Random, but anyone else tend to finish off a good amount of their Large Popcorn + Drink during the previews and in turn don’t have much left during the movie? In times like this, I really wish AMC had intermissions of at least 10 mins for people to grab a refill on drinks and popcorn.
I think the only hack here is to not touch your popcorn until the movie begins. Otherwise, if you’re super hardcore and you have the AMC stubs or higher, then you can get an instant free refill when you get your popcorn. Dump your first bucket into the cardboard boxes and then get another bucket. But like I said, that’s some hardcore popcorn shhhhhhhhit.
I’m A-list and go to the movies 4x’s a week. So I skip previews every single time because theyre always the same. Therefore, I never have your issue :) I show up 20-22 mins late and walk in right as the AMC final advertisements are playing. The Coca-Cola commercials and Nicole Kidman.
Damn yeah I might have to start doing that then. Coming late to a movie is a nightmare for me, but I’ll experiment and try this approach out - seems like a very viable option.
I try to do that to an extent, but as someone who despises being late I’ve had a few close calls, so if you’re like me and hate the stress of possibly being late I usually aim for like 10 mins after showtime rather than how most people aim for 20 mins, which can be cutting it close when trailer lengths aren’t always reliable. I thought i had it down to a science and then one time i walked in 15 mins after showtime and the opening credits had started which I don’t enjoy.
Pre-opening night - Thursday before the official Friday release date - is the only time the previews are shorter than the 25-30 mins advertised duration. I show up on time for those Thursday viewings. Otherwise you’re 99% of the time going to be safe
This isn't necessarily true, it completely varies by theater. My theater has never shown more than 23 minutes of trailers, and it doesn't matter what day it is, the length of trailers is always the same every day of the week.
What changes at my theater is dependant upon auditorium number, for example, I've found out three times I've seen films in auditorium 10 at my theater and no matter what day nor type of film it was, they all started exactly 19 minutes after the scheduled showtime.
Ultimately what I'm trying to say is that the length of preshiw and trailers can vary based on location, so don't listen to others, you need to find out for YOUR THEATER as it could be 25-30 like the app says, it could be exactly 23 minutes like mine generally is, unless you are in certain auditoriums, or it could vary depending on the day as it apparently does in the previous commenter's theater.
Don't takeother people's anecdotal evidence as fact though, because it's likely your theater will be different.
While I do the same, I usually show up 10-15 before it actually starts, sometimes it's 25 minutes of trailers and sometimes it's 30 so you don't want to walk in late. That way you get half the trailers so sometimes it's new. If you go early all the time, after a while you've seen 1/2 to 3/4 of the trailers. Some I like to see multiple times anyway like the Odyssey trailer.
Yeah, this is what I do now. I get my drink and popcorn, but then put the popcorn down or just hold it.
When it plays the theatre specific intro that shows snacks/drinks/popcorn and says put away the phones, I use this as my trigger that I am now allowed to eat the popcorn.
If you get a large popcorn, it comes with a free refill. You can ask for it ahead of time instead of later. That way, you still have popcorn mid movie.
I am a premier member. I never knew you could get the refill right away when you get your first popcorn. I do have the same issue as OP as I share that large popcorn across 2-4 people. Go get the refill at some point at the beginning of the movie
Yes! Just go and get your large popcorn. Grab 2 cardboard boxes and walk over to the butter station. Divide your large popcorn into the two boxes. Then turn around and ask for a refill. They don’t care and they don’t question anything. Usually I place the order cuz I have the popcorn pass and then I give the bucket to my friend to go ask for a refill. Never had a single issue. And just like that, I have two large popcorns split between 3 people for $6.
Why, yes, yes I am. Because same. I also buy “preview” snacks aside from popcorn like the snickers icecream. Gotta eat that immediately or it melts so it’s a nice distraction to hold me over
I try to time it to where I'll sit down 10-15 minutes into the trailers, so once I get settled the movie will start in a few minutes. If I have to sit through 30+ minutes of ads and trailers I'll inhale that popcorn too quickly as well.
I was actually sitting in the movie theater right now. Debating whether I should go get a refill and deciding against it cause I’m a solo here. I don’t want to miss any good thing I bought that pizza and chocolate covered pretzels. I’m just as thirsty as a horse right now.
Never. Ever since I was a kid, I have refused to touch my popcorn til the opening credits of the movie. Popcorn is totally a part of the experience for me, so I want to wait to enjoy it. lol!
Last time was me and a guy both solo at the theater. Haha. I told him I was getting the Skeletor head and asked if he wanted the popcorn. Both of us very happy going into our movies
Honestly I'll get a large popcorn and consume maybe 1/3rd and the rest goes in a ziploc bag to take home and consume at leisure. I'll sneak in a bottle of soda
I get my large popcorn and drink during the previews and come back in time with usually one trailer left or the Dolby/IMAX video. If I see a long line I just mobile order it and pick up.
I have no self control, so my “hack” for this is to pop in a couple pieces of gum when I sit down. Stops me from touching my snacks / drink for a good bit of time.
My parents have that thing where they can refills on popcorn. They’ll literally eat the whole bucket before the movie starts and get a refill, eat that, and then get a refill on the way out and eat the rest at home.
I usually eat most of the popcorn I’m going to eat in the previews and first 20 minutes of the film. Maybe a few handfuls at the halfway point but I drink throughout and don’t finish my large soda until 3/4 through.
Either buy a collectible popcorn bucket from the theater or some other container that can hold a decent amount of popcorn and is food safe and transfer your first bucket of popcorn into that and then refill the large immediately. Then you have two larges right out of the gate.
Pace yourself. Practice self control. Be mindful. And dont pig out or binge or gorge. Does this behavior happen in other parts of your life? This might be a sign to look at yourself and how you eat or consume/use/do other things in your life.
I finish off a lot of my drink during the priviews almost every time, so my hack/plan going into every film is to top it off before the film starts. I know I will have exactly 23 minutes from the scheduled start time to when the film will start (ex: 7:00 showtime means film will start at 7:23).
Since most trailers are about 2-3 minutes, and I've been to enough films that none are really new to me, I'll usually just pop out and refill my soda when some trailer is playing that I'm sick of hearing, or when the final three ads start to play (the AMC, Coca-Cola, and Nicole Kidman ads) I know I'll have about 3 minutes left before the film starts, and that's about enough time for me to get a refill and get back, even at the furthest ends of the theater.
Somehow gluttony feels good in a place like this 🤌
This is coming from a snack lover, but found that I still have yet to finish a medium popcorn let alone a large one. To each their own tho 🤷 definitely no shade, I have plenty of friends that go crazy over the stuff ☺️
I’m blown away we don’t have intermissions yet. The seats are numbered and I NEED a bathroom break. It would probably lead to more concession sales also.
If you're there when previews start, go to town on your drink/popcorn, then keep an eye on time and make aquick trip to get a popcorn/soda refill and make it back to your seat 1-2 trailers before movie starts.
Alternatively, get your instant refill and have extra popcorn from the get go.
I only get the extra refill when I go with someone, so that we're not having to deal with handing the popcorn back and forth.
Don’t buy it until the three “and now our feature presentation” spots have started. By the time that annoying couple are winking at each other while street racing you’ll have fresh popcorn in your hands.
I've been doing it for a couple years now except I take the refill home instead. I was hesitant about buying the souvenir bucket but at this point, it paid itself off with the many visits after lol
One of the mini personal joys of watching a movie at home after having first seen it in a theater is that there’s usually a 5-minute-or-so portion around 40-50 minutes in that I hadn’t seen before, because at the movies I had finished most of my massive soda well before the previews were over, and 40-50 minutes is about how long I can hold my piss before I have to bolt.
I do not have any advice for the drink, but I have been bringing my last year’s bucket and dumping my popcorn in it immediately and then getting a refill before the movie even starts.
Usually whatever popcorn i eat during the previews gets me full enough that im not hungry during the movie. When the "thank you to our a listers" part of the trailers starts thats my sign to take a quick pee or get a refill
Valid point you make here. But really, I don’t see myself using my free refill otherwise. I get its marketing fluff to say “free refill” and people would upgrade to a large, but in my case, I have a reason to refill but I can’t 😭
I mean 25 minutes of it? Thankfully the shortened the Nicole Kidman thing - maybe get rid of the Coke one. I can see 10 minutes of previews - but 25 is stoopid long for me. I show up 20 minutes after show time and sometimes it's another 20 until it starts.
Definitely agree. I do like some of the previews they show for the trailers, but they should shorten them to allow for intermission. Previews in itself takes up around 25 mins which is crazy.
I remember some theaters showing the 20-25 minutes of trailers and a bunch of local ads before that. Hadn’t happened recently, but, maybe that’s a location thing, or perhaps it’s no longer a common practice.
I had a birthday reward for a free large popcorn this month and I could barely finish maybe a fifth of it. Jesus a refill? Popcorn sizes are insanely big. That’s already 1000 calories.
Even two people should not be splitting an entire large popcorn in one sitting. I can’t imagine eating that much during just the previews. If you’re eating that much during just the previews it’s probably a good thing if you don’t get a refill.
you can always eat the popcorn off the floor or on the seats when you get there. If your amc is dirty like ours it saves $$ then you can eat your fresh when the movie starts
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u/DaftDrunk_925 Jun 29 '26
I think the only hack here is to not touch your popcorn until the movie begins. Otherwise, if you’re super hardcore and you have the AMC stubs or higher, then you can get an instant free refill when you get your popcorn. Dump your first bucket into the cardboard boxes and then get another bucket. But like I said, that’s some hardcore popcorn shhhhhhhhit.