How did popcorn come to be associated with movie theaters? What other kinds of concessions were tried?
It seems so normal that we all eat popcorn in movie theaters, but I've always wondered why? How and when did this happen? Were there other concessions which were eaten before popcorn became such a staple of the movie experience?
Answers ( 1 )
Popcorn wasn't what movie theater owners wanted; they wanted people who enjoyed "the thee-ah-ter", well-dressed, well-spoken, literate- before talkies, not people crunching-crunching-crunching and spilling the stuff all over to be ground into the carpet by the well-heeled patrons. But popcorn was a wildly popular snack, and, as the pain of the Great Depression deepened, and people wanted an escape from reality for even a little while, the theater began to cater more to those of inexpensive means. Vendors with carts sold popcorn on the street outside the theaters, at first, but were soon allowed inside, and quickly theaters, themselves, purchased the means to make and sell popcorn. For less than four bits, a person could watch movies for hours while munching the salty goodness, far away from reality.
That's how popcorn became the snack of choice at the movies.
https://www.smithsonianmag.com/arts-culture/why-do-we-eat-popcorn-at-the-movies-475063/
https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/61130/why-popcorn-default-movie-theater-snack