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movie theater food

What Do You Eat With Your Movie?

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Movie Calories

When you enter a movie theater lobby what do you usually notice first?  After the cost of the ticket, it’s probably the delicious smell of freshly popped (maybe or maybe not) popcorn. It’s no accident that the concession stand with it’s popcorn popper and glass cases filled with the candy that reminds you that you were once a carefree kid — is right smack in the middle of the lobby.  It’s there to send your already conditioned eyes, nose, and salivary glands an urgent message:  “Buy some, eat some”!

There’s No Escaping the Movie Theater Munching

Even if you make it through the lobby without buckets and boxes in hand, all you have to do is sit down in the theater with someone near you noisily munching away.  Up you go – back to the lobby and the concession stand.

It’s amazing what triggers us to eat. There’s a research study by the Cornell food lab that shows that people overeat when they have large portions — even when they don’t like the food. Moviegoers given stale popcorn in big buckets ate 34% more than people who were given the medium size of the same stale popcorn. People who had large buckets of fresh popcorn ate 45% more than people with the medium size.

If you’re going to eat it, at least give some thought to what you’re doing.  Would a small size bag of popcorn rather than jumbo bucket do it for you?  How about a regular candy bar instead of a king size?  If the popcorn, pretzels, or nachos are stale and nasty do you really want them?  Can you ditch the soda for plain old water or a sugar free drink (most 12 ounce sodas have between 9 and 10 teaspoons of sugar)? You could bring some healthy snacks with you — like a lower calorie protein bar or trail mix (a crunchy apple doesn’t lend itself to quiet eating).

FYI:  Some Popular Movie Theater Snacks – And Their Calorie Counts

(Note the serving sizes, movie theater boxes of candy are often huge and may be double or triple the size shown below and what’s considered a large popcorn in one theater chain might be a medium in another. The number of cups of popcorn sounds crazy – but that’s how much is in the bucket or bag that’s commonly available.)

Popcorn, Nachos, Soft Pretzel

  • Buttered popcorn, small, 5 cups:  470 calories, 35g fat
  • Buttered popcorn, large, 20 cups:  1640 calories, 126g fat
  • Cheese nachos, large (4 ounces):  1100 calories, 60g fat
  • Soft pretzel, large (5 ounces):  480 calories, 5g fat

Soda and Lemonade

  • Coke, small (18 ounces: 218 calories, 0g fat
  • Coke, large (44 ounces):  534 calories, 0g fat
  • Minute Maid Lemonade (18 ounces):  248 calories, 0g fat
  • Minute Maid Lemonade (44 ounces):  605 calories, 0g fat

Candy

  • Junior Mints, 3-ounce box:  360 calories, 7g fat
  • SnoCaps, 3.1-ounce box:  300 calories, 15g fat
  • Milk Duds, 3-ounce box:  370 calories, 12g fat
  • Raisinets, 3.5-ounce bag:  400 calories, 16g fat
  • Goobers, 3.5-ounce box:  500 calories, 35g fat
  • Twizzlers, 6-ounce bag:  570 calories, 4g fat
  • M&Ms, 5.3-ounce bag:  750 calories, 32g fat
  • Peanut M&Ms, 5.3-ounce bag:  790 calories, 40g fat
  • Reese’s Pieces, 8-ounce bag:  1160 calories, 60g fat

How Many Calories Do You Eat With Your Movie?

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Movie Calories

Have you ever walked into a movie theater and you’re immediately craving popcorn? Why not – we’ve been conditioned that hot, buttery, salty popcorn goes with a movie. And, there’s no escaping the smell of freshly popped (and sometimes not so freshly popped) corn and the (often annoying) sound of people around you scratching around in their popcorn buckets and crunching down on the buttery (oily) kernels.

Your senses are assaulted: start filling the bucket!  Doesn’t matter if it’s a coconut oil mix instead of butter sprayed into the bucket or that the naked popcorn (before the oil and salt) tastes like cardboard. The siren call of movie theater popcorn is often too strong to overcome.

I Don’t Care, I’m Going To Have It Anyway

There’s no way I would suggest that you – or I – should avoid movie theater popcorn and candy. But perhaps a compromise?

How about a small bag instead of a big bucket – water instead of a huge soda? Forget the combo deals and the upgrades – is it worth it to you to spend 50 cents more for a larger size and tons more calories? If Raisinets – or Goobers – or Milk Duds are your thing, the same is true – buy the smaller size or split it with a friend.

Some eyeopeners:

  • The size of popcorn buckets and soda varies significantly between theater chains. One theater’s medium tub of popcorn might hold 10 cups but another’s might hold up to 20. One chain’s medium soda can be 32 ounces but another’s is 44 ounces — one chain’s small soda might be 16 ounces but another’s is 32 ounces.
  • The average small movie popcorn with “buttery” topping has about 600 calories — about the same as a quarter-pound cheeseburger (550 calories). The average large movie popcorn with “buttery” topping has about 1,270 calories — about the same as two large pieces of fried chicken (800 calories), a cup of mashed potatoes (230), and a 16-ounce soda (200 calories).
  • A combo with a large soda (48 ounces) and a large popcorn with “buttery” topping has about 1,700 calories.
  • An average small movie soda (23 ounces) has about 14 teaspoons of sugar and a little over 200 calories. An average large movie soda (47 ounces) has about 30 teaspoons of sugar and around 450 calories.

FYI: Average Calories In Movie Theater Food

(Note the serving sizes, movie theater popcorn bags and buckets and boxes of candy are often huge and may be double or triple the size shown below.)

Popcorn, Nachos, Soft Pretzel

  • Buttered popcorn, small, 5 cups:  470 calories, 35g fat
  • Buttered popcorn, large, 20 cups:  1640 calories, 126g fat
  • Cheese nachos, large (4 oz):  1100 calories, 60g fat
  • Soft pretzel, large (5 oz):  480 calories, 5g fat

Soda and Lemonade

  • Coke, 18 ounces: 218 calories, 0g fat
  • Coke, 44 ounces:  534 calories, 0g fat
  • Minute Maid Lemonade, 18 ounces:  248 calories, 0g fat
  • Minute Maid Lemonade, 44 ounces:  605 calories, 0g fat

Candy

  • Junior Mints, 3-ounce box:  360 calories, 7g fat
  • Sno Caps, 3.1-ounce box:  300 calories, 15g fat
  • Milk Duds, 3-ounce box:  370 calories, 12g fat
  • Raisinets, 3.5-ounce bag:  400 calories, 16g fat
  • Goobers, 3.5-ounce box:  500 calories, 35g fat
  • Twizzlers, 6-ounce bag:  570 calories, 4g fat
  • M&Ms, 5.3-ounce bag:  750 calories, 32g fat
  • Peanut M&Ms, 5.3-ounce bag:  790 calories, 40g fat
  • Reese’s Pieces, 8-ounce bag:  1160 calories, 60g fat

What’s Your Favorite Movie Theater Food?

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Large popcornWhen you go to the movies what do you usually notice first?  After the cost of the ticket, it’s probably is the delicious smell of freshly popped (maybe) popcorn. It’s no accident that the concession stand with it’s popcorn popper and glass cases filled with the candy that reminds you that you were once a carefree kid — is right smack in the middle of the lobby.  It’s there to send your already conditioned eyes, nose, and salivary glands an urgent message:  “Buy some”!

I Don’t Care, I’m Going To Have It Anyway

Even if you make it through the lobby without buckets and boxes in hand, all you have to do is sit down in the theater with someone near you noisily munching away.  Up you go – back to the lobby and the concession stand.

It’s amazing what triggers us to eat. There’s a research study by the Cornell food lab that shows that people overeat when they have large portions — even when they don’t like the food. Moviegoers given stale popcorn in big buckets ate 34% more than people who were given the medium size of the same stale popcorn. People who had large buckets of fresh popcorn ate 45% more than people with the medium size.

If you’re going to eat it, do it mindfully.  Would a small size rather than jumbo do it for you?  How about a regular candy bar instead of a king size?  If the popcorn, pretzels, or nachos are  stale and nasty do you really want them?  Ditch the soda for plain old water or a sugar free drink. You could bring some healthy snacks with you — like a lower calorie protein bar or trail mix (a crunchy apple doesn’t lend itself to quiet eating).

FYI:  Some Popular Movie Theater Snacks – And Their Calorie Counts

(Note the serving sizes, movie theater boxes of candy are often huge and may be double or triple the size shown below and what’s a large popcorn in one theater chain might be a medium in another. The number of cups of popcorn sounds craze – but that’s how much is in the bucket or bag that’s commonly available.)

Popcorn, Nachos, Soft Pretzel

  • Buttered popcorn, small, 5 cups:  470 calories, 35g fat
  • Buttered popcorn, large, 20 cups:  1640 calories, 126g fat
  • Cheese nachos, large (4 oz):  1100 calories, 60g fat
  • Soft pretzel, large (5 oz):  480 calories, 5g fat

Soda and Lemonade

  • Coke, small (18 oz:218 calories, 0g fat
  • Coke, large (44 oz):  534 calories, 0g fat
  • Minute Maid Lemonade (18 oz):  248 calories, 0g fat
  • Minute Maid Lemonade (44 oz):  605 calories, 0g fat

Candy

  • Junior Mints, 3 oz box:  360 calories, 7g fat
  • Sno Caps, 3.1 oz box:  300 calories, 15g fat
  • Milk Duds, 3oz box:  370 calories, 12g fat
  • Raisinets, 3.5 oz bag:  400 calories, 16g fat
  • Goobers, 3.5 oz box:  500 calories, 35g fat
  • Twizzlers, 6 oz bag:  570 calories, 4g fat
  • M&Ms, 5.3 oz bag:  750 calories, 32g fat
  • Peanut M&Ms, 5.3 oz bag:  790 calories, 40g fat
  • Reese’s Pieces, 8oz bag:  1160 calories, 60g fat