MUMBAI:If there is a soundtrack to cinema-going, it is the crackle of popcorn and in 2025, audiences at Cinépolis India clearly couldn’t get enough of it. The multiplex chain has revealed its annual popcorn consumption data, showing that moviegoers across its network devoured close to five million tubs of popcorn last year. Broken down, that works out to around 570 tubs every hour, or roughly 10 tubs disappearing every single minute, enough to keep the kernels popping almost non-stop.

In sheer volume terms, Cinépolis sold around 12,000 tonnes of popcorn during the year, underlining just how central the snack has become to the big-screen ritual. Long after the opening credits roll and before the end credits fade, popcorn remains the constant companion.

To celebrate National Popcorn Day on January 19, 2026, the cinema chain is now turning the spotlight on the snack itself. From January 20 to January 31, Cinépolis will run a nationwide “Popcorn Happy Hour”, offering a buy one get one free deal on popcorn across its locations. The limited-period promotion is designed to add a little extra crunch to the moviegoing experience, without adding to the bill.

“Popcorn is the official movie partner, and at Cinépolis, it is the sensory anchor of the cinema experience,” said Cinépolis India managing director Devang Sampat. “With the Popcorn Happy Hour offer, we are making it easier for audiences to add that to their visit, without compromising on quality.”

Sampat added that the consumption data is more than just a fun statistic. Tracking what patrons buy and when they buy it helps the chain refine its food and beverage offerings and shape the overall in-cinema experience. “Our 2025 data helps us understand what patrons are choosing, so we can keep improving the menu and the experience,” he said.

The popcorn push sits within Cinépolis India’s broader Foovies framework, an in-house strategy that treats food and beverages as a core part of cinema-going rather than a side order. The approach focuses on curated menus, value-led campaigns and data-driven decisions, using consumer behaviour to guide what lands at the concession counter.

As theatres continue to compete not just with streaming platforms but with every other leisure option vying for attention, the numbers suggest one thing remains rock-solid: when the lights dim, popcorn still rules the aisle. And with millions of tubs already behind it, Cinépolis is betting that the humble kernel will keep audiences coming back for another bite and another show.

NEW DELHI: Cinépolis India sold nearly five million popcorn tubs in 2025, roughly one every six seconds, underscoring how firmly snacks are stitched into the cinema experience. Data released by the multiplex chain shows patrons bought around 570 tubs an hour, or 10 a minute, translating into 12,000 tonnes of popcorn consumed across its theatres last year.

To capitalise on the numbers and mark National Popcorn Day on January 19, Cinépolis will sell select popcorn variants at Rs 19 across all locations and showtimes, subject to availability. The push will roll into a longer “Popcorn Happy Hour” from 20 to 31 January, offering a buy-one-get-one-free deal nationwide.

Cinépolis India managing director Devang Sampat, said popcorn remains the “sensory anchor” of the big-screen experience and that value-led offers were designed to make it easier for audiences to add food to their visit without diluting quality. He added that proprietary food-and-beverage data helps the chain refine menus and improve the overall cinema experience.

The campaign sits within Cinépolis India’s Foovies strategy, which treats food and beverage not as an add-on but as a core driver of footfalls and consumption, backed by data-led menu development and targeted value promotions.

NATIONAL: Cinépolis India is moving decisively into cinema advertising, rolling out a nationwide network of digital screens across its multiplex lobbies in a partnership with dooh specialist It’s spotlight.

The deal will see more than 350 led screens, video walls and digital displays switched on across 101 Cinépolis properties in 63 cities and 23 states and union territories, creating one of the largest in-cinema advertising networks in the country.

Under the arrangement, It’s spotlight will operate and commercialise the inventory, giving brands access to programmatic buying, real-time optimisation and performance metrics such as impressions, audience profiles and footfall data.

“Cinema environments offer advertisers access to audiences in a focused, lean-forward setting which is distinct from outdoor and transit media,” said Cinépolis India managing director Devang Sampat. As dooh gathers momentum and brands look beyond cluttered social and digital platforms, he said, cinemas offer a sharper way to reach young and urban consumers.

The timing is deliberate. India’s out-of-home advertising market was worth Rs 5,920 crore in 2024, according to the EY-Ficci M&E report, with digital OOH expected to rise from 12 per cent to 17 per cent of total revenues by 2027.

It’s spotlight founder and director Virkaran Singh, said cinema screens sit “at the intersection of attention, intent and experience”, offering advertisers premium, highly engaged audiences at national scale through a single buy.

With 449 screens already under its Cinépolis, Cinépolis VIP and Fun Cinemas brands, the exhibitor is betting that its lobbies can become as valuable to advertisers as its auditoriums, turning footfall into a high-impact media channel.