Matt Damon
Player Valuation: £60m
http://uk.movies.yahoo.com/blog/article/153964/has-popcorn-watched-its-last-film.html
You might think that cinema's best pairings are Johnny Depp and Tim Burton, Martin Scorsese and Robert De Niro, or James Cameron and really, really expensive movies. Well think again. The most enduring film duo is cinemas and popcorn, an unlikely but mouth-watering team that is fully entwined with the history of films.
After a tempestuous start to the relationship, popcorn has become so synonymous with the movie-going experience that money made from the snack has exceeded the amount made from the movie itself for some time. But with the rise of 3D films – the latest plot for the studios to make more money from cinema goers – popcorn may not be as important to the movie industry as it has previously been. On top of this, movie chains in the US are currently fighting a requirement to disclose just how many calories a bucket of popcorn contains. If you didn’t know, it’s nearly 1,500 calories, the same as three Big Macs.
A regular sight at burlesque shows, popcorn was first introduced to the mainstream around 1840 as a treat at fairs and carnivals. When films began to attract a huge audience, canny street vendors saw the huge queues from movie-goers outside and saw a chance to make money. Knowing that people queuing to see a film would be hungry they sold them popcorn, which in turn they would take in to the cinemas to munch on while watching films.
While crazy to think now, theatre owners weren't best pleased with their customer’s snack of choice. At the time many films were shown in upscale theatres, plush surroundings that had expensive décor and big, fancy chandeliers - not the best environment for a sticky and messy food like popcorn. But as more people munched on the snack during movies, and even left cinemas midway through a film to get some more, cinema owners realised they could make a lot of money if they embraced the new phenomenon.
Even when the dollar signs flashed up in their eyes (like they do in Warner Bros cartoons) there was still some hesitancy, with the earlier popcorn makers seen as a dangerous fire hazard. It was the Great Depression that saw cinema's love affair with popcorn begin to, well, pop. A trip to the cinema was one of the rare treats during the time, as was having a cheap snack like popcorn. Cinema bosses had to reduce the price for tickets and find another source of revenue. Those who lowered prices for cinema tickets and added a popcorn machine saw increased profits, while those who didn't saw many of them go out of business. New cinemas had less fancy surroundings, so mess caused by the food wasn't such a problem anymore either and the love affair between films and popcorn flourished. It was perfect timing too. The popularity of popcorn continued to increase thanks to a ration on sugar and a limited production of candy bars.
So what about the future of popcorn – will it still be an enduring part of the film viewing process? To be honest, it most probably will, as cinema bosses will never remove such a money spinning element to the cinema. But due to the escalating costs of watching a movie, you may well see a huge reduction in confectionary crunching in you local cinema.
You might think that cinema's best pairings are Johnny Depp and Tim Burton, Martin Scorsese and Robert De Niro, or James Cameron and really, really expensive movies. Well think again. The most enduring film duo is cinemas and popcorn, an unlikely but mouth-watering team that is fully entwined with the history of films.
After a tempestuous start to the relationship, popcorn has become so synonymous with the movie-going experience that money made from the snack has exceeded the amount made from the movie itself for some time. But with the rise of 3D films – the latest plot for the studios to make more money from cinema goers – popcorn may not be as important to the movie industry as it has previously been. On top of this, movie chains in the US are currently fighting a requirement to disclose just how many calories a bucket of popcorn contains. If you didn’t know, it’s nearly 1,500 calories, the same as three Big Macs.
A regular sight at burlesque shows, popcorn was first introduced to the mainstream around 1840 as a treat at fairs and carnivals. When films began to attract a huge audience, canny street vendors saw the huge queues from movie-goers outside and saw a chance to make money. Knowing that people queuing to see a film would be hungry they sold them popcorn, which in turn they would take in to the cinemas to munch on while watching films.
While crazy to think now, theatre owners weren't best pleased with their customer’s snack of choice. At the time many films were shown in upscale theatres, plush surroundings that had expensive décor and big, fancy chandeliers - not the best environment for a sticky and messy food like popcorn. But as more people munched on the snack during movies, and even left cinemas midway through a film to get some more, cinema owners realised they could make a lot of money if they embraced the new phenomenon.
Even when the dollar signs flashed up in their eyes (like they do in Warner Bros cartoons) there was still some hesitancy, with the earlier popcorn makers seen as a dangerous fire hazard. It was the Great Depression that saw cinema's love affair with popcorn begin to, well, pop. A trip to the cinema was one of the rare treats during the time, as was having a cheap snack like popcorn. Cinema bosses had to reduce the price for tickets and find another source of revenue. Those who lowered prices for cinema tickets and added a popcorn machine saw increased profits, while those who didn't saw many of them go out of business. New cinemas had less fancy surroundings, so mess caused by the food wasn't such a problem anymore either and the love affair between films and popcorn flourished. It was perfect timing too. The popularity of popcorn continued to increase thanks to a ration on sugar and a limited production of candy bars.
So what about the future of popcorn – will it still be an enduring part of the film viewing process? To be honest, it most probably will, as cinema bosses will never remove such a money spinning element to the cinema. But due to the escalating costs of watching a movie, you may well see a huge reduction in confectionary crunching in you local cinema.
