Is movie hopping illegal?

FoBoT

No Lifer
Apr 30, 2001
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what is movie "hopping" ?

if you mean paying to see one movie and instead seeing 2+ movies, then of course it is :roll:
 

MikePanic

Senior member
Apr 5, 2004
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i doubt you would get charged w/ a criminal anything... but you will prob get banned from the theater
 

Mo0o

Lifer
Jul 31, 2001
24,227
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yeah im pretty sure its illegal. BUt if you're discreet about things most people that work in the theaters dont really care that much.
 

bsobel

Moderator Emeritus<br>Elite Member
Dec 9, 2001
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Originally posted by: MikePanic
i doubt you would get charged w/ a criminal anything... but you will prob get banned from the theater

Yes it is illegal, it's petty theft. Many theatres do prosecute, btw (having worked at one a long time ago, I remember our manager called the police for anyone he caught)

Bill
 

FleshLight

Diamond Member
Mar 18, 2004
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Originally posted by: bsobel
Originally posted by: MikePanic
i doubt you would get charged w/ a criminal anything... but you will prob get banned from the theater

Yes it is illegal, it's petty theft. Many theatres do prosecute, btw (having worked at one a long time ago, I remember our manager called the police for anyone he caught)

Bill

Hmmm. Well can't you just leave the theater when they call the cops? And can't you just say you lost your ticket so that the cops have to prove that you didn't buy a ticket for that movie? And yes I practice this immoral practice :(. I'm a bad person.
 

FoBoT

No Lifer
Apr 30, 2001
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if you have to ask what is right and wrong on an internut forum, something got missed during your upbringing
 

BeauJangles

Lifer
Aug 26, 2001
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Originally posted by: FleshLight
Originally posted by: bsobel
Originally posted by: MikePanic
i doubt you would get charged w/ a criminal anything... but you will prob get banned from the theater

Yes it is illegal, it's petty theft. Many theatres do prosecute, btw (having worked at one a long time ago, I remember our manager called the police for anyone he caught)

Bill

Hmmm. Well can't you just leave the theater when they call the cops? And can't you just say you lost your ticket so that the cops have to prove that you didn't buy a ticket for that movie? And yes I practice this immoral practice :(. I'm a bad person.

everybody does stuff like this at least once... don't be fooled by the moral zealots here. I agree, it would be hard to prove that you didn't pay for the ticket, and, if i was caught, i would definately run.
 

TwinkleToes77

Diamond Member
Jul 13, 2002
5,086
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it's illegal but i know plenty of people that do it anyways. If they catch you and want to press charges they certainly can. In my experience they just ask you to leave.
 

MrCodeDude

Lifer
Jun 23, 2001
13,674
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Originally posted by: TwinkleToes77
it's illegal but i know plenty of people that do it anyways. If they catch you and want to press charges they certainly can. In my experience they just ask you to leave.
Here, they ask you to pay the $9, then leave.
 

bsobel

Moderator Emeritus<br>Elite Member
Dec 9, 2001
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everybody does stuff like this at least once... don't be fooled by the moral zealots here. I agree, it would be hard to prove that you didn't pay for the ticket, and, if i was caught, i would definately run.

I hope you weren't including me in that, I was just reporting what the theatre I worked at did.
Bill
 

Ness

Diamond Member
Jul 10, 2002
5,407
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Never done it, don't plan on it.

My ass couldn't handle sitting through 2 movies.
 

Turkish

Lifer
May 26, 2003
15,547
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Originally posted by: FleshLight
Originally posted by: bsobel
Originally posted by: MikePanic
i doubt you would get charged w/ a criminal anything... but you will prob get banned from the theater

Yes it is illegal, it's petty theft. Many theatres do prosecute, btw (having worked at one a long time ago, I remember our manager called the police for anyone he caught)

Bill

Hmmm. Well can't you just leave the theater when they call the cops? And can't you just say you lost your ticket so that the cops have to prove that you didn't buy a ticket for that movie? And yes I practice this immoral practice :(. I'm a bad person.

They can detain you, and most likely will. Businesses are often confronted with suits for false imprisonment after they have attempted to confine a suspected shoplifter for questioning. Under the priviledge to detain granted to merchants in some states, a merchant can use the defense of probable cause to justify delaying a suspected shoplifter. Probable cause exists when the evidence to support the belief that a person is guilty outweighs the evidence against that belief. The detention, however, must be conducted in a reasonable manner and for only a reasonable length of time.
 
Aug 23, 2000
15,509
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Originally posted by: Xiety
Originally posted by: FleshLight
Originally posted by: bsobel
Originally posted by: MikePanic
i doubt you would get charged w/ a criminal anything... but you will prob get banned from the theater

Yes it is illegal, it's petty theft. Many theatres do prosecute, btw (having worked at one a long time ago, I remember our manager called the police for anyone he caught)

Bill

Hmmm. Well can't you just leave the theater when they call the cops? And can't you just say you lost your ticket so that the cops have to prove that you didn't buy a ticket for that movie? And yes I practice this immoral practice :(. I'm a bad person.

They can detain you, and most likely will. Businesses are often confronted with suits for false imprisonment after they have attempted to confine a suspected shoplifter for questioning. Under the priviledge to detain granted to merchants in some states, a merchant can use the defense of probable cause to justify delaying a suspected shoplifter. Probable cause exists when the evidence to support the belief that a person is guilty outweighs the evidence against that belief. The detention, however, must be conducted in a reasonable manner and for only a reasonable length of time.

It is a tricky issue. Legally the business can ask you to stay, but if they touch you in an attempt to detain you then they can be held liable for battery and in some cases i've read, kidnapping, which by definition is forcibly detaining and moving a person against their will.

When i worked at a Major Computer retailer as part of the loss prevention i was told offically to not go after anyone or try and stop them, thou if i were to recover any of the stores product it would favor better for me.