The machine whirs and popcorn jitters down the chute into a stainless-steel bowl, some spilling onto the counters and floor. She pulls the air popper out of the woodgrain kitchen cabinets, puts it on the white tile counter, and measures out a quarter-cup of kernels. “More people are going to the concession stand, and they’re buying more things when they get there.It’s any given weekend in the early 80s, and my mother is prepping. “Clearly, guests returning to our theaters are eager to participate in the full theatrical experience,” Adam Aron, CEO of AMC, said on an earnings call. Per-patron food and beverage revenue at AMC (which courted individual investors just a year ago with offers of free popcorn) jumped from $4.76 in the first quarter of 2020 to a record $7.37 in the same period in 2021. Theaters are less in the movie business than they are in the popcorn business, since the film industry takes such a big percentage of the box office returns.Īt one point, movie theaters were making as much as 85% of their profit on concession sales.Īudiences who are returning to theaters are chowing down, too. It’s a movie-time staple, but the costs are inflated a ridiculous amount, which patrons don’t mind paying. Popcorn is an enormous profit driver for theaters.
And the tight labor market is making it harder for some theaters to adequately staff concession stands. The liners of popcorn containers that keep the grease from coating people’s pants as they hold the bucket or bag on their lap are getting harder to find. One company is already paying growers more to encourage them to keep the popcorn corn planted. That’s not an immediate problem, but could become one as we get deeper into summer. The Wall Street Journal reports that farmers are growing less popcorn these days, focusing instead on soybeans or other types of corn, which they can sell for more money. Supply-chain issues with popcorn could bring about a concession crisis that cuts deep into their profit margins. But when it comes to the snack supply, theater owners are worried.
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