Man sues movie chain over high priced snacks

Sick and tired of outrageous movie snack prices? Apparently, so is Joshua Thompson, a Detroit area man who was so incensed at the $8 he had to shell out recently for a box of Goobers and cup of soda, that he decided to let the legal system take up the matter. The 20-something security guard from Livonia, Michigan has filed a class action lawsuit against AMC theaters seeking refunds for all affected movie-goers and penalties against the cinema chain.

The man's lawyer, Kerry Morgan, says that Thompson "got tired of being taken advantage of. It's hard to justify prices that are 3 to 4 times higher than anywhere else." No word on why Thompson doesn't simply opt-out of buying drinks and snacks at a location known for its over-priced goods.

The company that owns the theater had no comment about the case, and while  consumer experts have said they think the lawsuit will be dismissed, many fellow cinema-goers admit they're also tired of getting soaked at the movies.

Rebecca Motley, a 55 year-old doctor even commented that she used to get into the movies for just a dollar when she was a kid and had money enough left over to buy soda and popcorn. While that's probably true, it's only fair to point out that getting to the theater was also much less expensive back then when gasoline was only 50 cents per gallon.

The law suit claims that AMC theaters is in violation of the Michigan Consumer Protection Act by charging exorbitant prices for food and snacks, but one business law professor says the case won't likely get anywhere as two state Supreme Court decisions set precedent by exempting most regulated businesses from the Michigan Consumer Protection Act, and another lawyer, Ian Lyngklip points out that movie theaters are indeed regulated businesses.

Mr. Thompson's lawsuit is just another in a bizarre string of charges from movie-goers against what they believe to be negative cinema experiences, including a case last year in which a woman sued the distributors of the Nicholas Winding-Refn directed drama Drive, claiming she was mislead by the film's trailer. Seems she thought the film was going to be a fast-paced action thriller like Fast and Furious but turned out that it "bore very little similarity to a chase, or race action film… having very little driving in the movie."