Most Movie Theaters Make More Money From Concessions Than From Ticket Sales...While it may seem crazy, movie theaters don't make a huge amount of money off of the movies themselves, at least for the first month or two that they play. During that time, most of the profits from ticket sales goes to the studio that distributed the movie. The theater only starts to take in a bigger chunk of the proceeds when the film has been out for around three months or so. This is why some of them continue to play popular movies, even after they've been out for months.

There's a Reason Commercials Have Been Creeping in Before the Previews...These days, more and more theaters are making money from pre-previews advertising. Though they may be annoying, revenue from these ads has been increasing by roughly 10 to 15% per year as they become more popular and common

You Should Have Your Order Ready...When it's Your Turn at the Concession StandEven if it means lingering as you check out the concession stand offerings, do us all a favor and don't join the line until you've decided what you want. It slows things down considerably when you're still trying to decide what to order at the counter or ask a million questions. Not only that, many times the people behind you may take it out on the employees behind the counter by yelling at them for being too slow, which is no fun for anyone.

It's Possible to Get Black Listed From a Theater...Anyone caught trying to record a movie is generally banned from the theater forever. You can also get black listed for things like excessive attempts to scam the theater or for super inappropriate behavior in general.

Managers Will Sometimes Give You a Free Movie Pass if You Have to Share a Theater with a Screaming Kid...If you have a horrible experience watching a movie due to a screaming baby, rowdy teenagers, or excessive P.D.A., it may be worth letting the manager know. Many managers will give you a pass to see another movie, especially if you're nice and polite about it

Many Movie Theater Employees Don't Mind if You Wanna Make it a Double Feature...If you want to sneak into a second movie after the one you paid to see finishes, a surprising number of theater managers confess they don't really care as long as you aren't obvious about it. Try to keep a low profile and select a second show that you're certain won't be sold out, as it could turn into a big problem if you leave someone who bought a ticket without a seat. If you get caught by a manager who proves an exception to the rule and seems angry, just apologize and say you were looking for a friend who said they were going to see the second movie.

Many Movie Theater Staff Have to Interrupt Someone's Sexy Time at Least Once a Week...Unfortunately many kids who can't practice their night moves at home take to their local cinema to swap smooches. If this is you, just be aware that though you may think it's awesome, everyone around you just finds it annoying. If you simply must engage in P.D.A., take it to the back of the theater playing the worst movie you can find - there's likely to be less of an audience.

There's a Right and Wrong Way to Sneak Into an R-Rated Movie if You're Underage...While many movie theater employees admit that they don't really care if an underage kid wants to see an R-rated movie, they are a lot more likely to be cool about it if you don't risk getting them in trouble. Rather than try to present a ticket-seller with your dad's I.D. while his manager hovers nearby, just buy a ticket for another movie that plays around the same time and take a seat for the movie you really want to see instead

Movies Often Start Late, But Always End on Time...The theater usually schedules movies in time slots that are slightly earlier than when they actually start so that people will be there to see the previews and screen advertisements. They almost always end right on schedule however, to hopefully allow employees time to clean the theater before the next show

Movie Theater Employees Generally Get to Screen the Movies for Free Before They Are Released...This is not only a great free perk, it makes sense to make sure that the staff is as knowledgeable as possible about the features they're showing.

Noise Levels in Theaters Can Boarder on the Dangerous...According to the Center for Hearing and Communication, the noise levels in certain theaters can be loud enough to risk contributing to hearing loss, especially in theaters playing action movies. Some of these films, they say, can leave your ears feeling as stunned as if they'd just sat through a super loud rock concert.

Snack Combos Don't Always Save You Money...Before you jump on board with that hot dog/popcorn combo pack, bust out those math skills to make sure you're actually getting a good deal. A lot of combos don't actually offer many advantages beyond the little paper holder that binds all the items together.

Sometimes You Can Get Free Tickets if Your Friend Works at a Theater...While every theater has a different policy, it's not uncommon for theaters to allow employees to give out a couple of free tickets to their pals.

Theater Employees Used to Play Xbox on the Big Screen After Hours...Though it's apparently a lot harder to set up these days, due to evolving movie theater technology, playing Guitar Hero on the big screen is just as rad as it sounds

Theaters Rarely Control Which Movies They Show...The general rules is that if corporate wants it shown, a movie will be shown. If you don't like one that's playing, take your complaint to the theater's corporate office where it will actually be heard rather than to the theater manager who, for all you know, hates it as much as you do

The Cost of Digital Projectors Has Driven Some Smaller Theaters out of Business...While the rise of digital film-making has made movies cheaper to produce, the projectors a theater needs to play them can be super expensive. As more and more movies are shot digitally, some smaller theaters have been forced out of business, as they can't afford the projection equipment to play them.

The Popcorn May Not Be as Fresh as You'd Like to Think...Many movie theater employees admit that one of the advantages of popcorn is that it doesn't go bad for a day or two, allowing them to sell it for up to two days before throwing it out

The Pretzels May Not Be Your Best Bet at the Snack Counter...The process of keeping pretzels warm also dries them out pretty quickly. If you get a stale one however, just ask if you can have a fresh one. Most employees get it and will gladly replace your accidentally extra-crispy treat.

There's Rarely Someone in the Projection Booth During the Movie...Though the projectors definitely have to be programmed at some point during the day and don't just play themselves, there's rarely someone in the projection booth throughout the entire movie. Due to the new automated digital projectors being used by most theaters, there's no longer any need to have someone in the projection booth for the duration of the screening like there was during the days of film.

The Theater Cleaning Schedule Doesn't Always Allow for the Most Thorough Job...Many movie theater employees will be the first to admit that sometimes, the cleaning schedule doesn't allow for a completely thorough cleaning. When several movies end around the same time, they're sometimes stuck with only a few minutes to clean multiple theaters before the next show begins.

You'll Straight up Get Arrested for Trying to Record a Movie...While movie theater employees are generally pretty chill about most things, there are a few big no-nos, piracy being chief among them. This is one of the few instances where the theater will actually call the cops and quite possibly have you arrested. The MPAA even gives them a $500 reward for foiling the attempts of anyone trying to record a movie.

An Alarming Amount of Moms Leave Dirty Diapers Under the Seats...Apparently some moms are so into getting their money's worth out of kid's movies that they aren't even up for taking their little ones to the bathroom for a diaper change. More than one movie theater manager has confessed to finding a diaper with a full load left under a seat in a theater playing a kid's film.

There's a Reason the Popcorn Smells So Good...The next time you can barely resist that amazing smelling popcorn, rest assured that the sensation you're experiencing is no coincidence. Theater employees have revealed that there are a number of tricks used to make the popcorn's smell waft irresistibly throughout the theater. They range from popping it in a mixture of coconut and canola oil to covering it in mysterious, unnamed chemicals, and even using special vents in the popper designed to encourage maximum popcorn scent wafting.