The Science & History of Popcorn - The Snack that Saved the Movies

For some, Popcorn and the Movies just go together. But it hasn’t always been that way. We look at the science and mechanics that make popcorn pop and trace the history of this ancient snack that ultimately rescued the film industry.

If you have any further questions be sure to check out our questions page on Filmmaker IQ:

[Morenob]

Thumbs up if your eating popcorn while watching this

[lboy]

That was 12 quick minutes! So much information delivered in such a wonderful way. Great video :D

[iVicEJay]

Idk why but anytime I have popcorn at home I have to watch this video

[ditarf]

I'm simply amazed by this channel. So informative, so high quality, I'm just stunned. Keep up the good work, and thank you for the videos!

[GallowaySackett]

Liked it. Thanks for posting. Was a master of the pop corn machine as a movie theater employee, back when theaters had platters and reels in the booth. Popped corn in an industrial sized popper (not in view of the public) that we used to pop and bag, …then we’d move the popcorn to the big warmers at the concession stand for serving. Sound of popping corn is unique. Nothing else in the world sounds like it.

[nictheartist]

Jeez, is there anything you don't know??? Do they teach about this at film school? :-) Don't ever stop doing these lessons, they are great!

[enrichingexchanges]

Incredibly beautiful story-telling! Learned so much about the history and business. Thank you!

[bunnrey]

Your channel is my favorite on Youtube, keep making these videos at whatever the cost, I love them!

[billdirlam]

Good popcorn is the gold standard for a good movie theater, sometimes elevating a humble theater to a first class one. That pre-bagged popcorn is usually the mark of a second rate theater.

[kingemocut]

i was just playing Batman: Arch-am Asylum and the first thing i thought of after hearing bat cave was the line the joker says, about batman bringing in "Bat Snacks"... everyone loves popcorn though!

[Anti_wokeness]

Corn was domesticated about 10, 000 years ago in what is now Mexico. Archaeologists discovered that people have known about popcorn for thousands of years. Fossil evidence from Peru suggests that corn was popped as early as 4700 BC

[hgfxjnn]

i love your channel. Any kind of history is my thing. Thanks

[AQGOAT]

These videos are great, very informative! Keep it up. 

[lonniepaulson]

I was a kid in the 1060s living in a small town in southern Minnesota. We had a couple movie theaters that sold a box of popcorn for 15 cents, but it was not buttered. Buttered popcorn at these particular theaters sold for 25 cents and it was in a smaller container. There was an older man who was handicapped and had to use a wheelchair; he had a popcorn stand that he would drive all over the city and sell a box of corn that had a lot of butter that he would squirt from a bottle in your box. His regular box of popcorn was 10 cents. Everybody wanted his corn. I remember seeing long lines in the summer, people waiting to get his corn. We would also sneak this corn in the movie theaters, some people were caught. The corn had lots and lots of butter. Your hands were loaded with butter when you ate it--so you would need a napkin. I'm not sure but to get such large crowds of people after his corn I think he might have added sugar to the butter.

[bamaguy]

Yeah every time I watch this documentary I eat popcorn. Makes it more enjoyable

[Fershizzal]

You know the little slit on the bag that helps it vent steam? Turn the bag upside down and shake. It helps removes any unpopped seeds but keeps the popped corn in the bag

[reoproedros]

pop corn is the food that reminds more than anything, the dentist .

[Rob_-dvei]

Me before the video: Popcorn? How the heck would it save the movie industry?
Me after the video:
*I'm Martin Scorcese, and this is my masterclass.*

[arjaegonz]

That was one quick film-related history that was so interesting, it just made me hungry. 🍿

[robfriedrich]

Today, popcorn & Co covers all the cost, while the sold tickets goes to the film distributor.
My church rented a cinema for many years every Sunday morning and it was stable money for them.