In a long-running series, readers answer questions on topics ranging from trivial flights of fancy to profound scientific and philosophical concepts. This week's question: Why are cinema snacks so loud when audiences are supposed to be quiet? Next week's question: If an alien landed and asked, 'What is this thing you call music?' what would you play for them and why?
Readers' Responses
Sagarmatha1953 notes that cinema chains turn a huge profit selling noisy snacks like popcorn, nachos, and fizzy drinks. He adds that a quiet cinema is usually an empty cinema.
Wordchazer observes that most people seem to consider that cinemas are not quiet places anymore, suggesting that films are delivered at deafening volume as a result.
Mr_202 offers a simple solution: snacks aren't noisy if you don't stuff them in your face when the film is on.
salamandertome argues that the noise itself is the point, comparing it to audience coughing in classical music performances. He cites Ligeti's Requiem, which begins slowly to highlight audience-generated 'music,' and John Cage's 4'33", which accepts the composer's defeat and lets audience noise run its course. He suggests that munching and crunching in cinemas are unintentional Cage-like compositions.
bricklayersoption questions why people feel compelled to eat overpriced food in the cinema, suggesting they eat beforehand or afterwards. He recalls old cinema ads for nearby Indian restaurants.
EBGB believes the overpricing is the point from the cinemas' perspective.
salamandertome adds that popcorn was a cheap postwar snack used by cinemas to make extra money, though now it requires a second mortgage to buy snacks at the cinema.
Dorkalicious explains that cinemas are acoustically designed for immersion, heavily insulated from external noise, making internal sounds like wrapper rustling more obvious. He also notes that direct line of sight allows noise to propagate spherically before being muffled.
alexito never buys processed junk and waits about an hour into the film before eating raw celery and carrots.
SpoilheapSurfer Googled the exact question after a man three seats away ate two buckets of popcorn loudly throughout the movie. He didn't want to ruin the experience, so he stuck a finger in his ear for 90 minutes.
XerxesCork suggests that noisy snacks drown out the sound of people talking on their phones during the film.
Plastictrees normally eats healthy but bought popcorn one day, eating it very slowly to avoid noise, letting each piece melt in the mouth. He notes that this did not improve his appreciation of the popcorn or the movie.
Send new questions to nq@theguardian.com.
