Cinemas around the country are reportedly fearing an imminent shortage of popcorn and other concession stand staples, including popcorn bags and beverage cups, as the supply chain failures of the Biden administration threaten to upend what theaters were hoping would be a mass return to moviegoing this summer.
Movie theater operators expressed nervousness at the recent CinemaCon industry gathering about their ability to stock concession stands for the summer and Christmas seasons, according to a report from The Wall Street Journal.
“Popcorn supply will be tight,” Norm Krug, chief executive of Preferred Popcorn, a supplier of kernels to theater chains, told the newspaper.
“It’s a mess,” a theater owner said.
“Popcorn supply will be tight.” That’s a scary script for movie theaters worried about shortages behind the concession stand—just as Americans are returning to the cinema. https://t.co/R4q0QqWjk6
— The Wall Street Journal (@WSJ) May 31, 2022
The popcorn shortage reportedly stems from a failure to convince more farmers to grow enough corn rather than more lucrative crops, like soybeans. In addition, President Biden’s inability to fix the shortage of truckers continues to wreak havoc on shipments across the supply chain.
Cinemas must also find ways to deal with shortages of other concession items, popcorn bags, beverage cups, and nacho trays.
Some chains are resorting to metal or plastic containers, which are more expensive, Goldenlink North America sales director Neely Schiefelbein told the Journal.
The end result will likely be higher prices for American consumers, who are already being hit on all sides by runaway inflation under the Biden administration.
The exhibition industry is counting on this summer’s movie season to finally lure back consumers in large numbers after two years of the coronavirus pandemic.
Top Gun: Maverick broke box-office records over Memorial Day weekend, while the smaller-scale success of the Downton Abbey sequel has shown that older audiences are now willing to return to cinemas.
Follow David Ng on Twitter @HeyItsDavidNg. Have a tip? Contact me at dng@breitbart.com
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