IMO, the movie theater lobby is not a competitive market, and this is why it is expensive.
(This being because people habitually think about food only after they have gone through ticketing and are committed to the movie- and some theaters also disallow outside food)
If you don't believe this theory, then ask yourself why is food sold after ticketing, rather than before?
ask yourself why is food sold after ticketing, rather than before?
At most theaters in Los Angeles, you can go to the concession stand without buying a ticket, and some theaters such as the Arclight actually have nice restaurants and wine bars that cater to people who aren't going to movies at all. That said, I'm not sure who would pay $6 for popcorn and $5 for a soda when not forced to because that is the only option allowed in the theater.
It is the same with beer. You can get beer for $0.50-$1 per bottle at a grocery store, but it is $3-$5 at most bars. Even if California law allowed it, I wouldn't go into a bar for a $5 beer and then take it home. I would only drink the $5 beer in the bar because that is the only option allowed inside.
If you just mean that a lobby isn't like a food court where multiple vendors can try and sell you food, I agree it's not a competitive place and ignore the next paragraph.
I think most if not all of the theaters I've been in didn't require a ticket to reach the concessions counter in the lobby, so you could if you wanted buy food there and just leave like any other walk-in fast food place. (Of course the ticket place has been the closest place relative to the parking lot but I don't remember it ever blocking further access.)
The reason for theater non-competitiveness and high food prices has more to do with non-competitiveness in Hollywood, I think. Theaters typically take only 20% or less of the ticket price with the rest going to studios, in some cases depending on the movie (such as Star Wars Ep 2) the studios can demand up to 100%, for the first week or two. (They get more as time goes on but then less people go to see it so it's moot.) Rising costs to make the movies also hits the theaters as studio agreements demand more money. Theater owners are in the candy business, not the movie business.
Don't get bogged down in what profits they do or do not make on the tickets (not that you are wrong). Whether or not they make good money on the tickets, market theory tells us they will sell the candy for as much as they can get away with :)
That's true. However, they can only get away with selling it at that price because all the theater chains are in substantially the same position vis-à-vis the studios.
(This being because people habitually think about food only after they have gone through ticketing and are committed to the movie- and some theaters also disallow outside food)
If you don't believe this theory, then ask yourself why is food sold after ticketing, rather than before?