WEBVTT - Why Do Movie Theaters Sell Popcorn?

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<v Speaker 1>Welcome to brain Stuff from how Stuff Works. Hey, brain stuff,

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<v Speaker 1>it's Christian Seger. When you see a movie in the theaters,

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<v Speaker 1>you expect certain things like a heck of a good time,

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<v Speaker 1>some amazing sound, and a story played out on a

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<v Speaker 1>gigantic screen. You also probably think about popcorn. But that's weird, right,

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<v Speaker 1>How of all the snacks on earth did popcorn become

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<v Speaker 1>the mainstay of movie theaters. Well, it starts with a

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<v Speaker 1>bit of history. See, popcorn had been around for ages,

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<v Speaker 1>and it was a popular snack at nineteenth century fairs

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<v Speaker 1>and carnivals, especially after the invention of the first steam

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<v Speaker 1>powered popcorn popper back in eighty five. People love the crunchy, salty,

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<v Speaker 1>inexpensive snack, and movie theaters hated it. During the era

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<v Speaker 1>of silent film, these companies followed many of the same

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<v Speaker 1>rules as traditional the eaters, and they did not want

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<v Speaker 1>to be associated with a loud food that could distract

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<v Speaker 1>from the show. Additionally, there was a little bit of

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<v Speaker 1>a class consideration here, since audiences had to read the

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<v Speaker 1>dialogue on the screen, they had to be literate a

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<v Speaker 1>k a. A better sort of people with superior education.

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<v Speaker 1>Allowing popcorn inside was in the opinion of these theater

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<v Speaker 1>owners kind of like throwing sawdust on the floor and

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<v Speaker 1>just saying, sure, just spit wherever you want. Talkies or

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<v Speaker 1>films with spoken dialogue emerged in nine and this brought

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<v Speaker 1>movie theaters to the common folk. Suddenly anyone could cough

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<v Speaker 1>up some change, grab a seat, and understand what was

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<v Speaker 1>going on. This was also the time of the Great Depression,

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<v Speaker 1>when Americans from coast to coast pined for cheap, escapist entertainment.

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<v Speaker 1>So the average Americans finally found the cinema, and they

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<v Speaker 1>brought their snack culture along, and the depression affected theaters

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<v Speaker 1>as well. Theaters with the best chances of surviving were

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<v Speaker 1>the ones that gave customers what they wanted. If they

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<v Speaker 1>wanted to eat popcorn while watching a film, well so

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<v Speaker 1>be it. At first, independent vendors sold popcorn outside the theater,

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<v Speaker 1>profiting from the casual passers by as well as future

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<v Speaker 1>movie patrons. Since corn kernels were dirt, cheap, popcorn became

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<v Speaker 1>even more popular and things escalated. Movie theaters allowed vendors

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<v Speaker 1>to sell popcorn in the lobby for a small fee.

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<v Speaker 1>Eventually they cut out the vendors entirely, acquiring their own poppers.

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<v Speaker 1>During World War Two, popcorn sales saw another bump. Sugar

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<v Speaker 1>was rationed, which made many conventional sweet snacks and drinks

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<v Speaker 1>more expensive, at least that is when they were available

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<v Speaker 1>at all. Popcorn, of course, only required salt and popcorn kernels,

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<v Speaker 1>neither of which were hard to come by. But by

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<v Speaker 1>then the association between movies and popcorn was firmly established

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<v Speaker 1>in the mind of the American public. This association can

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<v Speaker 1>and use today. But there's another wrinkle to the story.

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<v Speaker 1>And you might be saying, Christian, Okay, popcorn was cheap

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<v Speaker 1>in the depression or whatever, But what happened when did

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<v Speaker 1>it become so expensive? Good question. The price hike really

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<v Speaker 1>kicked in on all concessions back in the nineteen seventies.

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<v Speaker 1>See Contrary to popular belief, your local movie theater doesn't

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<v Speaker 1>actually make that much bank off the films it screens. Instead,

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<v Speaker 1>theaters use concessions to stay in business. According to the

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<v Speaker 1>Stanford Business School, concessions comprise only about of a theater's

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<v Speaker 1>gross revenue, but of its profits. This makes sense when

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<v Speaker 1>we consider how theaters must split ticket revenue with distributors,

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<v Speaker 1>but can pocket of whatever they managed to sell at

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<v Speaker 1>the snack counter. The bulk cost of the ingredients is

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<v Speaker 1>laughably small, and the profit margin is huge, and don't forget,

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<v Speaker 1>the stuff is still addictively delicious. Check out the brainstuff

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<v Speaker 1>channel on YouTube, and for more on this and thousands

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<v Speaker 1>of other topics, visit how stuff works dot com