Buying a ticket for one movie but seeing another

[Saiphus]

My friends and I were discussing this earlier, so I thought I’d see what people here thought.

If you wanted to see a movie, but it was sold out, is it sinful to buy a ticket of equal price for another movie and sneak into the movie you wanted to see. What if you knew there were empty seats cuz a friend who got in called you and told you?

Its not theft, but is it still a sin of deception?
I’ll give my opinion later.

 

[PatriceA]

I see it as deception. What if the person that had the ticket to the movie was running late, or was in the bathroom, or at the concession stand and because you took up the empty seat, could not see the movie despite them having the legit ticket? What if the person next to you also did the same thing you did and so on and so on?

 

[MercyMia]

According to the principle of Double Effect, as followed by the Church:

1. The act itself must be good or at least moral
2. The evil effect must not be directly willed, but only foreseen and tolerated.
3. The good effect must not be the result of the evil effect (the good is the direct result, the evil is the indirect result).
4. The good desired must equal or outweigh the evil permitted

 

[havana1]

My friends and I were discussing this earlier, so I thought I’d see what people here thought.

If you wanted to see a movie, but it was sold out, is it sinful to buy a ticket of equal price for another movie and sneak into the movie you wanted to see. What if you knew there were empty seats cuz a friend who got in called you and told you?

Its not theft, but is it still a sin of deception?
I’ll give my opinion later.

Movie theaters make money from concession, not tickets, so they really don’t care what theater you go into and I agree it’s not theft. However, it is definitely sinful to ignore theater policy for selfish reasons - did you realize you’re putting the theater at risk for fire hazard, etc., if you enter a “sold out” theater? - and potentially ruin the movie for someone in the theater. (I hate it when people climb over me to get to a seat after the movie started.) So, I’m not sure how much sympathy you’ll find to your question.

 

[DexUK]

Movie theatres (certainly in the UK) do make some money from ticket sales - it just depends on how long the film has been out for: the studio’s cut decreases over time, to the best of my knowledge, which is why some concessions often aren’t available at the start of the cinema run.

In any case, by buying a ticket for a movie but seeing another one, you’re denying the movie’s production company the income which is rightly theirs (unless, I suppose, the ticket you bought was for a movie produced by precisely the same company, which is unlikely, given the complicated way in which individual movies are financed, and the numbers of different directions ticket income would be split).

I would say that you’re obtaining an advantage that you’re not entitled to. You might have paid for something you didn’t, in the end, consume but you’re still consuming something you haven’t paid for. And you’re depriving the rightful recipients of the money due from the ticket you should have bought. And, guess what, that’s theft. It may be a small amount, but it’s an amount nonetheless. There may be no net benefit or disadvantage to your pocket book, but the effects go beyond your own finances.

Basically, we’re commanded to love others. Is it loving to deprive someone of something to which they’re entitled, no matter how insignificant in the grand scheme of things, just because we feel like it? I’d say no. I’d also say that to do so is sinful, if we’re aware of the full facts. (And if you weren’t before, you are aware now!)

 

[Moscati]

Movie theatres (certainly in the UK) do make some money from ticket sales - it just depends on how long the film has been out for: the studio’s cut decreases over time, to the best of my knowledge, which is why some concessions often aren’t available at the start of the cinema run.

That’s interesting! There’s no snack food available if one attends the opening night of a movie in the UK? What do the theater’s concessions have to do with how much money the studio takes from ticket sale earnings?

 

[LilyM]

I see it as deception. What if the person that had the ticket to the movie was running late, or was in the bathroom, or at the concession stand and because you took up the empty seat, could not see the movie despite them having the legit ticket? What if the person next to you also did the same thing you did and so on and so on?

Tickets here state which movie the ticket is for, and are checked at the door. Ushers are usually around throughout the movie and, for example, if you leave to go to the bathroom you’d have to show 'em the stub to get back in. That’d resolve any issue about disputed seats - the tickets could simply be checked.

It’s a bit of a head-scratcher, actually. Assuming that the theatre isn’t overcrowded - people aren’t sitting in the aisles or standing - there’s no fire hazard or anything. Although if there was a fire or some other emergency, it’d make it difficult to ascertain that all patrons were safely out of the theatre.

 

[Edmundus1581]

My first thoughts on this were to think that there is possibly no wrong in it, however this response cleared it up for me…

In any case, by buying a ticket for a movie but seeing another one, you’re denying the movie’s production company the income which is rightly theirs

In general, I think that we can make little “substitutions” of equal value, without scruple, and without informing anyone. Eg. leave work 10 minutes early one day, and stay 10 minutes later the next, or replace something you’ve accidentally damaged, without informing the owner.

But, it does pay to think about all aspects, including third parties (in this case, the movie owners) who might be disadvantaged.

 

[Pug]

My first thoughts on this were to think that there is possibly no wrong in it, however this response cleared it up for me…

In general, I think that we can make little “substitutions” of equal value, without scruple, and without informing anyone. Eg. leave work 10 minutes early one day, and stay 10 minutes later the next, or replace something you’ve accidentally damaged, without informing the owner.

But, it does pay to think about all aspects, including third parties (in this case, the movie owners) who might be disadvantaged.

I think perhaps you are talking about trivial matters that we are confident we could ask about and no one would care. In the movie case, however, we know they care, because we already asked for admittance to the other film/theater, but were denied. The trivial substitutions thing doesn’t seem to apply then. At least, so it seems at a glance.

 

[Holly3278]

That would be deception and it would be wrong. It would also be violating the rules of the theater which as authority over it’s customers and therefore would also be wrong.

 

[didymus]

My friends and I were discussing this earlier, so I thought I’d see what people here thought.

If you wanted to see a movie, but it was sold out, is it sinful to buy a ticket of equal price for another movie and sneak into the movie you wanted to see. What if you knew there were empty seats cuz a friend who got in called you and told you?

Its not theft, but is it still a sin of deception?
I’ll give my opinion later.

It is stealing. You are taking the seat of the person who paid for it.
Let’s say I work in the mall and some co-workers & I buy tickets in advance for movie X.
You & some friends get there & it’s sold out so you but tickets to Z but then go in to see X instead.
My group & I arrive after the commercials and previews have started and there are no seats because you have taken ours. You all have stolen our seats.

 

[Newbie2]

I agree, assuming that every seat was taken and there were no no-shows.

It’s not stealing from the theater, but from another person who paid for a seat to see that particular movie.

 

[vz71]

I see a number of problems here.

1 - you are stealing a seat from someone that has paid for it.
Of course, the argument can be made that if the movie is not seated to capacity, no one paid for a seat and you have stolen nothing.

2 - you are lying. Somewhere along the way, you have asked for a ticket to one movie, and are now going to a different one. That is a willful deception.

3 - you are stealing from the studio. The movie theatre sends the money to the various movie studio’s based upon ticket sales to one movie or another. In doing this, you are depriving the studio of part of the cut. You also deprive the studio of other benefits they have in the movie. Aren’t ratings based in part upon ticket sales? If so, you are causing these to drop and depriving the studio of the advertising dollars.

So there you go.
It is wrong in 3 different ways, 2 different commandments.
enjoy.

 

[DexUK]

That’s interesting! There’s no snack food available if one attends the opening night of a movie in the UK? What do the theater’s concessions have to do with how much money the studio takes from ticket sale earnings?

Oops… slight difference in idioms here. A ‘concession’ in the UK is usually some sort of ticket price discount scheme offered to, say, unemployed or retired people. Frequently these discounts are not available in the first few days/weeks of a movie’s cinema run. I wasn’t referring to the popcorn stands in this instance!

 

[PatriceA]

Tickets here state which movie the ticket is for, and are checked at the door. Ushers are usually around throughout the movie and, for example, if you leave to go to the bathroom you’d have to show 'em the stub to get back in. That’d resolve any issue about disputed seats - the tickets could simply be checked.

It’s a bit of a head-scratcher, actually. Assuming that the theatre isn’t overcrowded - people aren’t sitting in the aisles or standing - there’s no fire hazard or anything. Although if there was a fire or some other emergency, it’d make it difficult to ascertain that all patrons were safely out of the theatre.

Its been YEARS since I had an usher actually check my ticket after I’ve already purchased it. I know they are suppose to, but its just not done anymore.

 

[TexCatholic4JMJ]

While I don’t remember ever doing it, I know that a friend did it so that the Michael Moore
movie would not get revenue from his ticket. But he had a volunteer position that had
him fielding calls about the movie, so that it how he was able to critique the movie but
not support the agenda of the movie. He definitely did not take anyone’s seat, it was
half empty.

 

[Saiphus]

Movie theatres (certainly in the UK) do make some money from ticket sales - it just depends on how long the film has been out for: the studio’s cut decreases over time, to the best of my knowledge, which is why some concessions often aren’t available at the start of the cinema run.

In any case, by buying a ticket for a movie but seeing another one, you’re denying the movie’s production company the income which is rightly theirs (unless, I suppose, the ticket you bought was for a movie produced by precisely the same company, which is unlikely, given the complicated way in which individual movies are financed, and the numbers of different directions ticket income would be split).

I would say that you’re obtaining an advantage that you’re not entitled to. You might have paid for something you didn’t, in the end, consume but you’re still consuming something you haven’t paid for. And you’re depriving the rightful recipients of the money due from the ticket you should have bought. And, guess what, that’s theft. It may be a small amount, but it’s an amount nonetheless. There may be no net benefit or disadvantage to your pocket book, but the effects go beyond your own finances.

Basically, we’re commanded to love others. Is it loving to deprive someone of something to which they’re entitled, no matter how insignificant in the grand scheme of things, just because we feel like it? I’d say no. I’d also say that to do so is sinful, if we’re aware of the full facts. (And if you weren’t before, you are aware now!)

I have to say that is a convincing argument of which I did not think when making the decision. I did in fact make this mistake and must now seek reconciliation.

After examining it, I determined that it was clearly deception, but I thought it honestly wasn’t theft so your point about studios makes that clear. Now I must break the news to my friends about how I led them all into the sins of theft and deception.

I have, however, just had an idea on reparation (not to justify myself, but to even things out). What do you all think if I were to pay it back by later purchasing a ticket for the movie I saw and then going to see the movie whose ticket I purchased the first time. The end result is two movie tickets purchased and both movies seen once, so everyone is paid proper due. What say all on the issue of deception in that case?

Thanks for the replies.

 

[vz71]

I have, however, just had an idea on reparation (not to justify myself, but to even things out). What do you all think if I were to pay it back by later purchasing a ticket for the movie I saw and then going to see the movie whose ticket I purchased the first time. The end result is two movie tickets purchased and both movies seen once, so everyone is paid proper due. What say all on the issue of deception in that case?

By your own admission, still a deception.
Better to simply purchase a ticket for the movie you watched and toss it in the trash.

However your confessor would be better qualified to provide reperation.

 

[DexUK]

I have, however, just had an idea on reparation (not to justify myself, but to even things out). What do you all think if I were to pay it back by later purchasing a ticket for the movie I saw and then going to see the movie whose ticket I purchased the first time. The end result is two movie tickets purchased and both movies seen once, so everyone is paid proper due. What say all on the issue of deception in that case?

In theory that sounds like a plan - except that two wrongs don’t make a right, and you’d be risking being found viewing a film using the wrong ticket, which would almost certainly get you thrown out and possibly banned from the cinema. If you then admitted your previous deception as justification for your actions, who knows what sort of trouble you could get in?

Better to make reparation as suggested, by buying the ticket you should have bought in the first place and then tossing it. (Even that might not necessarily be correct, in that time has now passed and the returns due to the studio may have decreased if the system where you are is like in the UK. If all the ticket money goes to the studio, then this point is irrelevant. In any case, it would probably be too onerous to try and work it out.)

Consider this a salutary lesson in how complicated things can become even if you commit just a little sin. It all snowballs and one lie gets caught up in a bigger lie, etc.

If nothing else, I’d say you learned something and you’ll be better in future

 

[knowsitall]

.If the movie is fully sold out and you really wanted to see it go the next day.: