How Movie Theater Concessions Can Sell More Gourmet Popcorn
With an increasing number of options for watching movies at home (or even on cell phones) and competition from other local establishments, competition for movie theaters is fierce. That’s why having a concession option such as gourmet popcorn is lucrative. Providing gourmet popcorn is a great way to get people into your seats and gives them something to talk about in addition to the movie they actually came to see.
There’s already a natural fit between theaters and popcorn, where people have come to associate one with the other. You can impress your guests (and increase your profit margin) with gourmet popcorn in particular because the perceived value allows you to mark it up slightly more than regular buttered popcorn.
What you may not know is that it doesn’t cost much more to make specific flavors, allowing you to go above and beyond by coming up with a theme to coincide with a hot movie release: it’s not a far stretch to add color to go with a specific character. When Disney's sequel to Maleficent comes out (to be released October 2019), for example, try a blend of dark cherry popcorn mixed with green apple, bundle it with a large drink, and sell the combination as “The Maleficent Mix.”
By offering something that patrons can’t get anywhere else (even at another movie theater) you can build customer loyalty. Get your team involved and see what ideas you can come up with as a group in order to increase their investment in the product as well. If they’re able to contribute to the concepts, they’ll be more enthusiastic about upselling it and telling others about the special offering.
Gold Medal is here to provide guidance on the best way to use your gourmet popcorn supplies and flavors, as well as how to market them. By working with us, you’ll make even your concessions part of the conversation.
Movies are a staple of American culture – just for fun, tell us what movie you think could make a great popcorn flavor by commenting on our Facebook page or sharing on Twitter (#gmpopcorn)!
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