A short history of movie theater concession stands. Plus: A candy quiz! - By Jill Hunter Pellettieri - Slate Magazine

From one of my favorite columns on the Interwebs, The Explainer on Slate.

A short history of movie theater concession stands. Plus: A candy quiz! - By Jill Hunter Pellettieri - Slate Magazine: "Make It a Large for a Quarter More? A short history of movie theater concession stands. Plus: A candy quiz!
By Jill Hunter Pellettieri
Posted Tuesday, June 26, 2007, at 5:10 PM ET

Read more from Slate's Summer Movies.

Illustration by Deanna Staffo. Click image to expand.What movie snack you choose to indulge in is not a decision to treat lightly. When else is it socially acceptable to consume 8 ounces of Reese's Pieces by yourself? And yet few among us spend much time dithering at the concession stand. Maybe you're a Raisinets guy. Or perhaps you prefer the salty magic of popcorn. Elaine Benes is a Jujyfruits kind of gal. Me, I'm a Red Vines person trapped in a Twizzlers world.

Whatever our concession allegiances, they tend to be deeply ingrained. And for most, a trip to Live Free or Die Hard won't be complete without some goodies, even if it's the kind of goody we might otherwise avoid—particularly at such egregious prices. How exactly did we form this cultural habit? Today, concessions are the lifeblood of the theater business: According to the National Association of Theatre Owners, they account for approximately 40 percent of theaters' net revenue. But it wasn't always this way."