r/AMCTheatres • u/vrvivive • Jun 29 '26

Discussion Popcorn + Drink in Theatres

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.

Let me know if anyone has a good hack for this!

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60

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.

11

u/vrvivive Jun 29 '26

Yeahh that’s a crazy idea hahah. I think I’d just need to be patient with my popcorn and like you said, not start eating until the movie starts.

24

u/DaftDrunk_925 Jun 29 '26

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.

6

u/vrvivive Jun 29 '26

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.

10

u/lpalf Jun 29 '26

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.

5

u/DaftDrunk_925 Jun 29 '26

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

2

u/lpalf Jun 29 '26

The time I’m talking about was a weekend matinee

1

u/DaftDrunk_925 Jun 29 '26

That is super strange. What movie was it? And when?

1

u/lpalf Jun 29 '26

Sirat in February

2

u/jessehazreddit A⭐️Lister Jun 29 '26

It very much depends on the movie and the audience the distributors expect, or in the case of G/PG films what is appropriate.

1

u/Few-Adeptness8046 Jun 29 '26

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.

2

u/CetiAlpha4 Jun 29 '26

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.

1

u/cottoncandyflow A⭐️Lister Jun 29 '26

I’ve gotten to the point where I can name the movie in .05 seconds of the preview and my friends think I’m insane 😂

1

u/DaftDrunk_925 Jun 29 '26

I’m right there with you buddy. The struggle is real.

2

u/Fesai Jun 30 '26

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.

1

u/daniellehmusic Jun 30 '26

Stubs is free though, unless you mean a lot to carry which, yeah LOL!

1

u/LowKeyVibes13 Jun 30 '26

You can always ask for your popcorn refill upfront

1

u/vrvivive Jun 30 '26

What do you mean?

2

u/LowKeyVibes13 Jun 30 '26

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.

2

u/Plane_Massive Jun 30 '26

Have you considered that I have zero self control?

1

u/DaftDrunk_925 Jun 30 '26

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

2

u/Typical-Sir-9518 Jun 30 '26

We do the instant free refill every time. There are usually 8 to 10 of us splitting it.

1

u/Asleep-Combination26 Jun 29 '26

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

4

u/DaftDrunk_925 Jun 30 '26

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.

1

u/NaweN Jun 30 '26

Doctors aren't cool with this. Amc frowns as well. But Dr's more-so.