Popcorn machine and movie industry

Popcorn machine saves the movie industry twice

In the mid-1930s, American theaters that experienced the Great Depression went downhill with the national economy. Many cinemas began to lose money, and only those theaters that turned to snacks such as popcorn had survived.

In the same year, a Dallas theater chain installed popcorn machines in its 80 theaters, but was unwilling to install in the top five theaters. Two years later, only the five cinemas without popcorn were sold out. As a result, cinema operators finally understand that selling popcorn is an important channel for cinemas to maintain their livelihoods.

In the 1950s, the popularity of television made the theater business harder. Once again, thanks to popcorn, the theater survived. Because in that time, popcorn was not a simple food that could be made in a microwave oven at home. To eat popcorn, you had to go out and buy, and the first choice was a movie theater.

In 1947, half of the popcorn eaten by Americans was in theaters.

â—† Economic reasons

Concession sales delight cinema audiences

Some viewers may complain that the price of popcorn sold in cinemas is much higher than that on the market. But at least in the United States, it is precisely because of the high profits of popcorn that it guarantees that viewers can buy cheaper tickets.

"This is the best concession to sell, and it is also the key to maintaining the theater's survival." Wesley Hartman, professor of business at Stanford University, pointed out.

Wesleyan cited an example: "For the hardcore fans, they go to the cinema is a habit, and sometimes it doesn't matter how good the movie is. At the same time, they consume popcorn has become a viewing habit. So, theoretically, if they Willing to spend 10 dollars to watch a bad film, then would also like to spend 15 dollars to see a good movie, but the cinema can not be raised because of good reputation."

The high profit margin of popcorn guarantees concession sales. Wesley points out that, for example, a movie whose fare was supposed to be 15 US dollars was priced at only 10 US dollars. Although it seems to be deficient, the theater got another deal from selling popcorn. $5 income. Consumers will consider themselves saving $5 and are happy with it. The theater also earned a total of $15.

â—†Psychological reasons

Chewing relieves stress

Under normal circumstances, ordinary people need more water than snacks. However, Shi Yu, an psychiatrist, revealed the psychological reason that popcorn is better sold in theaters: Chewing can relax people.

Shi Yu explained that studies have shown that people can achieve the effects of reducing stress, eliminating tension, increasing attention and memory while chewing, and improving people's performance in certain cognitive tasks.

"When the mouth comes in contact with food and chews and swallows, it can shift people's attention to nervousness and anxiety, creating another area of ​​excitement in the brain's food intake center, thereby restraining the excitement area and finally relaxing the body and mind." Say.

This interpretation gained Andrew's support, he said, in addition to children's more children's movies, the largest number of movies that consume popcorn is thriller suspense.

In addition to providing popcorn, today's cinemas also sell snacks such as French fries and hot dogs. Why aren't they popular?

It is understood that popcorn is popular in domestic cinemas since the 1990s. First of all, skinless food itself is the first choice for theaters; secondly, popcorn is not seasonal, people sell it all year round, and the processing time is short and easy to carry.

One of the most important reasons why popcorn is so popular in theaters is that it is customary.

You may not think that a bucket of popcorn has such a large amount of energy that it is driving the development of the film industry.

Popcorn machine enters home

Popcorn does not eat much at home, mainly because it is not easy to make at home: Consumers need popcorn machines, oil, butter, salt and other materials to make their favorite snacks when they watch movies at home. In order to reduce this burden, an insurance product was launched - EZPop, the business advertised as an all-embracing popcorn machine - it would be automatically produced by simply bringing it down on the stove. After EZPop, JiffyPop, a famous home-made popcorn with the same principles, came out. Popcorn became popular at home after it became a simple snack. In the 1970s, microwave ovens became more and more popular in the home and popcorn flourished. Now you can enjoy popcorn at home with a click of a button.

After popcorn enters the family, the link between traditional popcorn and movies, or the connection between popcorn and entertainment, is still there. A German electrical company, Nordmende, even used popcorn to promote the microwave, promoting it as "a good partner for weekday films (sponso

Rofthemidweekmoive)".

Nowadays, popcorn industry is closely related to watching movies at home in the evening through pop movies or popcorn-style popcorn.