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I always sneak in Peanut M&Ms.

we always try to sneak in natural cheese puffs... or homemade cookies or yogurt covered pretzels... they just don;t sell any of that stuff at the theater...

Popcorn with no "butter." I generally get a drink but nothing "vat" sized.

I think people should sneak in healthier foods if they like because until theatres start carrying crudite trays like they do nachos, healthier eaters have nothing on which to nosh at the show.

To quantify - I think I attend two first-run movies per year these days. Cable all but killed my movie attendance.

I always sneak something into a movie. My favorite movie snacks are raisinettes and milk duds (childhood nostalgia). Often I bring a drink too. Sometimes I get popcorn, but a small tub costs $5, and my homemade is so much better.

Once I snuck in a slice of cheesecake, and I have friends that managed to bring an entire pizza into the theatre using a gym bag.

A small group of friends and I once successfully snuck Chinese takeout into the movies with chopsticks and bottled drinks. Out ticket-taker smirked as we were wearing long coats and reeked of garlic shrimp and general tso's, but he didn't call us out on it and we managed not to spill anything!

I always have a bottle of water with me, but mostly because I always have a bottle of water with me when I leave the house, no matter where I go. I haven't gone to the cinema in what seems like ages (if I'm not mistaken, the last time I went was to see Million Dollar Baby. Yep, that long ago). Confession time - I don't like eating popcorn at the cinema because my hands get dirty and it's not like I can wash them right away (all right, so perhaps I need to work on that OCD I might have). So I guess I may have a small chocolate bar or some bonbons with me, both very easily "baggable".

My parisian experience : pop corn and coke !

The art house theater near my house sells air-popped corn with REAL butter, and yummy baked goods. They have a nice selection of hot teas as well, and a few old school candies. I generally skip dinner when I go to the movies there!

i don't really sneak the foodstuffs...i have no shame. i usually bring in a bar of dark chocolate, but have also brought bottles of wine and truffles, too. there is one theater in my home town that allows you to bring in ice cream from the neighborhood parlor.

jeez where do you guys live? sneaking in a bottle of WINE? unbelievable. we live in the bible belt and one of them right wingers would turn us in fer sure, yes ma'm you can count on it. but, i may try it anyway.....
you remind me of when my girlfriend and i would leave the babies at home and sneak in a couple Michelob Lites and on three, one would cough and the other would pop the top. worked great until i kicked an empty i had slyly placed under my seat and it rolled ALL THE WAY DOWN to the front and there is no mistaking that sound!!! thanks for the laugh...i hadn't remembered that in....well, just leave it at that. LOL

Cucumber spring rolls from the prepared foods section of Whole Foods.

NY SE readers will understand - Union Sq Whole Foods is all of twenty yards away from the Regal Cinemas on Broadway.

i've pretty much snuck in everything from sandwiches to popcorn to burgers to cocktails and wine. one because movie theater food isnt that good except for the one by my parents which carries ben and jerrys, nathans, sbarro and this place that sells fried dough oh and art theaters because they always have things like gelato and homemaked baked goods

but for the new sex and the city movie we plan to sneak in some cosmos and magnolia cupcakes yum!

We usually buy (hot) tea at the counter and eat some Lindt 70% that fits nicely in my purse. In my wild and crazy youth we used to sneak in beers or a flask of rhum to top off cokes from the counter. Once I even brought lime wedges in a baggie to garnish our Cuba Libres!

While I occasionally buy something at the theater, more often than not, I sneak drink and food in. We stop by a drugstore before hand and buy 99-cent candy and drinks (ice tea for me). In the past I've smuggled popcorn into the theater in a 2-gallon zip-lock bag. They don't notice; the whole place smells like popcorn and people are crunch-munching left and right.

this thread has made me completely rethink my movie snacks: wine! beer! sushi! grilled steak!

usually i opt for the jumbo popcorn, jumbo coke "VALUE" combo ($20) and then take about $19 worth of free napkins to "get my money's worth."

A box of Good & Plenty, which I have to bring in from the outside because no theater I've ever patronized sells it.

Tylerette, the Union Square Multiplex is one of my favorite theatres in town precisely because you can buy tke-out food at Whole Foods and then pig out during the movie. I also like, when I'm in town, to get a 'wichcraft sandwich and a drink and sneak them in. Of course i never see "gross-out" or horror movies.

At home in the Hudson Valley with my daughter, she has serious eyes-bigger-than-stomach problems so I pack a gallon ZipLoc bag with Smartfood, take some cookies as well, and two different beverages (daughter loves beverages). This keeps her quiet as we walk (swiftly) past the concession counter.

usually sneak in some M&Ms or twizzlers, but we do buy a soda once there (husband prefers fountain drinks to cans/bottles).

The most brazen food-sneaking I ever experienced wasn't me, but in a tiny, now-defunct arthouse theater in Dupont Circle. The guy behind me brought in takeout curry -- there was no hiding the smell. But, there were only a dozen or so people in the theater, and no one complained. (And I felt less guilty for having a sandwich with me that time.)

I would never bring food with a strong smell into a theater, it is extremely rude to the other people watching the movies.

Generally I avoid theaters that attract young people because they tend to be the most inconsiderate.

If I am sitting next to you and smell chinese, both you and your food will be leaving the theater STAT.

Have you noticed that theaters are nearly empty most of the time? I usually bring some hard candy or cough drops for dry mouth, but the smell of popcorn can really tempt me. On occasion, I'll grab a sandwich or fast food and a drink. A big purse or coat over the arm come in handy.

I hadn't thought to bring cocktails or beer or wine, but why not? We usually go out to dinner afterward, but a pre-dinner drink during the movie would be perfect! I can get a wonderful meal for what a hot dog, soda and popcorn would cost.

Just for nostalgia, I may get some buttered popcorn one of these days. Personally, I'd rather watch a movie on my own TV and be comfy, but a friend gets house bound/stir crazy, so we go to the movies and dinner often.

As I mentioned elsewhere, I really miss drive-in movies, and I'm afraid the low attendance at theaters may mean their demise as well. But in the meantime, might as well make the best of it! I'm real curious about theaters that are also offering meals - that may save them in the long run as long as they don't outprice the average theater-goer.

I definitely sneak in food. I think the most odd ball was cheese, crackers & wine. There are wonderful little portable "juice box" wines called Bandits that work perfectly for hiding. Although, I wouldn't recommend a good purse for the cheese, my bag was never the same...stinky.

I once saw a group of "kids" actually wheel a cooler into the theater for a late movie, (they thought they "snuck" in the side exit door.) I still have a hard time believing they didn't get caught.

Last year I saw 45 movies at the cinema. Love that 40 foot screen. Twice I bought pretty good coffee in the lobby. A few more times I snuck in some M&Ms. That's why I can afford to go 45 times. That and no kids.

How do you keep the tall boys cold? And doesn't a Cuba Libré get a twist of lemon? There are two cinemas in Madison that sell beer in the lobby. They probably cost too much for me.

Thanks PerkyMac for a great post!