Popcorn, nachos, sweets or monkey nuts? Steve Robb puts them to the test
It's been a cinema staple for a century, but now popcorn is being banned by Britain's biggest chain of arthouse screens. Does the cotton wool-textured snack enhance or diminish the movie-going experience, asks Steve Robb.
It's been a cinema staple for a century, but now popcorn is being banned by Britain's biggest chain of arthouse screens. Does the cotton wool-textured snack enhance or diminish the movie-going experience, asks Stephen Robb.
Noisy, messy and downmarket, seems to be the accusation being made within the cinema industry.
Noisy, messy and downmarket, seems to be the accusation being made within the cinema industry.
That's not an attack on most of Hollywood's current output, but on the long-favoured snack accompaniment to a cinema visit. Picturehouse Cinemas, the UK's largest arthouse chain, with 19 venues, is launching a trial of popcorn-free screenings at one of its venues.
That's not an attack on most of Hollywood's current output, but on the long-favoured snack accompaniment to a cinema visit. Picturehouse Cinemas, the UK's largest arthouse chain, with 19 venues, is launching a trial of popcorn-free screenings at one of its venues.
In doing so, it is following in the footsteps of other popcorn no-go zones such as the Everyman Cinema Club - which has eight theatres. Its style of movie-going experience is hinted at by the menu for its flagship venue in Hampstead, north-west London, which includes wasabi peas, olives and Italian bread and a wine list that would not embarrass a small, family-run bistro.
In doing so, it is following in the footsteps of other popcorn no-go zones such as the Everyman Cinema Club - which has eight theatres. Its style of movie-going experience is hinted at by the menu for its flagship venue in Hampstead, north-west London, which includes wasabi peas, olives and Italian bread and a wine list that would not embarrass a small, family-run bistro.
According to Picturehouse's Gabriel Swartland, "Popcorn is a contentious issue. Lots of people absolutely hate it and have asked us to ban it."It's an entertainment institution... and popcorn's popular too
According to Picturehouse's Gabriel Swartland, "Popcorn is a contentious issue. Lots of people absolutely hate it and have asked us to ban it."It's an entertainment institution... and popcorn's popular too
The artistic director of London's Tricycle theatre and cinema, Nicholas Kent, goes one step further, calling it "a form of junk food... that encourages junk entertainment". Of all the criticism being levelled at popcorn, the unlikely allegation that it is responsible for bad art is surely the most difficult to swallow (although it could explain Keanu Reeves' body of work).
The artistic director of London's Tricycle theatre and cinema, Nicholas Kent, goes one step further, calling it "a form of junk food... that encourages junk entertainment". Of all the criticism being levelled at popcorn, the unlikely allegation that it is responsible for bad art is surely the most difficult to swallow (although it could explain Keanu Reeves' body of work).
Clearly the knives are out for a snack that has the distinction of being the only foodstuff socially acceptable to spill down oneself in the presence of strangers.
Clearly the knives are out for a snack that has the distinction of being the only foodstuff socially acceptable to spill down oneself in the presence of strangers.
But popcorn has always been more than an afterthought for cinema owners, who like it most of all for its profitability - the boxes apparently cost more to produce than the popcorn inside them.
But popcorn has always been more than an afterthought for cinema owners, who like it most of all for its profitability - the boxes apparently cost more to produce than the popcorn inside them.
Phil Clapp, chief executive of the Cinema Exhibitors' Association, goes so far as to suggest major cinema chains "would struggle to be viable without popcorn".
Phil Clapp, chief executive of the Cinema Exhibitors' Association, goes so far as to suggest major cinema chains "would struggle to be viable without popcorn".
"These cinemas considering going popcorn-free are creating a radically different model to any we've had before in the industry," says Mr Clapp.
"These cinemas considering going popcorn-free are creating a radically different model to any we've had before in the industry," says Mr Clapp.
Adult entertainment
Adult entertainment
Accounting aside, how important is popcorn to the cinema-going experience? I set out to research the matter by visiting two cinemas on opposite sides of the popcorn debate: the aforementioned Tricycle (mission statement: to provide "an artistic programme of the highest quality that attracts and reflects the culturally diverse local community") and a London West End Odeon (mission statement: "to entertain more people in the UK than any other cinema chain"). POPCORN IN THE CINEMA With the advent of cinemas at the beginning of the 20th Century, popcorn-vendors began trading outside US venues as they had at fairs and sporting eventsCinema-owners realised they could be enjoying the profits from popcorn and other snacks sold outside, and the cinema concession stand was bornPopcorn grew in popularity in the US during the Great Depression, cheap to produce and a rare, affordable treatPopcorn gained another boost from World War II, when American consumption trebled amid sugar rationingPopcorn suffered a slump in popularity in the 1950s, the arrival of television decimating cinema audiences for a timeMost of the world's popcorn is grown in Nebraska and Indiana, with the US itself consuming more than one billion pounds a yearUnflavoured popcorn is high in fibre, low in calories, salt-free and sugar-free
Accounting aside, how important is popcorn to the cinema-going experience? I set out to research the matter by visiting two cinemas on opposite sides of the popcorn debate: the aforementioned Tricycle (mission statement: to provide "an artistic programme of the highest quality that attracts and reflects the culturally diverse local community") and a London West End Odeon (mission statement: "to entertain more people in the UK than any other cinema chain"). POPCORN IN THE CINEMA With the advent of cinemas at the beginning of the 20th Century, popcorn-vendors began trading outside US venues as they had at fairs and sporting eventsCinema-owners realised they could be enjoying the profits from popcorn and other snacks sold outside, and the cinema concession stand was bornPopcorn grew in popularity in the US during the Great Depression, cheap to produce and a rare, affordable treatPopcorn gained another boost from World War II, when American consumption trebled amid sugar rationingPopcorn suffered a slump in popularity in the 1950s, the arrival of television decimating cinema audiences for a timeMost of the world's popcorn is grown in Nebraska and Indiana, with the US itself consuming more than one billion pounds a yearUnflavoured popcorn is high in fibre, low in calories, salt-free and sugar-free
While the Tricycle could be making a pointed statement with the sale of "roasted corn" - the hard seeds, roasted and salted - among its selection of gourmet snacks, these businesses are clearly more than a kernel-pop apart.
While the Tricycle could be making a pointed statement with the sale of "roasted corn" - the hard seeds, roasted and salted - among its selection of gourmet snacks, these businesses are clearly more than a kernel-pop apart.
The film a friend and I have chosen to see at the Tricycle is Man on Wire. It is a documentary about a French tightrope-walker, with subtitles and sections in black-and-white. Its arthouse credentials could only be enhanced by adding three hours to its running time.
The film a friend and I have chosen to see at the Tricycle is Man on Wire. It is a documentary about a French tightrope-walker, with subtitles and sections in black-and-white. Its arthouse credentials could only be enhanced by adding three hours to its running time.
We order some of the roasted corn, gourmet crisps - poured into a paper cup "so the rustling doesn't bother people", says one staff member - plus a beer and a glass of wine also decanted into paper cups.
We order some of the roasted corn, gourmet crisps - poured into a paper cup "so the rustling doesn't bother people", says one staff member - plus a beer and a glass of wine also decanted into paper cups.
It may not rival the introduction of sound as an advance in cinema but the rise of alcohol in arthouses is gratifying, and more indicative than their rejection of popcorn that they view their audiences as grown-ups.
It may not rival the introduction of sound as an advance in cinema but the rise of alcohol in arthouses is gratifying, and more indicative than their rejection of popcorn that they view their audiences as grown-ups.
Similarly, the usual on-screen message asking mobile phones to be switched off is conspicuously absent here - the audience apparently credited with the foresight and consideration to do it without prompting.
Similarly, the usual on-screen message asking mobile phones to be switched off is conspicuously absent here - the audience apparently credited with the foresight and consideration to do it without prompting.
There are a couple of dozen people at the screening, with conversation muted beforehand and few snacks in evidence: a paper bag brought in from outside here, a luxury ice cream there.
There are a couple of dozen people at the screening, with conversation muted beforehand and few snacks in evidence: a paper bag brought in from outside here, a luxury ice cream there.
A woman two rows in front sneaks a couple of crisps during the film, visibly handling the bag with care and delicacy to minimise any disturbance.
A woman two rows in front sneaks a couple of crisps during the film, visibly handling the bag with care and delicacy to minimise any disturbance.
The atmosphere throughout is serious and reverential. At the end credits, people file out slowly, likely beginning serious and reverential discussions of the film to be continued in the attached cafe/bar/art gallery.
The atmosphere throughout is serious and reverential. At the end credits, people file out slowly, likely beginning serious and reverential discussions of the film to be continued in the attached cafe/bar/art gallery.
Outsized portions
Outsized portions
Some days later at the Odeon Shaftesbury Avenue, in central London, it's popcorn as usual, piled high and shovelled fast.Cotton wool-like texture and apparently cheaper than its packaging
Some days later at the Odeon Shaftesbury Avenue, in central London, it's popcorn as usual, piled high and shovelled fast.Cotton wool-like texture and apparently cheaper than its packaging
The "sweet or salted" dilemma dominates foyer discussions rather more vocal than at the Tricycle, while a group of teenage girls hanging out before the film plump for pillow-sized bags of toffee popcorn.
The "sweet or salted" dilemma dominates foyer discussions rather more vocal than at the Tricycle, while a group of teenage girls hanging out before the film plump for pillow-sized bags of toffee popcorn.
Armed with a regular tub (read: obscenely large) of sweet popcorn, diet drink (non-alcoholic, of course) and an ice cream tub, we are here to see Wall-E, Disney-Pixar's tale of a robot love affair on a garbage-covered Earth abandoned by mankind.
Armed with a regular tub (read: obscenely large) of sweet popcorn, diet drink (non-alcoholic, of course) and an ice cream tub, we are here to see Wall-E, Disney-Pixar's tale of a robot love affair on a garbage-covered Earth abandoned by mankind.
My friend knows nothing about the film in advance, but is "already more excited because I've got popcorn and a drink".
My friend knows nothing about the film in advance, but is "already more excited because I've got popcorn and a drink".
Her reaction is apparently not unique; there is an exuberant atmosphere inside the three-quarters full auditorium ahead of the film - people chatting, laughing and almost all of them guzzling outsized portions of food and drink.
Her reaction is apparently not unique; there is an exuberant atmosphere inside the three-quarters full auditorium ahead of the film - people chatting, laughing and almost all of them guzzling outsized portions of food and drink.
While the arthouse experience was studious, even worshipful, this feels like more of a celebration, a party with a substantial buffet. And just in case the event is under-catered for, the mobile phone reminder is preceded by the advice that there is still time to purchase popcorn and a drink.
While the arthouse experience was studious, even worshipful, this feels like more of a celebration, a party with a substantial buffet. And just in case the event is under-catered for, the mobile phone reminder is preceded by the advice that there is still time to purchase popcorn and a drink.
Communal thrill
Communal thrill
I have friends who refuse to visit cinemas like this, for fear of being disturbed by other audience members.
I have friends who refuse to visit cinemas like this, for fear of being disturbed by other audience members.
While I understand their irritation, they are denying themselves the communal experience of movies at their most thrilling: an entire audience jumping at a perfectly-executed horror movie scare, or wiping their eyes together at a devastatingly effective tearjerker.
While I understand their irritation, they are denying themselves the communal experience of movies at their most thrilling: an entire audience jumping at a perfectly-executed horror movie scare, or wiping their eyes together at a devastatingly effective tearjerker.
This can be manipulative and misleading: I laughed constantly along with everybody else on a Saturday night to Hot Fuzz; and considerably less alone on my sofa months later.
This can be manipulative and misleading: I laughed constantly along with everybody else on a Saturday night to Hot Fuzz; and considerably less alone on my sofa months later.
Perhaps the film industry hopes that when its product is substandard, audiences can be swept along by peer pressure, or distracted by sweets, fizzy drinks and, yes, popcorn. Whatever, that evening in the Odeon, we laugh together; I can't be certain, but I'm pretty sure our eyes well up together; there is not a distracting crunch, slurp or murmur throughout; and we all leave with smiles on our faces.
Perhaps the film industry hopes that when its product is substandard, audiences can be swept along by peer pressure, or distracted by sweets, fizzy drinks and, yes, popcorn. Whatever, that evening in the Odeon, we laugh together; I can't be certain, but I'm pretty sure our eyes well up together; there is not a distracting crunch, slurp or murmur throughout; and we all leave with smiles on our faces.
The cinema could do with a trash-compacting robot like Wall-E to clean up afterwards, though.
The cinema could do with a trash-compacting robot like Wall-E to clean up afterwards, though.
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