As Global Temps Rise, So Do ... Popcorn Prices

The movie stars driving flex-fuel SUV are driving up popcorn prices at the nation’s nickelodeons, and it’s not because of their salaries: A move toward planting crops for alternative-fuel production has made popping corn more scarce—and therefore more expensive, the Los Angeles Times reports. Moviegoers shouldn’t fret too much, for the hike could be as little as 15 cents.

That might come as cold comfort to those who pay inflated concession prices, but without them, “the tickets to the movies would cost $20,” one insider said. And the future is uncertain: While farmers plant more lucrative seed corn for ethanol, and are selling popping corn for twice what they did two years ago, global cooking-oil producers are looking toward, yes, biodiesel. (More popcorn stories.)