Take Advantage Of National Popcorn Day By Going To The Movies
You can't always count on your favorite candy to be in stock at your local movie theater. To state a personal gripe, we've noticed that Nestlé Sno-Caps are nearly impossible to find on the West Coast. Luckily, in times of indecision, popcorn is a reliable mainstay. Some prefer to doctor it up with the salty seasonings kept next to the straws and napkins, while others go in with extra pumps of "butter" (which is actually a butter-like substance flavored with Flavacol, says Stacey Ballis of Extra Crispy). Whichever way you slice it, popcorn is the ultimate movie-going companion.
According to Smithsonian Magazine, the salty snack was actually banned from theaters in the early days of movie-going in America. "They had beautiful carpets and rugs and didn't want popcorn being ground into it," says Andrew Smith, the author of "Popped Culture: A Social History of Popcorn." But when the Great Depression rolled around and Americans took to escaping their doldrums by going to the movies in larger numbers than ever, popcorn stepped in as an affordable and satisfying snack — and a way for movie theaters to make a little extra money.
Today, January 19, is National Popcorn Day. If you need even more of an incentive to munch on the airy kernels while taking in a new release, consider this a sign to head to the movies. Certain theater chains are sweetening the deal with a little discount.
Half-off popcorn at AMC, Regal, and Cinemark
National theater chains AMC, Regal, and Cinemark are celebrating National Popcorn Day by treating movie-goers to 50% off the beloved snack — today only. (Let the record show, however, that Regal slings the deal every Tuesday of the year.) We can't think of a better way to kill some time than by catching a movie and sharing or bogarting a giant bag of the salty snack.
Movie options will vary depending on where you live, but most large theaters are screening the same major releases. If you're a horror fan, you might want to check out "M3GAN," a flick about a child's Artificial Intelligence companion gone horribly wrong. Now would also be a fine time to check out "Avatar: The Way of Water," which scored 92% audience approval on Rotten Tomatoes. Tom Hanks fans and bookworms might choose to catch "A Man Called Otto," based on Fredrik Backman's bestselling novel.