Why Movie Theaters Need Your Popcorn

A night at the movies costs about $21. Almost half your ticket goes to the studio — so how do theaters survive? Your popcorn.

Who Gets Your Money · Nº 02 — The Movie Ticket

Sources (AMC Entertainment, full-year 2025 results, SEC filings):
• US average per visitor: $12.78 ticket + $8.57 food & drinks
• Film rental & advertising = 48.1% of ticket revenue ($1,275.2M of $2,652.8M)
• Food & beverage product costs = 19.6% of F&B revenue ($327.0M of $1,671.3M)
• Kept after those costs: tickets ≈ $1.38B, snacks ≈ $1.34B
• Net loss 2025: $632.4M
https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1411579/000141157926000018/amc-20260223xex99d1.htm

Notes: Figures are AMC's company-wide averages, not every theater or every film (studio share varies by film and week). Snack "costs" are product costs only — staff and rent are separate.

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