/hr.)

Put that in today terms, and the movie would be $4.50 to get in... so still way, way out of hand!
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sam001
0 Fans
09:52 PM on 03/06/2012
The theaters are regulated by the MPAA. If you hate paying such high concession prices, blame the MPAA, as they ultimately dictate to theaters the cost of leasing their films, and they charge theaters such outrageously high fees that the theaters have no choice but to charge outrageously high prices for concessions. It's quite literally the only thing keeping them in business. All, or nearly all of your actual ticket price is going right into the MPAA's pockets.
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HUFFPOST SUPER USER
Darkingz
Never wait for life to pass you by
45 Fans
11:12 PM on 03/06/2012
Well, that is true. The tickets you pay for go directly to the distributors/MPAA or other film studios, barely anything for the theater you go to. The concession prices go: for rent, for utilities, for food, for the employees wages (usually minimum wage), for supplies, etc. (maintenance and all that). Thats the general gist.
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