'The End' for popcorn in British cinemas

CptSternn · 08-11-2008, 03:31 AM

http://tinyurl.com/5hcs35

LONDON (AFP) - The credits are rolling in Britain for the time-honoured cinematic tradition of munching popcorn at the movies -- a newspaper reported Sunday that increasing numbers of cinemas are banning it.

A combination of health-conscious cinemagoers rejecting sugar-coated popcorn and disgust at its distinctive smell is steadily spelling "The End" for the snack in some arthouse cinema chains, the Observer reported.

It quoted Daniel Broch, the owner of the renowned Everyman cinema in London's upmarket Hampstead district, who recently bought 17 more venues.

"I will de-popcorn every new venue I acquire," he said. "It has a disproportionate influence on the space in terms of its overwhelming smell, the cultural idea of it and the operational problems created by the mess it produces.

"I'm not saying no popcorn is better than popcorn," he added. "But I am saying there is no way in which it fits with the culturally sophisticated brand I wish to sell."

The Picturehouse Cinema, a chain of 19 cinemas across Britain, will experiment with popcorn-free screenings in September.

"Popcorn is a contentious issue. Lots of people absolutely hate it and have asked us to ban it, so we're going to do exactly that," the group's head of media, Gabriel Swartland, told the Observer.

"If it's a success, and I've no reason to suspect it won't be, we'll roll it out across all our cinemas and make it a permanent fixture," said Swartland.

But other cinemas which tried to go popcorn-free found customers demanded it.

"Audiences in three venues... began asking for popcorn, so we provided it," said Richard Napper, the marketing director of the Curzon chain.

Disaffected Shoelaces · 08-11-2008, 03:34 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by CptSternn

"Popcorn is a contentious issue. Lots of people absolutely hate it and have asked us to ban it, so we're going to do exactly that," the group's head of media, Gabriel Swartland, told the Observer.

This happened with popcorn.
It also happened with "extreme" porn.
Porn is a contraction of popcorn.

Concidence? You decide.

CptSternn · 08-11-2008, 03:37 AM

First, the brits complain about outdoor festivals and want to do away with them (https://www.gothic.net/boards/showthread.php?t=11527). Now, they want to do away with popcorn because its 'unsightly' and in the opinion of some rich bastards has an 'unpleasant odor'.

I say we just do away with the eejits who suggest doing away with outdoor festivals and popcorn.

Saya · 08-11-2008, 03:42 AM

But.....but its sooo yummy! And everything else they sell at the theatre either gives me a tummy ache or a tooth ache.

NightmareInShiningArmour · 08-11-2008, 03:44 AM

Are they gonna ban the movies next?

LiUsAiDh · 08-11-2008, 03:45 AM

YAY! I hate popcorn, it's noisy, people spill it, it tastes nasty, it's unhealthy; and not to mention the cinema staff take 20 minutes cleaning the room thing whilst you have to stand and wait.

We want our festivals though >_>

constanza · 08-11-2008, 03:56 AM

I cant say im particularly bothered about the ban because ive allways snuck my own food in via my best friends doll buggy.up yours mr £3:95 icecream cone.

That said,this entire "culturaly sophisticated" shit seems to ruining most entertainment theses days,from cinema popcorn to tv programs.

Someone should tell these ejits that we dont want opera aconpanied alfresco torelini dining with frilly plates.We want to grab a chip butty,listen to led zep on maxiumum volume,stuff our faces and throw the burnt bits at the chav across the road! Thats what i call entertainment.

Sir Canvas Corpsey · 08-11-2008, 04:38 AM

I love popcorn with a passion, on occasion I have agreed to go to the movies with friends simply because it gives me an excuse to stuff myself with the stuff.

Saya · 08-11-2008, 05:21 AM

Hehe, I know what you mean. Though to save money I bought my own air popper.

PortraitOfSanity · 08-11-2008, 06:28 AM

I guess I'm gonna be the devil's advocate here, but I'd love a popcorn free movie theater, I don't eat it, and whenever I go to a movie there's always some asshole sitting behind me chewing popcorn with his mouth wide open so I can hear his chewing over the damn movie, and I'm tempted to knock his damn teeth out. Banning popcorn reduces movie theater violence kids.

Raptor · 08-11-2008, 06:51 AM

Sugar coated popcorn is nasty. I like salted though.

Anyway it's a bit retarded banning it, they must make so much money off that shit. Though maybe he charges lots more for his "culturally sophisticated brand" of cinema.

Geoluhread · 08-11-2008, 07:11 AM

Good for them!!
I can't take popcorn... I hate it!! It's smell just makes me dizzy and want to throw up...
Believe it or not, i've never been to a movie theatre... And now that i think of it, thank god i haven't... And i don't want to, due to popcorn... So thanks for giving me a bloody good reason not to go...

Minyaliel · 08-11-2008, 07:50 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by constanza

Someone should tell these ejits that we dont want opera aconpanied alfresco torelini dining with frilly plates.We want to grab a chip butty,listen to led zep on maxiumum volume,stuff our faces and throw the burnt bits at the chav across the road! Thats what i call entertainment.

Hey, don't you talk bad about opera - it's great entertainment. Hmpf. It's not just stuffy "primadonnas" screaming something about their lost love. Chrissakes, I'm an opera singer, and I'm neither of these things.

Anyway, this guy's just being silly. He is going to loose customers when they can't have their customary popcorn. I don't care for eating while I'm watching a movie - I get way too absorbed in what I'm watching, I forget to eat altogether, but taking away peoples' free choice is _bad_, no matter what the issue is.

Tam Li Hua · 08-11-2008, 08:33 AM

Instead of taking away the popcorn, why not make it healthier? After all, popcorn isn't bad for you; it's the extra fake butter and salt and all that they put on it that is.

I -love- lightly-salted natural popcorn, but I can only stomach regular, saturated popcorn now and again. :P

LadyStardust · 08-11-2008, 11:54 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tam Li Hua

Instead of taking away the popcorn, why not make it healthier? After all, popcorn isn't bad for you; it's the extra fake butter and salt and all that they put on it that is.

I -love- lightly-salted natural popcorn, but I can only stomach regular, saturated popcorn now and again. :P

Very, very true. I think it's one of the healthier snacks offered at most movie theaters. If they do away with popcorn, will they ban all othe snacks as well: nachos, chocolate, candy, soda, etc? "I'm sorry, but we don't offer snacks anymore. You should have eaten before you came." Humph. I know I'd never go to a theater that didn't offer munchies.

Tam Li Hua · 08-11-2008, 12:37 PM

Tell me about it!

A few weeks ago I had some nachos at the Rave, and they were six bucks of nasty! >_<

I tell you what would be cool, though: A movie theater and nice, sit-down restaurant in one. I've heard there are such things, and it just sounds like such a cool and classy idea.

LadyStardust · 08-11-2008, 12:39 PM

Well, the theater here has a food court kind of thing, with Pizza Hut and New York Fries, among other things.

LaBelleDameSansMerci · 08-11-2008, 12:48 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tam Li Hua

extra fake butter

The margarinish that's one atom away from being the container it comes in? I hate that stuff. People are like "Do you wanna share a popcorn?" and I say "Sure," and then they get it drowned in margarinish and I can't eat any. If the theatres would just use real butter... >.<

I don't think popcorn should be banned. Perhaps the niche market could be filled by one or two theatres in large cities that have no popcorn, but I think the vast majority of people either want or don't mind popcorn.

Joker_in_the_Pack · 08-11-2008, 01:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by LiUsAiDh

it's noisy

No way it's noisier than the fucking people.

Quote:

Originally Posted by LiUsAiDh

people spill it

Don't blame food on people's stupidity

Quote:

Originally Posted by LiUsAiDh

it tastes nasty

Then you don't eat it, most people like it.

Quote:

Originally Posted by LiUsAiDh

it's unhealthy

No it's not. The butter people SOAK it in is unhealthy.

Quote:

Originally Posted by LiUsAiDh

the cinema staff take 20 minutes cleaning the room thing whilst you have to wait

Also, they have to pick up cups and wrappers and everything else the cretinous theatre-goers leave behind because they're to lazy to pick up their shit and insist on being cows.

Quote:

Originally Posted by PortraitOfSanity

I guess I'm gonna be the devil's advocate here, but I'd love a popcorn free movie theater, I don't eat it, and whenever I go to a movie there's always some asshole sitting behind me chewing popcorn with his mouth wide open so I can hear his chewing over the damn movie, and I'm tempted to knock his damn teeth out. Banning popcorn reduces movie theater violence kids.

You're an idiot.

JCC · 08-11-2008, 01:36 PM

I think the main point here is that popcorn is losing them money and so in a business decision they've decided to discontinue serving popcorn. The news article's meant to make you angry by using words like 'ban' as if it's an inhibition of your freedom, really, popcorn's just more hassle than it's worth.

constanza · 08-11-2008, 02:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Minyaliel

Hey, don't you talk bad about opera - it's great entertainment. Hmpf. It's not just stuffy "primadonnas" screaming something about their lost love. Chrissakes, I'm an opera singer, and I'm neither of these things.

just to clarify im not downtalking or steriotyping opera, i think its an amazing artform,even though its not my cup of coffee. it just struck me as something that the "cultuarly sophisticated" cinema manager would want us all to listen to day and night,and i found it rarther funny.

by the way kudos for being able to sing that well

,what kind of opera do you sing?

KontanKarite · 08-11-2008, 03:42 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by LiUsAiDh

YAY! I hate popcorn, it's noisy, people spill it, it tastes nasty, it's unhealthy; and not to mention the cinema staff take 20 minutes cleaning the room thing whilst you have to stand and wait.

We want our festivals though >_>

You can't be serious...

Sir Canvas Corpsey · 08-11-2008, 03:45 PM

I honestly don't understand what is wrong with the smell...

MitsyMayhem · 08-11-2008, 04:00 PM

That's the stupidest shit I've read this week.
I like popcorn, and I rarely get to have it.
Wtf?
At least they aren't discontinuing it here.
If they did, there would be a riot.

Raptor · 08-11-2008, 05:52 PM

It isn't some nation wide thing, it's just the places this person owns. The website shows you that they charge £9.50 ($18US) just to see the movie, so I doubt I'd be going there anyway.