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Studio chief urges theater operators to trade in popcorn for peaches

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Hold the butter on that popcorn.

Sony Pictures Entertainment Chief Executive Michael Lynton called on the nation’s biggest circuits to think about the waist lines of their customers, not just their own bottom lines.

In a speech at the nation’s largest theater convention in Las Vegas, Lynton urged theater owners to offer healthier snacks at their concession stands and not simply rely on the usual fare of candy, popcorn and soda.

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‘Adding healthier options to your existing menu is the right thing to do for our industry, for audiences and for our country,’ Lynton said at the annual movie industry convention known as ShoWest.

Lynton cited the childhood obesity epidemic and a poll conducted by Sony that found two-thirds of moviegoers and three-quarters of parents are more likely to buy healthy snacks at theaters if they are offered them.

As for what kinds of healthy snacks he had in mind, Lynton said: ‘I don’t thinks giant tubs of spinach or broccoli’s a good idea. And nobody wants to eat cauliflower while watching Spider-Man or drink a 40-ounce cup of prune juice.’

-- Richard Verrier

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