Popcorn's Lament

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What will happen to farmers and the whole popcorn industry if we stop going to the movies?

Popcorn is synonymous with movies, although it’s a problem if you’re sitting next to a guy who eats loud, even popcorn loud. Seriously though. Movie theaters are in trouble because of the internet.

Yes. Don’t even try and put the blame on the 2020 COVID-19 lockdown. Business was bad long before that because of the internet. We don’t drive to the Cineplex anymore. We open a laptop. I’ve seen people in public places like The Forks, starring at cellphones watching movies. On the bus too.

Hollywood is a feeder industry, so most businesses in LA are tied to it one way or the other. Film production companies also shoot in Toronto, New York, Hong Kong, Cape Town and Abeokuta, a city in Nigeria. What kind of businesses will be affected if movie theaters close down permanently, like the car drive-in?

1. Popcorn, from farmers to processing and delivery to movie theaters.

2. Hotels and guest houses.

3. Taxi/cab companies.

4. Catering companies that deliver sandwiches, bite-size quiche, chicken wings, spring rolls, carrot sticks, salad and fruit for people working on the movie.

5. Editing studios. Most of them have shut down because almost everything has gone digital and small studios don’t have money to upgrade to digital.

6. Make-up artists.

7. Hair salons fix the hair and also sell auxiliary products like wigs and pony tail pieces. They also rent chairs to people doing nails.

8. Car rental companies.

9. Equipment rental like tripods and lights.

10. Tourism.

By: Nonqaba waka Msimang.

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