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Is Movie Theater Popcorn better than Microwave Popcorn?
Sunday, July 5, 2009 at 5:21PM 
Popcorn is known as one of the healthiest snacks at the grocery store. The level of healthiness still depends on what kind of popcorn that you eat while checking out Movie Theater releases or watching movies at home. Natural popcorn will not be considered here due to the fact that many movie fans eat what is served at theaters and buy microwave popcorn.
Health Factor
Movie theater popcorn usually contains salt and butter. Some theater locations allow movie goers to add their own butter, if preferred. Butter is not a healthy ingredient when consumed in high quantity. This makes Movie Theater popcorn less healthy among the two. A lot of Microwave popcorn products contain the same ingredients, causing it to be an unhealthy snack as well.
The variety of flavors available at the grocery store is one aspect that provides and advantage for Microwave popcorn. These varieties mean it does not have to be purchased with unhealthy ingredients like butter and salt. Movie fans have an option for natural popcorn without salt or butter when buying the microwave version. Microwave popcorn with butter can still be eaten without worrying about health and weight too much. Buy the "light butter" flavored popcorn and keep it in the microwave for an extra 30 seconds. This may cause some of the popcorn to burn a little, but you will be able to sift through it and find popcorn that is not covered in butter. Microwave popcorn is the healthier choice overall in this section.
Points so far: Microwave = 1 Movie Theater = 0
Taste Value
Popcorn obtained at the movie theater tastes much better than microwave popcorn. Unfortunately, this is not always true at movie theaters that sell popcorn that has already been popped and sits at the counter. In these circumstances, microwave popcorn is the better choice. Many of the contemporary movie multiplexes sell pre-popped popcorn that may taste old or like Styrofoam material. This popcorn is purchased in bulk and placed in a machine that warms the popcorn.
Men and women who are die hard popcorn fans will appreciate the good movie theaters that still use fresh kernels. There are movie theaters that make the popcorn right before a movie's Showtime. Their popcorn snack is still fresh, even if they made it a bit earlier in the day. This is the kind of popcorn that exceeds all flavors of microwave popcorn. There is not one bag of microwave popcorn on the market that tastes better than fresh movie theater popcorn.
Microwave popcorn gets stale in about two hours and does not taste the same when it is no longer warm, making it a less desirable choice. Movie theater popcorn can be eaten at any time, even after leaving the venue. Popcorn snacks at Movie Theaters provide the same satisfaction that lasts for hours from the time of your initial purchase.
Microwave popcorn must also be popped right for the best results or you will end of burning it and wasting your money. There is no way to tell what the perfect time frame is for making this snack because microwave appliances vary. Therefore, movie theaters provide the best results in taste value.
Points so far: Microwave = 1 Movie Theater = 1
Price Points
Price is never really important when movie fans have a craving for popcorn. Microwave popcorn will still beat out snacks from the movie theater when you are worried about cost. The smallest bag of popcorn from a local multiplex will cost around $3.00 each. This would not be that expensive if the snack could last for a long time. Unfortunately, that is not the case when it comes to movie theater concessions. Movie theaters do not provide the option to “doggy bag” your popcorn or store it for later use for say, one week after purchase.
You can spend $2.99 on a box of microwave popcorn that contains at least 3 individual pouches. That is nearly the same amount of money for a snack that can last longer than one day. A single purchased movie theater item will likely be thrown in the trash can as soon as the blockbuster hit starts displaying production credits. Sometimes, there is still a significant amount of popcorn left in the bag. It then becomes a waste of money to purchase popcorn at the movie theater. Where price is concerned, microwave popcorn is better than one bag of the same item from a movie theater.
The verdict has been made on the subject of popcorn.
Points so far: Microwave = 2 Movie Theater = 1
WINNER: Microwave Popcorn
All forms of popcorn distribution are not the same. Therefore, make snack choices based on what it most important. If you want to be healthy, stay away from movie theater popcorn. The same goes for those who are on a tight financial budget. When none of the two factors apply, indulge in a tasty treat while watching your favorite Hollywood movie at the local multiplex.
Which Popcorn type do YOU like better? Leave your Comments below!
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This article was previously published as part of my AC reviews series. Popcorn snacks can be purchased as parties, movie screenings and for watching movies at home but make sure that you know what the options are based on your individual preference.
Bowl of Popcorn Photo: lu_lu
Movie Theater Popcorn Photo: massdistraction
Holding Popcorn Photo:amanky
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Reader Comments (1)
As a child, I remember my parents buying those *huge* bags of popcorn from Costco. We're talking Cheech & Chong garbage pail sized bags. These things were crazy big. This was some of the greatest tasting popcorn around, but it never failed that we were always choking down the final stale buckets full of that stuff. Ahhh. . .good times!