AMC ventures into popcorn biz to sell its own branded product at supermarkets and mall kiosks

AMC Theaters is venturing into a new business, and it will be launched next year. It was revealed that the company has entered the popcorn business and will be offering its own brand to customers in 2022.

AMC has big plans for its new popcorn business as it will not only sell its popcorn theaters but in groceries, shopping malls, convenience stores, counters, and kiosks. Apparently, the company will be jumping into the packaged food market and will be retailing its popular popcorns in various mainstream outlets in the United States.

According to CNBC, the theater and entertainment company is planning to initially launch up to five AMC Theatres Perfectly Popcorn stores. These will be stationed in malls in the first two quarters of 2022. By 2023, AMC would have already opened at least 15 retail stores.

The stores will offer traditional and gourmet flavored popcorns, plus there will also be candies and other treats commonly sold in movie theaters. It was added that customers would also be able to buy Coca-Cola drinks and bottled water. Popcorns that are not pre-packed will be made on the spot, and AMC is also planning to add delivery options.

For the pre-packed popcorn, there will also be microwavable varieties, and these will be available in supermarkets and convenience stores. While this can be exciting news to popcorn lovers, the price range for the fresh and pre-packaged versions was not mentioned.

AMC is not the first theater to get into the popcorn biz as Malco Theatres had already introduced its popcorn products last year. These are currently being sold at Kroger and Walmart outlets.

At any rate, Deadline noted that AMC Theaters’ announcement of its new popcorn business line comes ahead of its quarterly earnings report. The company is scheduled to hold its third-quarter earnings briefing early next week.

“AMC Theatres currently pops in the range of 50 tons of popcorn per day. But the popularity of popcorn extends well beyond the doors of our movie theatres,” AMC’s chief executive officer, Adam Aron, said in a statement. “With this new AMC initiative, we expect to reach entirely new segments of the U.S. population with our popular AMC Theatres Perfectly Popcorn.”