A North Texas movie-goer has filed a lawsuit over Plano-based Cinemark drink sizes.
The lawsuit alleges that the movie theater chain fleeced its customers by shorting beverages sold in the chain’s canteens.
The chain loudly advertised that the 24-ounce container is a better deal, claiming consumers will get more for less price, while the reality is that Cinemark swindles customers by shortchanging them on sales for the 24-ounce beverage cup.
Cinemark Accused of Shortchanging Customers on Beverage Sales
The proposed class action lawsuit has been filed in a Texas federal court and it indicts the movie.
The lawsuit further details how consumers got only 22 ounces of liquid, which is the maximum that can be filled in Cinemark’s 24-ounce cups.
It is alleged that the deception was part of a deliberate packaging and pricing practice.
Theaters pay almost 50% of the revenue generated by ticket sales to the studios but keep all the profits generated by the sales of food and beverage.
Increased competition has pushed the chain to offer concessions and bonuses, and this helped Cinemark in 2023 to record its highest concession sales of all time.
However, the lawsuit alleges that Cinemark dupes its customers by shortchanging them on sales for the 24-ounce beverage cup instead of the 20-ounce beverage cup.
The reality is that consumers pay less for a 20-ounce cup, which is also a better deal than buying a 24-ounce beverage cup.
The complaint stated,
“The size of the container in relation to the actual volume of the product contained in it was intended to mislead the consumer into believing the consumer was getting more of the product than what was in the container by a twelfth.”
The lawsuit was brought by Texas resident Shane Waldrop, who purchased a 24-ounce beverage cup in February which cost him $8.80 before tax.
However, on closer look, he realized that the cup was not large enough to hold 24 ounces. This was confirmed later when Shane took the cup home and found that it could contain only 22 ounces of liquid.
Thus, the consumer was duped 2 ounces for every cup he bought.
The lawsuit charged the movie theater chain with neglectful falsification, deception, unjust profiteering, and a violation of Texas’ Deceptive Trade Practices Act and asked for a court order to halt such practices.
Waldrop is seeking compensatory damages and also demanded a jury trial over the claims.
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