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There are three simple reasons why: 20-cup bags of popcorn. 44-ounce sodas. Large-sized Goobers. Here’s the problem, for me at least. I’m a film buff. I went to film school. Going to the movies on a regular basis is just part of my life — I probably go once a week, on average, sometimes more often. And when I go, it’s become some sort of ingrained-in-my-brain psychological Pavlovian requirement that while I’m staring up at that big glowing screen, I have a popcorn and soda in hand — 70 ounces of fatty, sugary death that cost more than my movie ticket.
So where did this tradition come from? Why does every theater — except for a few super-fussy “Academy” screening rooms in Hollywood — sell popcorn? Turns out it all started in the 20s and 30s, when popcorn was one of the few confectionary luxuries that families during the depression could afford. At first, theater owners were concerned about the mess that all those kernels would make (and rightly so; it takes a small army of janitors to clean up after every show), but those who refused found popcorn-sellers opening up right outside their doors, to sell to folks as they came into the theater — or found themselves out of business altogether. So popcorn at the movies is almost as old as the movies themselves.
The thing about eating during a movie is, once you’re in the theater, the act-of face-stuffing becomes mindless. You hardly notice what you’re shoving in the ol’ word-hole anymore. A recent Cornell study which gave unwitting moviegoers different-sized buckets of popcorn showed that those with large buckets ate twice as much as those with medium-sized buckets without even realizing it. What’s more, in some of the buckets, fresh popcorn was replaced with two-week-old kernels — and nobody complained!
So what exactly are we consuming along with the filmed entertainment up on that screen? Here come the inevitably horrifying numbers:
• A “large” popcorn can pack up to 1500 calories and more than 100 grams of saturated fat; that’s two-and-a-half days‘ worth of fat. It could also deliver 2,000 grams of sodium to your already-stunned system — that’s assuming you don’t add more salt at the “concessions condiments” station — more than enough to make you finish that whole 44-oz soda you bought. Speaking of which …
• A 44-oz. soda adds another 550-odd calories worth of high-fructose corn syrup — according to men’s health, that’s more than you’d get in a half-pound of ground beef!
• I don’t get the nachos or comically-large pretzels or any of that other stuff (well, the occasional hot dog), but for the sake of argument, let’s take a look at an order of nachos, 40 chips’ worth, with four-ounces of trans-fatty “cheese” dribbled over it. Weighing in at 1,000 calories, you’d be better off eating two large orders of McDonald’s french fries or two quarter-pounders with cheese!
So what makes movie popcorn so terrible? You can get relatively healthful popcorn at any grocery store — no trans-fats, low-sodium, popped in less-clogging oils. The trouble is, in my humble opinion, they don’t taste as good as most movie theater popcorns, and the reason is simple: the worst theater chains pop their popcorn with highly-saturated coconut oil (yum!) and load it with salt. Not only that, but this “butter” they douse it in — we’re still trying to figure out what this stuff really is; it certainly doesn’t come from a cow — is like a liquid heart attack. And the fact that it irreparably stains any clothing it comes into contact with doesn’t bode well for your inside-parts, either.
So does this change anyone’s mind about movie theater snacks? I’m of two minds, myself: intellectually, I never want to touch the stuff again. But then there’s that little Pavlovian dog inside my head that feels the need to plunk down $13 bucks for popcorn and soda every time it hears a movie trailer narrator intone, “In a world …”
Comments (27)
Comment
Everything in moderation, that’s my excuse. I only see a show in a theater maybe once or twice a year. I’m going to spring for the popcorn…and the soda…and the Sno-Caps. :D
posted by mrs.djs on 7-3-2008 at 10:40 am
I worked at a movie theatre once…the “butter” was actually a soy-based topping. we couldn’t even ask if customers wanted “butter,” we had to ask if they wanted “topping” on their popcorn! It still tasted like butter, though.
posted by Pete S. on 7-3-2008 at 10:49 am
I force myself to stop at a minimart before I go to the theater. I get a normal sized bag of m&m’s, and a 20oz soda. Thank goodness for a large handbag.
Not like a bag of m’s and a soda is a healthy choice, but it’s better than spending an insane amount of money for huge servings that I’ll shovel into my gullet.
posted by Jenny on 7-3-2008 at 10:57 am
I go to the movie theater about once a year (I’m contemplating going twice this year because I’ve already seen Iron Man, but I also kinda want to see Hulk), so I figure I’m okay getting the medium popcorn, a medium Pepsi, and a box of Dots.
posted by S on 7-3-2008 at 11:06 am
mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm…Dots…
posted by Bob Jones, Esq. on 7-3-2008 at 11:12 am
I just get the kid combos. It still satisfies the salty/sweet need in a way smaller size. Cheaper too.
posted by natlynn on 7-3-2008 at 11:18 am
Won’t change my habits. I also only see a movie once or twice a year and I don’t think it would be as enjoyable without the nutty goodness of (hopefully) freshly popped popcorn. Plus, I enjoy throwing it at my wife.
Curiously, I note you reference coconut oil. Tying this in to yesterday’s topic of hybird planes, Virgin Atlantic flew a 747 earlier this year on a biofuel mixture which included coconut oil. Who knows, maybe they can try partially hydrogenated butter flavored popcorn “topping” next.
posted by Florida on 7-3-2008 at 11:21 am
I’m a snack hider myself. Raisinettes are my favorite candy and they aren’t sold in UK movie theaters. A quick stop at the base to get my small bag of candy and I’m good to go. I don’t get popcorn because they’re hell on the teeth and I don’t like how thirsty they make me. Also, mrs. djs is right; everything in moderation. There’s no need for the extra super large jigundo popcorn with extra “topping”.
posted by Tricia on 7-3-2008 at 11:28 am
The 2-lb bag of Reese’s Pieces gets me every time. I’m not a fan of popcorn in general, but if my husband gets it (which he invariably does) then I grab a handful o two without thinking.
posted by adrienne on 7-3-2008 at 11:45 am
As a former “Candy Counter Employee”, I can tell you that there’s one simple reason theatres sell treats - profit! All the ticket $$$ goes to pay for the rights to show the movie itself. The theatres only make money on concession. That’s way you can’t bring your own. I always bring my own drink and candy though. Being a chick with a biiiig handbag has it’s advantages!
More info - the combo of coconut oil, salt, and “topping” is absolutely lethal to the soles of shoes, and eats socks too. All the ushers I knew would wear two pairs of socks - a fresh pair underneath and a “reuse” pair on top.
When you get your popcorn, always ask them to scoop from the top - the teens don’t always sift, and you might get stuck with crappy bottom kernels.
One other fact - an idustrial popcorn popper is a $10,000 machine!
posted by Marion on 7-3-2008 at 12:11 pm
I grew up going to a theatre with very reasonably-priced (and sized!) goodies that even so my parents rarely let me get. To this day, I’ll sneak in a bottle of water or take about two bites of my boyfriend’s popcorn. Yea, I’m cheap, but I’m probably healthier for it.
Also, even if I do splurge for the sugary goodness, I only eat about a quarter of the candy during the film, then snack on the rest for about two weeks. Those things are huge!
Haha. My reCaptcha is “limit needed”. I do agree.
posted by nutmeag on 7-3-2008 at 12:19 pm
We’ll be going to the movies once a week during the summer and we’re snack sneakers too. I get that theaters make all their profits at the concession stand so we buy a large bottled water at the theater but we buy popcorn and candy at the market next door.
The main reason we started doing this, though, is because movie theater popcorn gives us stomachaches. We get a widely available white cheddar popcorn in a black bag. We eat less volume, fewer calories, less fat, more flavor, and no stomachache. If theaters offered what we wanted to eat, we’d buy it there but they don’t.
Now when I lived in Portland, OR, there was a dollar theater nearby that served real melted butter on their popcorn. I’d sometimes stop in just to buy the popcorn. The people in the box office got to know me and would just wave me in to go to the concession stand. Man I miss that place.
posted by Michelle on 7-3-2008 at 12:48 pm
One of my first jobs as a teen was working concession at a movie theater. We were taught never to burn the popcorn… not because we’d ruin a batch but because the popper was somehow connected to a ventelation system that ran into the theatres. If you burned a batch they would all smell of burned popcorn.
HA! reCaptcha: honors Nixon
posted by Jason! on 7-3-2008 at 1:01 pm
My sister and her (former scumbag) boyfriend once snuck two entire Wendy’s quarterpounder with cheese meals into a movie theatre (she carries HUGE purses), and my whole family once brought six-inch Subway sandwiches (again in my sister’s purse — different bag, same capacity). The girl’s a walking pack mule.
My greatest moment of movie irony was that I saw “Ratatouille” three times in the theater, and each time I bought pretzel bites with fake cheese. That’s right, I ate fake food during a movie that mostly takes place at a gourmet restaurant.
posted by Joanna on 7-3-2008 at 1:11 pm
The cheap theatre by my house (in Minneapolis) has real butter on their popcorn. They sell take home bags too. Hooray!
posted by Julia on 7-3-2008 at 2:32 pm
Michelle-
I live in Portland, OR and must know the name of this place. Is it a McMenamins theater?
posted by Holly on 7-3-2008 at 3:06 pm
I am a sucker for the gigantic bag of Twizzlers. And the worst part about it is that i usually pop the bag open right when i sit down in the theatre and the seem to be just about gone by the time the movie starts. I always try to hold out as long as i can, but it never works. But hey, i dont go to the movies that much (maybe a handful of times a year), so who cares.
Also, has anyone ever noticed that the bottled water they sell at theatres makes you more thirsty? The theatres i go to usually serve Dasani and i’m always more thirsty after drinking it than i was before. Thats why i go for the good ole’ fashion large Coke (or Cherry Coke) to quench my thirst at the movies.
posted by Andy on 7-3-2008 at 3:53 pm
Great… Now I´m afraid I´m walking around with a ticking time bomb heart-attack! We go to the movies (almost) every Sunday and we ALWAYS get the large popcorn, largo soda and peanut M&Ms to share… Most of the time they are gone before the movie even begins… It would be so cool if our bodies needed fat instead of vegetables to stay healthy…
posted by GTT on 7-3-2008 at 5:37 pm
I worked at a movie theater when I was sixteen. The greatest way to wean yourself off of that addicting popcorn product is to actually work in a theater and make it. Our theater had an old fashioned popper that required you to put all the ingredients in by hand. This led quite often to oil burns and other painful injuries. In addition to this, that dreadful butter smell haunted me months after I quit. I swear I could smell it everywhere! To this day I still refuse to eat the stuff, it makes me sick!
posted by Kay on 7-3-2008 at 7:07 pm
I have a friend who lives in the country, and her dad use to sneak cornbread and milk into the theatre.
posted by Tara on 7-3-2008 at 9:58 pm
@Holly - that might be what is now the Laurelhurst. They have real butter…but I think it’s like a $3 theater now. :)
posted by Chris Higgins on 7-3-2008 at 11:59 pm
Don’t know if you went to the movies when you were here in NZ, but so much more food is sold in the theatres! Ice cream, for one - as in scooped, put in cones, and covered with chocolate (a la Dairy Queen)! Can you imagine? And yet, the floors are not sticky or covered with dropped ice cream.
I’ve also seen people carrying up trays with a pot of tea and two cups/saucers!
And don’t let me forget the beer and wine…
As for me, I love popcorn, but that curious liquid butter isn’t available here and I’ve never been a snacker anyway. I’m also cheap, so I tend to bring my own water in, and sometimes even a snack bar if the movie is a long one.
posted by Dawn on 7-4-2008 at 6:21 am
@ Dawn —
We DID go to the movies in new zealand … and BOY was it expensive. Surprised you could afford the food after buying the ticket! :)
posted by Ransom Riggs on 7-4-2008 at 11:00 am
I sneak in 100 cal packs of M&Ms, etc. Also, because I just have to have it, I get the kids pack at the concession - small amount of popcorn, small soda (diet), and a little packet of candy - for less than a large popcorn. I’ve never had a problem with buying the “kids” pack as an adult.
- Jess
ps: REcaptcha = Steet Pudding
mmmmm… street pudding…..
posted by Jess on 7-4-2008 at 7:03 pm
A lot of my friends work at the movie theater, and they’ve told me more than enough horror stories that made me NEVER get anything from the concessions that isn’t prepackaged. I suppose it’s a good health choice on my part, now that I think about it.
posted by Alex on 7-4-2008 at 7:24 pm
I don’t think the movies here are any more expensive than in NYC (although I’m certainly not making NYC wages!)
There are ways around the prices, though - one chain offers a points/rewards system, and almost all theatres have a ‘cheap’ night (Tuesday), when all movies are just $10. I love the fact that we can choose our seats beforehand - no waiting in line for a popular movie!
Recaptcha: then outings
posted by Dawn on 7-5-2008 at 6:10 pm
The theater where I live just started offering a popcorn-and-soda combo for just $1.50! You get a small bag of popcorn and a small soda, and it costs probably 1/10 of what costs at the other theaters nearby.
I still prefer to sneak my own food in, just because I know that whatever size popcorn I get, it will be nearly gone before the movie even starts :)
posted by Bethany on 7-7-2008 at 9:33 pm