Woman Sparks Debate After She Walks Into Movie Theater Just to Buy a Tub of Popcorn

If you find yourself going back to movie theaters to catch the latest Marvel movie or a new A24 film so you can say you saw it before it became popular, you probably have a routine in place for yourself. Maybe you go with friends or family and get tickets several weeks in advance to avoid sitting too close to the screen. Perhaps you even have a system for sneaking in snacks (don't worry, we won't tell).

But if there's one tradition that moviegoers can agree on, it's that popcorn is a classic staple for any movie theater experience. No matter what size you get or whatever exclusive popcorn bucket is available, whether or not you get it plain or with some extra butter or condiments, popcorn is one of the hallmark traditions for going to see a film on the big screen. But what if you just want movie theater popcorn without the need to watch a movie? This woman on TikTok says "No ticket, no problem!" Well, here's what she actually said.

Leah Pfrommer on TikTok (@leahpfrommer) posited a very interesting habit of hers on her platform in late August 2023. She had just come out of her movie theater with a large, full bucket of popcorn. As you might have guessed, she didn't go to see a movie despite having the popcorn in the first place.

"Genuinely curious," she begins in her quick video. "Does anyone else just walk right into the movie theater, [buy popcorn], and then walk out? I mean, what's holding you back?"

It's certainly an interesting question, and definitely something not many would have thought to do. But all things considered, one could just walk into a theater, visit the concession stand to purchase food and drinks, and then just leave without watching a movie. Some theaters might check your ticket before you even walk in to discourage habits like this, but it wouldn't be difficult to find a theater where you could do this.

Interestingly enough, this sparked something of a debate in the comments section. Surprisingly, some people do the same thing as Leah where they go to a movie theater to buy snacks and leave without a ticket. It's hardly a crime, considering a service is still being paid for, even if the service is sort of missing some steps.

"I've done this plenty of times," one person claimed.

Another wrote, "Thought about it multiple times, but I've never actually done it."

And to be fair, who would ever think to?

One commenter broke it down to a science, explaining that they get a jumbo-size popcorn, finish it in the theater, get a free refill, and then just up and go!

Another user claimed that the only thing holding people back from doing this is not realizing they could.

Of course, this weird little hack has its dissenters. Mostly, the hate comes from people who wouldn't want to pay the expensive rates for movie theater snacks. And honestly, who could blame them?

One person joked, asking, "did you go to the bank and get a loan first?"

Another person said, "I'm not tryna max out my credit card."

There are all kinds of ways for people to treat themselves, but really, this might not be it for us. There are way cheaper options for popcorn and snacks in grocery stores and even convenience stores that we'd sooner take up, all while avoiding the social conundrum of wondering whether it's acceptable to leave a movie theater with an armful of movie snacks.

If it comes down to buying movie theater snacks at all, we're gonna do it while sitting down for "Barbenheimer" for the third time.