It depends. The owner of the theater makes the rules. AMC theaters chain band food- guests caught brining food in can be asked to throw the food out or leave- in essence- a movie ticket is your “permission” to be on the property- but like any private property you can be asked to leave if you don’t follow “house rules,” at which point staying is trespassing and in most cases a minor criminal offense.
Some chains just ASK that you not bring food- it isn’t a “rule” but instead a courtesy they ask. These theaters generally won’t ask you to leave if you have food. Independent theaters and franchises can more or less be ran as they please within certain guidelines- so that’s a mixed bag. The only constant is that like any private establishment they can legally ask you to leave if they feel you’re being disruptive or destructive.
Now- even if a theater or chain has rules against food- the managers and employees at a given location are responsible for enforcing those rules or not, so they may not care. Most chain theater workers don’t see any direct benefit from concession sales or profits and are human too- so you’re probably fine. It’s also going to possibly cause a scene and maybe a confrontation- it’s potentially a pain in the ass. So it’s usually not worth it to say anything if you catch a person.
Not the one near me... or at least, if they do, they don't give a fuck. It's literally across a courtyard from the mall though, so that might be part of it... like... they understand if you're coming from the food court.
We stop them duh!
Even if they're already in the cinema watching the movie, you can still stop them if you see them eating something from outside which I low-key loved doing
Cause I enjoy causing people minor inconvenience, it feeds my evil self.
My local theater did this. Easy way to sneak in snacks? Throw lots of loose feminine products on top. Are you a man? Throw lots of dirty dog toys on top of the snacks. Not once as someone asked to remove these layers. Get caught eating in the theater? Boldly (an absolute must) state you have diabetes, you're hungry and you're not going to lose a foot eating their non-doctor-approved food and if they need more info, tell them to talk to their manager. It's against USA's federal law to discriminate against someone's disability or medical necessities, and places can get even get in huge trouble if they ask for proof for non-essential reasons. It may be a shit move, but so is kicking someone out of a paid venue for not eating THEIR food.
Even if they're already in the cinema watching the movie, you can still stop them if you see them eating something from outside which I low-key loved doing
Cause I enjoy causing people minor inconvenience, it feeds my evil self.