Americans are flocking to the movies again — and they’re back for more than just the flicks.
Theater operators across the US are reporting the spendiest summer in years, as the nation rediscovered the classic joys of seeing the latest Hollywood fare in a packed house — raking in a whopping $4.61 billion in domestic ticket sales from May-August, said to be the best numbers since 2013, according to Rentrak.
But one chain reports that even the streaming diehards who still refuse to leave their homes are finding a way to participate in the fun — by ordering giant bags of takeout popcorn.
AMC, which has roughly 850 theaters nationwide, reported this week that food delivery sales are up almost 50 percent year over year.
Partnerships with popular food delivery services like Doordash, Uber Eats and Grubhub have proven lucrative for the chain — which said one of the top-selling concessions is none other than popcorn — specifically AMC’s Megabag offering, an oversized portion packaged for takeout with a side of buttery topping, that typically sells on the apps for $24.99 before fees and tips.
Cassie Kennard, AMC’s manager of media relations, told Restaurant Business Online that while it’s “hard to beat” chowing down on fresh popcorn and other movie treats at the theater, “we also know people want to enjoy those same foods at home, whether it’s for a movie night in, a gathering, or simply because they’re craving it.”
Popcorn and candy fanatics helped AMC to its highest reported revenue weekend ever in their 106-year history, at the tail end of July — led by the opening of “Spider Man: Brand New Day”, and helped along by the immense and ongoing popularity of “The Odyssey”.
AMC’s total take between Jul. 29 and Aug. 2, from 10.2 million moviegoers worldwide, was $355M domestically and $927M globally.
The company also said that as part of the patron spending spree, they were able to best all personal records for food and beverage sales over any single weekend.
So far, AMC has earned $923.4 million in the culinary category — an 18 percent year-over-year increase, per financial filings.
The nibble news comes as some returning movie-goers are going to extreme lengths to snag tickets to the films they want to see most.
In August, The Post reported on the crowds of eager New Yorkers who were staying up all night to see “The Odyssey” at the AMC Lincoln Square, where round-the-clock IMAX 70mm showtimes over a string of successive weekends were the hottest ticket in town.
One hardcore movie fan said that he’d seen people on TikTok “legitimately buying wheelchairs” — to secure accessible spots at sold-out showings.
““I low-key respect the commitment,” Joe Colón, 29, told The Post. “That is insane.”
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