Your movie snack order has a genre bias

Time of India

5 hours ago

Your movie snack order has a genre bias
At a late-night screening of Mission Impossible last month, there was a long queue for F&B for the 11 pm show. Those in the cinema business say that's the thing about certain genres - they come with higher F&B orders.
As per the Multiplex Association of India, this summer saw 80-90% occupancy at cinemas, which also meant much higher F&B sales.
But here's what F&B experts at movies notice after observing binge-eating at movies- Moviegoers don't eat the same during every movie and they say that cinema snack cravings indeed change with the genre. While it may not be true for everyone. But most moviegoers prefer placing long orders for a film that doesn't require intense viewing.
In fact, according to a study in the US by a ticket platform - most F&B items are sold during action and family entertainment movies.
Viewers and exhibitors tell us about this much less discussed behaviour of moviegoers.
'Action movies get most popcorn sold'
Action movies are popcorn movies indeed. Raj Bansal, veteran exhibitor and cinema business analyst says,'Action films, comedy films and family entertainment or Hollywood films like Marvel or superhero genre movies are among the films which get most F&B orders as it is also about the ritual of popcorn and food with the movie that people follow.'
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Shreyansh Sharma, a moviegoer in his 20s shares,'Of course it is about the ritual and also about the fun.What's the fun in watching an action movie without popcorn. We have mostly ordered a lot of food in movies like Top Gun, War, Jawan, Mission Impossible and recently F1. Without popcorn and pizza these films are indeed not as enjoyable.'
'Comedy and family movies mean the F&B orders will keep coming'
At the movies, what you eat often is decided by what you're watching. Exhibitor Yogesh Raizada says,'It's no maths actually.
From our F&B orders, insights from concession counters etc we know as a matter of fact that certain genres like family movies, action movies, comedy movies where either families are coming together with kids or friend groups have come to enjoy a movie together more food gets ordered and a larger variety as well.
F&B sales indeed go up with good entertaining movies.'
Faizal Khan, a moviegoer shares,'I watched Andaz Apna Apna during its re-release, and we had already ordered multiple times - Comedy movies indeed brings out the worst kind of eating - mindless.
It's so funny because you're enjoying and ordering and eating like no one's watching - because everyone is too busy laughing. We often take unlimited popcorn refill offers only in comedy movies and at a recent rom-com (Materialist) I even got it filled thrice.
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Yogesh Raizada adds,'But it's not that romantic movies are a deterrent to F&B sale. Order could be slightly on the lower side.'
'Horror, films with gory scenes or scenes which fill one with disgust comparatively set a lower benchmark for cinema snacks'
Some films indeed turn snacks into props. Ushers agree that in most horror movie shows fans prefer not to buy not only because they won't be able to finish but also because they want an immersive experience which doesn't happen with stacked trays.
"There have been films where I bought something and the food remains untouched," says Kamya Singh, a moviegoer in her 30s.
She shares,'I went for a show of Companion this year with a tub of popcorn and left with the same tub - When you're watching a horror movie, any sound can scare you. I had also ordered a veg wrap and every time I would open it mid-scene someone would shush me. I didn't know it was a kind of horror movie so I ordered food.
If you are watching a psychological thriller and someone is eating even three rows away, that sound really makes noise in the silence. Plus people do not order during horror movies, mostly because most people can't eat during a horror movie.'
Pratik Chandra, a moviegoer in his 40s shares,'We went for Bloodline show some time back and I cautioned my friend to not order because I knew that we won't be able to finish and he laughed it off and every time he would try to eat something gross will happen on screen and he would not be able to finish.'
He adds,'At least with certain genres like horror and movies about grief one is ready and you know that you must not order any food because it will be a waste. But sometimes films surprise you with very disgusting scenes.There is a puke sequence in the Triangle of Sadness and we had ordered chocolate ice cream post interval. The order arrived a couple of minutes before that scene and that entire sequence was like 15 minutes and after it got over we lost our appetite as well.
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