Can I smuggle snacks into the movies?

• Author: Cohen, Randy
• Position: THE ETHICIST - Brief article

[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

I frequently carry a can of soda or a package of snacks into the movie theater. Does the theater have the right to insist on "no outside food"?

Margaret O'Hara, Albany, New York

YES. AS TRANSGRESSIONS GO, yours is minor, but it is a transgression. The upright act is to obey the rules; going to the movies is voluntary, and from the theater's point of view, when you buy a ticket, you accept its restrictions. By smuggling in food, you break your agreement and therefore behave unethically. Theaters also claim to price their tickets on the assumption that they'll be making some profit from the concession stand.

From the customer's point of view, though, the lack of choices can feel frustrating: Buy the theater's overpriced foods or sit through the movie snackless. (Or stay home with Netflix.) Furthermore, the customer may reason, even if profits from Milk Duds run high, the theater isn't going to lower its...