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One reason I like going to the movie is to get popcorn. There is no better popcorn to me than that of what you get in a theater as well as I can assume countless others. Thus leads me to a question. Why are there no theaters where you can simply go and just get some popcorn at a little drive or walk up window.

Is this something anyone has ever seriously considered? Or simply making the consessions available without having to pay for a movie?

Anyone may walk into our lobby to buy popcorn without seeing a movie. Nearly everyday someone does, usually from the same set of folks. You kind of get your "regulars".

Quite a few modern indoor theatres are designed so that you can enter the lobby and buy concessions without having to buy an admission ticket. Tickets aren't taken and torn until you venture past the concession area and start down the corridor toward the auditoriums.

I'm not sure how much non-movie goer traffic they get but it does allow one to buy their favorite movie treats without having to actually go to the movies.

Oh, that is great! I have never seen a theater setup this way. At least not the regals in my area.

Go to the theater with the best tasting popcorn. Go to Ticket window and tell them that you would just like to go inside and buy popcorn. They will probably tell you to go on ahead regardless of their physical setup because they don't want to turn down a high profit sale. Chances are they will just be watching to make sure that you come back out. Repeat this procedure any time that they are open and you feel the need for popcorn. Enjoy!

(We really did toy with the idea of cutting a hole in the wall for drive up popcorn but there aren't enough sales to justify the cost. But then again maybe it is because no one thinks about marketing it.)

Looking at this from a historic perspective, this has been done many times in the past. It was not unusual for theatres in the late 30s, 40s and 50s to have a small confectionary store next to the lobby with the entrance from the street and a counter through the ajoining wall into the theatre lobby, thus fullfilling the theatres concession needs by way of that store. Sometimes the store was operated by the theatre owner, while other times the space was rented from the theatre owner to someone else who then in addition to paying rent for the store gave a percentage of the sales back to the theatre.

Although I am not aware of any new theatres still doing this, I do recall a theatre in West Virginia called the Robey that was still running a few years ago that had a window from the concession stand to the sidewalk.

I do get people who just want to come in and purchase pop corn or other refreshments from our stand which is beyond the ticket taker. We allow them to do that. As we are a single screen, it is pretty easy for the ticket taker to keep an eye on them to make sure they leave and not go into the auditorium.