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http://mockingeye.com/moviesneakpy-find-contiguous-movies-to-sneak

by anateus • 16 years ago

43 15 16 years ago

unwind• 16 years ago

So, uh, is this common practice? People don't feel that they're "shop-lifting" the second movie? Here (Sweden) it feels as if this is almost unheard of, but then maybe I'm just an old f*rt (again).

harpastum• 16 years ago

I don't think it's too common in the US, but people definitely do it. I think most people here just see it as being juvenile.

mcav• 16 years ago

Rarely are there two movies in theaters at the same time that I want to see. Plus, I find it hard to sit through more than one movie at once, but that's just me.

mcknz• 16 years ago

because only juveniles have 4+ hours free to sit in a movie theater...

thorax• 16 years ago

Teenagers/college students do this sometimes out of boredom or for the minor thrill of being sneaky. I've never seen it as an out-of-control practice in the U.S., but it happens in almost every movie theater.

I've seen people do swaps when they realized they hated the movie they were at and walked out, found another movie that ran about the same time and went there. (This tool doesn't sound like it would help that, though.)

rbranson• 16 years ago

I used to sneak into movies period (paying nothing) for sport. I never did it when the theater was packed though. My moral justification was sort of the same one used by pirates. The seat was empty, I wouldn't have paid for it otherwise, therefore I didn't represent lost revenue.

jrockway• 16 years ago

It's not that common anymore. Most people just download the pre-release screener from Usenet and watch the movie at home. Saves $8 and the popcorn is better.

tjr• 16 years ago

Maybe I go to an unusually good theater or maybe I am an unusually bad cook, but here I disagree: half or so of my enjoyment in going out to a movie is getting the popcorn.

Semiapies• 16 years ago

I don't think "most people" even know what Usenet is.

adbge• 16 years ago

It's not common practice because nobody wants to sit and watch two or more movies in a row.

stan_rogers• 16 years ago

Actually, they do -- and that's how movie theatres operated for a lot of years until the multiplex cinema came on scene. When I was a kid, there was usually a feature, a "B" movie, a serial and one or more cartoons. You paid an entry fee and stayed until you'd had your fill, and most people stayed for more than just the feature. You could wander in just about whenever you wanted, and if you came in halfway through a film, you could watch the first half later if it seemed worthwhile. Then somebody figured out that you could make a lot more money by clearing the theatre between shows and segmenting the package -- chasing the "B" movie first into smaller shoebox viewing rooms, then into oblivion before the direct-to-video market emerged. And no, I don't go back to the early talkies or anything -- the market worked that way well into the '70s.

mkramlich2• 16 years ago

python: win

helping people rip off a business: fail

probablycorey• 16 years ago

You are only ripping off the business if you didn't pay for the first ticket or if you are sneaking into a sold-out show.

mkramlich2• 16 years ago

If the movies you snuck into to see were ones that you would have otherwise paid for, then yes you are ripping them off.

Also, even if that's not the case, your presence and use of the facility imposes costs on them, even if "only" small/marginal ones, due to causing further wear-and-tear on the floors and seats, dirt, possibly trash that needs to be cleaned up, and you occupy space (incrementally contributing to crowding), and also (especially in the case of teenagers) may be causing additional noise and immature behavior which annoys or repels adult patrons and those who paid money to see the movie the ethical way.

Are all these additional factors gigantic? Probably not. But to say there's no additional burden or impact on the business or on the community is inaccurate.

Imagine 1000 people all showing up to a movie theater one night, all saying, "We have no intent on paying to watch this movie, and in fact, if you do not let us in free now to watch one, we guarantee we will not pay now or later, anyway. Therefore, you might as well just let all 1000 of us in to watch the movie." No theatre could stay in business for long allowing that to happen. Why? Because the business has to PAY MONEY for rent, wages (to sell tickets, clean theatres, operate the projectors, etc.), supplies, taxes, legal compliance, etc. Where does that money come from? Paying patrons. Therefore, instead, it is more likely that the manager would indignantly call the police on their asses. In essence, those folks are unethical parasites, regardless of what excuse they come up with.

anateus• 16 years ago

I grew up in a country where this was impossible. It's quite easy to render this ineffective.

This is about the same as getting a free refill from a soda fountain at a place that doesn't explicitly post that they allow free refills. If they object, the soda fountain can be relocated behind the counter with few issues or inconvenience to just about anyone.

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