Peer-To-Peer News - The Week In Review - April 15th, ’06

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Now Showing: Declining Sales at Theater Snack Bars

As more people decide to stay away from movie houses, the drop in attendance is being felt by makers of food for concession stands.
John Horn

Moviegoers tend to stuff themselves full of salty popcorn and sweet candy. When people start steering clear of the multiplex — as audiences have done for three straight years — the manufacturers of those theater snacks are the ones left with a sour taste in their mouths.

Much has been made of how declining movie admissions and box-office grosses have clipped the earnings of movie studios and film exhibitors. But audience apathy also is taking a bite out of the oft-overlooked concession business. Particularly hard hit are those companies that rely on movie theaters for the bulk of their sales.

"It's kind of scary. It's been going downhill for three years," says Paul Bonfiglio, whose Summit Food Enterprises has had to lay off nearly a third of its employees because of steadily worsening sales for its movie theater candy line, which includes P.J. Gummi Bears. Adds Norm Krug, the chairman of the Nebraska farmers cooperative Preferred Popcorn, "Our sales are going down pretty directly with attendance."

it those damn movie pirates have taken all the gummi bears hostage
and are making them walk the plank one by one !
HARR ! HARR !
down to davey jones locker they go..