Marshall and the Movies

Concession prices too expensive?  This article from the Los Angeles Times, which I had bookmarked back in March, may make you want to steer away from the stand for an entirely different reason.

…Health experts can’t blame every asthma attack on the mountainous portions of gooey popcorn, candy and licorice sticks that populate theater concession stands, but ask any parent — wouldn’t it be nice if it was just as easy to buy your kid a fruit cup, veggies with dip, yogurt, granola bars or air-popped popcorn? Those are just some of the alternatives Lynton was suggesting to exhibitors that could at least have the same prominent shelf space as the Hershey’s bars that often appear as big as a surfboard.

“Sometimes you just have to state the obvious,” [Sony Pictures Entertainment chairman Michael Lynton] told me. “When you go to a mall, you can go pretty much everywhere and get healthy food — except at a movie theater. I’m not trying to dictate anyone’s behavior. I’m simply saying that exhibitors should offer people a choice.”

Lynton cites the results of a poll Sony commissioned as backup. The results were striking: 42% of parents interviewed at theater locations around the country said they would buy concessions more often if healthier choices were available, and 60% of parents said that healthier snacks would enhance their overall moviegoing experience. I know, I know….

I dom’t even want to think about how bad theater popcorn is for you.  All that salt and butter they pile on top … not to mention all the candy they have out (which I often fall prey to, mainly Buncha Crunch).

For a while, my mom used to pack some good munchies in her purse.  Now, she really doesn’t.  And as an independent/social moviegoer, I find that the best way to beat the calories and prices at the concession stand is to bring gum.