Movie tickets are expected to rise by 30% this year, says the May 19 Advertising Age. Why? Popcorn, of all things. The price of popcorn is rising; popcorn accounts for 45% of movie concession sales; and concession sales account for 25% of movie theater revenues on average and 40% of the revenues at smaller ones. This year’s popcorn crop is down 10% because of the corn-for-ethanol fiasco, and the price of cooking oil is up by 24%. Oh. And the paper tubs now cost more than the popcorn itself. Who knew?
I am honored (hugely) to be the recipient of the 2023 Edinburgh Medal, at which I give a speech as part of the Edinburgh Science Festival. My talk, “Food Politics: Why it Matters Now” is at 7:00 p.m. Information about the Science Festival is here. A Tweet announcing my award is here.