10 Items We Never Expected To See At The Movie Theater Concession Stand

Popcorn may be the undisputed ruler in the realm of the cinema concession stand, but it's certainly not the only movie theater snack found in film houses around the world. Beyond the usual nachos and soft pretzels, some cinemas offer unusual treats that might seem surprising to the conventional movie-goer — the ones who have dialed in "popcorn, candy, and a gallon of carbonated goo" as their go-to big-screen selections. It turns out there is a flavor of concession-stand nosh for just about every appetite in the audience.

Just how unexpected can movie snacking around the world get? And how close to home are these novel offerings, just in case you're intrigued enough to give them a try yourself? A search for the most unexpected snacks in the land of cinema concessions revealed some truly unique options, many of which are extensions of regional cuisine. Even if the locals are familiar with these tidbits, finding them at a nearby movie house is an eye-opener that's bound to expand your definition of movie munchies. And having the chance to pick up some for yourself is like a bonus after-credits scene you can taste. Read on to find out the 10 unusual snacks we never expected to see at the movie theater concession stand.

No, it's not gummy worms on the menu here; these are actual insects offered up to the movie-going crowd in Juneau, Alaska. Munching on insects instead of popcorn may take a little getting used to, though the crunch factor is definitely there. Cinema fans in Juneau are offered this high-protein alternative to the customary snacks, with a mix of locusts, grasshoppers, and crickets added to the marquee menus of Gold Town Theater — for one adventurous audience, at least. The crew in question were the test subjects for a gentleman named David George Gordon, affectionately known as The Bug Chef. His introduction of bugs as snacks to the mostly child-aged crowd was met with mixed reactions, though a cricket-filled energy bar was deemed similar enough to the usual bar to be palatable. With a follow-up screening of "The Muppet Movie" featuring a fly-eating Kermit the Frog continuing the motif, the idea of eating bugs as cinematic refreshments came full circle.

While this sort of alternative cineplex snack may not be for everyone, anyone who wants to give it a go can shop at Amazon for food-safe crickets prepared in snack-worthy flavors like BBQ, honey mustard, and curry. They may not end up being one of your monthly subscriptions from the site, but a bag or two could provide a fun do-or-dare movie night option paired with an insect-themed horror flick like "The Fly" or "Arachnophobia."

With a draw-down in theater-going thanks to the proliferation of streaming services, cinemas have tried hauling out premium eats to lure watchers back into seats. One attempt at drawing a crowd involves serving lobster tacos alongside Milk Duds and M&M's in hopes of providing prime moments for customers to create a rebound after the COVID lockdown brought theater projectors to a screeching halt. While nowhere near as exotic or unusual as some other forms of international theater sustenance, discovering that your box office stocks lobster tacos could send an optimistic shockwave through people that may have given up on a night at the movies as a good time worth shelling out extra bucks for.

Making your own lobster tacos at home for a weekend Hulu hullabaloo may be an easier way to enjoy such an upscale dish. Just be wary of lobster prices, which can fluctuate wildly depending on the season and the state of the lobster-snaring industry. Putting a luxurious plate like this on your coffee table could put a dent in your entertainment budget if you're not keeping your eye on where market prices stand.

You would fully expect to find squid on the menu of your favorite sushi joint, but listed on the app for your favorite theater? Not likely ... unless you happen to be queuing up for tickets in South Korea. In that case, you're likely to see squid among the selections you're more accustomed to. It's a softer take on the traditional restaurant-style squid and goes for around $1.20 an order — not bad for a movie snack. If you're daring enough to try a seafood specialty flavored with butter and steam-pressed for tender crispness, you can grab it at one of the various cinemas that heavily populate the movie-friendly Jongno Avenue in Seoul.

Perhaps the idea of enjoying squid while gazing at the silver screen sounds like your kind of good time. While you can order DoorDash if you have a sushi restaurant around you and even find one in which squid ink flavors the recipe, it might be easier to go with a dried version of the tasty arthropod. Fire up your Prime membership and let Amazon fulfill your far-flung cinema concession dreams with a bag of dried squid of your very own. You'll find an array of possibilities on the web's largest shopping center, though you may be able to get an up-close look at similar treats by visiting an Asian market in your area.

Don't tell Santa, but there's a drive-in theater in Kautokeino, Norway that serves dried reindeer meat as part of its snack suite. The behemoth beasts are a part of the natural scenery in the country, frequently hunted as game and commonly served in various forms. This means finding reindeer meat on tables around the country isn't uncommon, which is only relatively likely to put the more tender-hearted moviegoer at ease. Adding to the atmosphere of this Arctic Circle cinema chew? The movie theater in question is a drive-in that's made of actual packed snow, a snow mobile-friendly outdoor amphitheater designed to welcome the Sami people of the region. Visitors are advised to bundle up to enjoy their movies, and though dried reindeer jerky might be a bit out of place in the more climate-controlled U.S., it's a perfectly sensible selection in its natural habitat.

It may seem unlikely that you could replicate a Norwegian movie snacking experience without having to grab your passport and book a flight to the northlands. But the ever-loving internet offers a few possibilities for trying reindeer jerky as an accompaniment to your popcorn combo. Online trading post Sam McGee's stocks a selection of Alaskan jerkies, one of which is made from reindeer meat, allowing stateside sampling of a unique nibble that may or may not be Rudolph in snack form. You'll just have to count the sleigh team next Christmas to learn the truth.

If anything from the cinema snack bar has the potential to zap your taste buds more than the essence of black licorice, salted black licorice is a prime candidate. The simplicity of adding a salty crust to a chewy nib is a boss movie-snack move made in the Netherlands, a country that happens to best all other regions of the world when it comes to annual per-capita licorice consumption. With a population that averages four pounds of the root-flavored treat per person per year, having a salt-rich supply handy while you watch your favorite tearjerker in an uber-cozy cinema recliner is an expectation that theaters in the Netherlands readily fulfill.

World Market, that emporium of unending international delights, is a reliable supplier of salted licorice to get you stocked up for an authentically Dutch-flavored cinema visit. The concept is so straightforward, you could even round up a bag of black licorice and roll the pieces around in a shake-shake of table salt to get a sense of the packaged stuff. Even if you're just intrigued by the possibility of the flavor blend, sinking your teeth into a nugget or two will clue you in on just how distinctive movie concessions beyond your home turf can be. Who knows? You may develop an unexpected taste for this cinematic mash-up and add a new favorite to your movie snack shopping list.

Okay, this one is a bit unusual, but it's not particularly wild and would be a natural fit among the chips and sips of the most familiar U.S. cinema chains. Bacon chips are found on movie theater menus in Sweden to add a smoky twist to the usual salty-savory-umami flavors of buttery popcorn and sugary sweetness of cinema-style bon-bons. A Reddit user put the question out in a forum, explaining "They look like pork rinds but tasted more like bugles and weren't greasy at all. They were sold alongside popcorn in buckets and came in either sour cream or bacon flavors." The mystery was solved with the response "bacon chips," a wheat-based Swedish snack that comes in several flavors, though the bacon version seems to be the preferred movie theater option. Another user chimed in to say they've been spotted in theaters in Finland as well.

Maybe these airy puffs sound like a cinema treat you'd be willing to try. You can find a corn-based U.K. variation called Frazzles at Amazon to add a little crackle to your premium cinema moments. They're even striped like bacon strips! Be warned, though: Once fellow moviegoers in the surrounding seats hear the crunching of your bacon chip munching and get a whiff of the smoky bacon aroma, they may be asking you to share your surprising fare.

Anyone looking for a more healthful item to snack on while watching the latest blockbusters can look to dried plums from China as a nosh-worthy solution. These are no mere prunes like you'll find in the dehydrated fruit section of the grocery store. These seasoned prunes are more like saladitos, a Mexican snack food locals can enjoy even without a ticket to the cinema. The Chinese version is known by different names depending on the region, but they're all composed of plums cured in a salty crust that sucks out all the moisture. The finished product is supremely salty, though there are also sweet versions available for the traditionalist fruit eaters to enjoy.

Though it may be unexpected to see these fruit-based bites hanging around in the concession stand candy case with the more plebeian drugstore sweets, you can easily find dried plums at nearby Asian markets labeled as li hing mui, if you're eager to see how these pair with the latest blockbuster films. Amazon also carries a selection ready for delivery to your home to partner with the best of Prime Video's greatest hits. Give the sweet-and-sour option a try to get the full impact of a genuine Chinese movie theater snack sensation.

Anyone familiar with samosas will understand that these crispy wraps are perfectly sneakable cinema food, provided you have deep pockets or a satchel on your shoulder. But in India, samosas are a typical offering at the movie theater eats and treats counter, similar to hot dogs at American outlets. This prime possibility is nothing new on the Asian subcontinent; prior to the Gen X cinema years, samosas outsold popcorn as the movie theater cruncher of choice in the metropolis of Mumbai.

No need to live in suspense regarding how fresh samosas might add to your viewing moments. These cozy hot pocket-like wraps are easy to make at home with some store-bought puff pastry and savory fillings like potatoes, carrots, and peas. You can even cook them up in your air fryer to keep the labor to a minimum. If a more intercultural home movie viewing experience sounds like a satisfying evening, whip up a batch of your own samosas and watch a flick with the family to show them a world beyond Twizzlers and pretzel bites.

Should you need the volume turned up on your chosen tearjerker due to excessive crunching from your fellow movie-goers, it could be due to their enjoyment of kakimochi. Also: you're probably in Hawaii, where this crispy rice cracker is a regular order at the cinema snack shack. Actually, these tiny cracklers are similar to what's included in many Asian snack mixes, so it's likely you've enjoyed them without realizing they were such a hit at movie theaters on the islands. Hawaiians know better and include kakimochi as part of the movie menu to lend the treat supply a little global flair. They're a little bit sweet, a little bit earthy, and a whole lot of crunchy — enough to compete with popcorn as a front-row noisemaker to make keeping up with the dialogue challenging as you chew.

You can find kakimochi online at Amazon to add to your personal cinema line-up. Provided your local cinema allows food to be brought in, you can pack a snack-sized bag and see what they're like in front of the big screen. Try sprinkling them into your popcorn for a taste and texture mix-up that adds new flavor to your movie-going experience. Maybe your sweet tooth is itching and you need something with more sugar; if so, mix up a half-and-half bowl of kakimochi and peanut M&M's and see how the sparks fly.

Even without the popular dine-in theater format, some cultures give cinema snacking a gourmet sensibility that makes the experience feel like having dinner and seeing a movie in a single go. In Greece, succulent and savory souvlaki, a meaty skewer of grilled seasoned chicken, is a common sight in the mitts of hungry theatergoers. While it seems a bit more complex than the usual heat-and-eat sliders and hot dogs American film fans can chow down on, souvlaki is actually the most popular street snack in Greece. This means it probably is the sliders-and-hot-dogs alternative of the area, only much, much better, so finding it on marquee menus is bound to be no big deal to the locals.

It's unlikely your neighborhood movie house stocks a supply of souvlaki behind the popcorn counter. Anyone curious about having a full-fledged Mediterranean moment in front of a screen can craft their own souvlaki to share with friends and family while queuing up the latest Netflix productions. Served with pitas, tzatziki, and sliced veggies, it's a protein-rich and healthful alternative to the more processed foods usually associated with cinema snacking. In fact, a souvlaki spread is sturdy enough to qualify as a full-fledged dinner to go with your movie, which gives you at-home date night options with more rizz than a pack of Reese's Pieces, more glam than a box of Goobers and more style than a sack of Starburst.