JUANA SUMMERS, HOST:
To lure audiences back to the movies, theaters offer more than just popcorn, soda and candy. Today, we get a preview of the newest concessions from NPR's Mandalit del Barco. She was at a convention for movie theater owners in Las Vegas this week.
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MANDALIT DEL BARCO, BYLINE: At CinemaCon's trade show floor, vendors were showing off a new video game for movie theater lobbies. You try to fill up 50 virtual slushy cups in 42 seconds. Reps for several bowling and billiards companies were also here to pitch to exhibitors.
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DEL BARCO: With bowling alleys, arcades and pickleball courts, more and more movie theaters are entertainment centers. This year's trade show also featured the latest luxury zero-gravity recliners, with seats that massage your back - also the latest laser projectors, robot vacuum cleaners and concession stand treats, like the new flavors of Dippin' Dots ice cream.
BRYAN CARNEY: We just announced our limited-time-only flavor of Hawaiian Crumble. It's going to be in all AMC theaters right in time for "Lilo And Stitch."
DEL BARCO: Next to Bryan Carney, national account manager for Dippin' Dots, was Jason Pope, national territory manager of ICEE. He showed off a new sweet ICEE concoction.
JASON POPE: And now we're getting on to the dirty soda trend, which is kind of taking over. And so now we're making dirty ICEEs, putting in some coconut cream to our Minute Maid lemonade ICEE and then some boba bursting pearls on top of that, as well.
DEL BARCO: With more theaters offering alcohol, the cocktail company Bartesian demonstrated its premium single serve on-demand drinkmaking machine.
UNIDENTIFIED PERSON: Who wants a mai tai? Who wants a mai tai? Somebody (ph)?
DEL BARCO: Of course there's popcorn. Andrew Cretors runs the company Cretors with his siblings, supplying popcorn machines to theaters in more than 150 countries.
ANDREW CRETORS: The company was started in the Chicago area by my great-great-grandfather. He patented the first modern-day popcorn machine in 1893.
DEL BARCO: He was in Las Vegas showing off their new energy-efficient induction popcorn poppers. But the latest popcorn trend is collectible movie-themed buckets. The Australian company Zinc showed off its containers shaped like R2-D2 from "Star Wars," the skull from "Alien" and the sandworm from last year's "Dune: Part Two," which went viral.
ROD MASON: When this came out, the Dune bucket, it was - it just opened the floodgates.
DEL BARCO: Rod Mason is Zinc's vice president of business development. He says, like movie theaters, his business took a hit during the COVID-19 pandemic and again when films were delayed by the Hollywood writers' and actors' strikes, Mason says fun concessions are just one way to get audiences used to streaming movies back into theaters, but it all comes down to content.
MASON: No matter how many great popcorn containers and drink containers we do, if the movie doesn't perform, you know, it's disappointing for the cinema runners.
DEL BARCO: Mason says he's looking forward to a box-office boost this summer. Among Zinc's upcoming collectible cups are some topped with a mini race-car helmet, like the one worn by Brad Pitt in the upcoming movie "F1." They'll be in theaters in June. Mandalit del Barco NPR News, Las Vegas.
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "LET'S ALL GO TO THE LOBBY")
UNIDENTIFIED MUSICAL ARTISTS: (Singing) The chocolate bars and the candy. So let's all go to the lobby to get ourselves a treat. Let's all go to the lobby. Let's all go to the lobby. Let's all go to the lobby to get ourselves a treat. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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