Popcorn And The Movies
Next time a movie theater spirits you off to another world, thank popcorn. Those exploded kernels of maize are the cinema staple that keeps the reels turning and ticket prices from being even higher. Because movie distributors take most of the gate, screening venues make their money on selling concessions and popcorn is often the most profitable item.
Ancient Peruvians discovered 7,000 years ago that corn with a water droplet in the kernel would pop when heated. In the late 1800s, moving pictures and large-volume popping machines conspired to make the puffy treat a culinary draw in the theater. It doesn’t hurt that the stuff can fill a building with its alluring aroma. Empresarios of the 1950s may have flirted with systems like Smell-O-Rama that misted odors into the theater and synched with the on-screen action, but whiffs of popcorn remain the most alluring olfactory stimulus associated with picture shows.
Despite the immense markup charged at theaters—about 1,300 percent—movie screeners once eschewed the exploded kernels. The reason: Esthetics. Many early movie theaters were palaces built to rival the ornate drama and opera venues of the time. Owners did not want popcorn ground into their opulent carpets. For theatergoers to munch on the stuff, they had to sneak it in. The ban began to break down after the advent of the sound films. Owners quickly recognized the cash cow they had been forgoing—especially when you consider a $10 tub with salt and butter inevitably requires a jumbo soda with which to wash it down. Nevertheless, as late as 1949, the Oregon state senate still attempted a ban on movie popcorn.
In an age of movie streaming, you may do your movie watching at home, but don’t despair. Our sister publication Wine Spectator reviewed 30 gourmet home versions and found popcorn flavored with such exotica as chocolate, jalapeño and dill pickle. (December 17, 2019) But nothing beats the entertainment value of seeing the “popcorn guy,” a viral YouTube sensation, who uses spin moves that would rival a Harlem Globetrotter to butter popcorn in a Corpus Christi, Texas, Cinemark theater.
