Movie snack stands are now helping small cinemas stay open

Concession sales, led by popcorn, have become a major revenue source for Canadian cinemas and help independent theatres offset box-office revenue shared with studios.

Popcorn and other concessions are now a key revenue stream for cinemas across Canada. Independent operators say snack sales help cover costs that box-office receipts do not, because a substantial share of ticket revenue goes to film distributors. The piece traces the emergence of snack bars to the 1930s and notes public pushback in the 1940s when theatres added concessions. Several modern independent theatres describe expanding and diversifying concessions as part of maintaining viability today. Notable details: - Food service sales at Cineplex accounted for 37.3 per cent of the company's third-quarter revenues in 2025, while box office made up 45.7 per cent, according to the article. - The article reports that box-office fees returned to studios can be as high as 64 per cent of the ticket price, according to a theatre operator quoted in the story. - Popcorn production in the United States rose from about 4 million pounds in 1934 to roughly 100 million pounds by 1940, as reported by a film historian cited in the article. - Newspaper columns and letters in 1948 recorded complaints and calls to boycott theatres that introduced snack bars. - Toronto's Revue Cinema did not add a snack bar until 1955, and some art-house venues resisted popcorn through the 1960s and 1970s, according to the article. - Members of the Network of Independent Canadian Exhibitors have negotiated a shared concession-supply agreement to help lower costs and improve margins. Summary: Concession sales have become an important financial support for cinemas, particularly independent theatres, helping to offset distribution revenue shares and seasonal box-office lulls. Undetermined at this time.