No kidding: Popcorn from a big box theater has more calories and three times more saturated fat than two Big Macs. The average popcorn from a movie theater contains about 1,200 calories and up to 60 grams of saturated fat. A Big Mac has 540 calories and 10 grams of saturated fat. Most movie theater popcorn is popped in coconut oil, which is about 90% saturated fat.
More facts about popcorn
About 16 billion liters (about 15.1 billion liters) of popcorn is consumed in the United States each year, not all of it in theaters, of course.
Fat and calories aren’t the only ingredients of concern in movie theater popcorn: a large tube of popcorn can contain up to 1,500 mg of sodium.
Most of the world’s popcorn is produced in the United States and consumed there as well. Americans eat more popcorn per person than any other country in the world.