A box office killer: Movie popcorn packs a calorie and fat wallop

You might want to be careful that the next Hollywood blockbuster doesn't bust your gut.

With the holiday movie season upon us, researchers are again grossing us out with reports about what's in theater popcorn.

A large tub at AMC, for instance, holds 1,030 calories, 580 milligrams of sodium, and 57 grams of saturated fat. And that's for plain popcorn!

Add the "butter" (usually flavored soybean oil) and gulp down another 240 calories and 4 grams of saturated fat - the kind that clogs your arteries. It's a big wallop even if you let a friend eat half.

The Center for Science in the Public Interest, which conducted the study, gave Cinemark Theaters credit for using nonhydrogenated canola oil instead of the coconut oil, which lowers the saturated fat way down to 4 grams for a plain large tub. But its servings were so large, the calories kept pace with AMC.

Some theater owners had tried healthier air-popped popcorn after a previous study, but they said people wanted the fat-soaked version back.

At Regal Cinemas, even a large popcorn with a medium soda - for a mere $12 - packs 1,600 calories. That's like eating six eggs with Cheddar cheese, four bacon strips and four sausage links before the closing credits. Cut!

Theater owners point out that the average audience member goes to the movies six times a year, so the popcorn is meant to be a rare treat.

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