Boxoffice-June.1997
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June, 1997 41<br />
elude; raspberries, blackberries, mulberries,<br />
pineapples, mangoes and bananas.<br />
Says Wilson, "It's very<br />
popular. And in Chile they<br />
have such beautiful fruit. It's<br />
wonderful."<br />
According to BoxomcE<br />
European correspondent Melissa<br />
Morrison, most Czech<br />
cinemas don't sell any concessions,<br />
but when they do, it's<br />
beer, wine, candy and chips.<br />
Prague's first multiplex, the<br />
Galaxie, keeps customers<br />
happy with ham-flavored popcorn<br />
and a full bar. Wallace<br />
Theatre Corp. has theatres in<br />
American Samoa, where favorites<br />
include a rice cracker<br />
called Mochi Crunch and the<br />
are no crickets or squid in it. My first reaction is that it smells<br />
Ki T7 Williamson<br />
ever-popular dried squid. Poly-<br />
and the Mystic Guarana.<br />
exactly like Esaster-egg dye. I agree with Susan that we should<br />
Jujubees. So sit back, enjoy the movie<br />
and pass the chicken feet—^yum. have refrigerated it first, but other than that, it's kind of like a combination of cream soda and Slice.<br />
GREENE: Thumbs up, thumbs down, thumbs sideways?<br />
JAMES: I would say thumbs sideways. It might be more thumbs up if it had been cold.<br />
GREENE: Would you like to refrigerate yours and trj- again later?<br />
and they heartily indulge on both sweet JAMES: No, because then it will lose its caibonation.<br />
and salty popcorn in fairly equal GREENE: It's just so difficult, boldly going where no man has gone before. What does this<br />
amounts.<br />
wonderful beverage product tell you about the people of Brazil?<br />
AMC Entertainment International JAMES: Deep down we're all the same?<br />
offers both sweet and salty popcorn at<br />
Our intrepid Editor-in-Chief climbs into his canoe and paddles down the Amazon to the office of<br />
its AMC Arrabida 20 in Porto, Portugal,<br />
Associate Editor Suscui Lambert who has chained herself to a tree in protest against Rain Forest<br />
but wound up cutting back on the deforestation. He hands her a cup of Guarana and...<br />
salt flavoring for Japanese audiences at SUSAN LAMBERT: Smells like a Lifesaver.<br />
the AMC Canal City 13 in Fukuoka. GREENE: Alright, Susan, give it a try. Honest reaction, what do ya thmk?<br />
Gary Thyer, managing director of international<br />
operations, say it's because of fruity flavor. Orange is too strong—it's um, it's like if you left a Lifesaver in a can of soda and it<br />
LAMBERT: It almost tastes like a watered-down soda. Coke or Pepsi kind of thing, with a hint<br />
the Japanese audiences prefer a blandertasting<br />
popcorn. AMC has also found GREENE: Do you think this product has any future if it is unported into America?<br />
fizzled away, it wore it out.<br />
the Japanese are not prone to indulge in LAMBERT: (tning to be polite) Ah, as kind of a specialty item, 1 guess.<br />
the huge American-size containers. GREENE: What does it tell you about the people of Brazil?<br />
"We stepped down our drink and popcorn<br />
LAMBERT: They like their soda.<br />
sizes with the thought that at some GREENE: Thank you for those apocryphal comments. Anything else?<br />
point [as moviegoing and concessions LAMBERT: No thanks.<br />
habits grow] we'll probably introduce Meanwhile, BoxomcE Managing Editor Kim Williamson tuts been strapped by a tribe ofangry<br />
larger sizes." Thyer says accommodations<br />
native peoples to nvo pillars in a crumbling local temple, where he awaits ritual slaughter and the<br />
to the foreign marketplace have ripping out ofhis entrails, which are to be used topredict the outcome of BoxoFUCE '.v / 998 Barometer<br />
been minor. "Because we're bringing Star Poll. Not surprisingly, Mr Williamson is his usual chipper and well-dressed self...<br />
an American experience to these countries,<br />
GREENE: So what do you think, Kun Williamson?<br />
we pretty much go off the Amer-<br />
WILLIAMSON: It's rather good. It has a sweet, yet alcoholy-aroma of NyQuil, yet it goes down<br />
ican product and 'localize' it." AMC's rather smooth.<br />
expansion plans include Festival Walk GREENE: That was good. And w hat does the popularity of this product tell you about Brazil,<br />
1 1 in Hong Kong and a 24-plex outside or does it tell you anything?<br />
Barcelona, Spain. In each site, Thyer WILLIA^{S0N : They need more Dr. Pepper (laughs). Susan told me the folks who sent it thought<br />
says, AMC thoroughly researches the<br />
it was espiecially sweet, but it's not that sweet. It's smooth, sweet and likable.<br />
location. "We do a lot of meetings, talk Snapping into Indiana Jones mode, BoxoFnCE Editor-in-ChiefRay Greene liberates Williamson<br />
to as many local people as possible and and helps him to escape the restless locals by using the corkscrew in his Swiss Army knife in novel<br />
get some market research going. Each and unspeakable wayi. He and Williamson snim upstream, where they rescue Susan Lambert as she<br />
market has a uniqueness that you need<br />
is about to be devoured by nameless, multi-colored reptiles. Our courageous explorers return to<br />
to address." Much of the research includes<br />
Christine James 'desk, where Greene celebrates a job well done with a taste ofthe mystic Guarana.<br />
time spent in existing local the-<br />
GREENE: (sniffing) The smell reminds me of my Dad's aftershave when I was a kid. Old Spice.<br />
atres, finding out the good, the bad and<br />
It does have kind of the aroma of like a fruity wine or a brandy or something. You can tell there's like<br />
the tasteless.<br />
real fruit in here. So now to taste it, with the proviso that 1 don't generally drink sweet things.<br />
So although the flavor of the popcom<br />
(He sips.) To me it tastes like one of those strange kinds of fruity watered-down things that you get<br />
in Buenos Aires might seem bi-<br />
in art-house cinemas where all the people are trying to stay svelte. I think it's fine for what it is, I don't<br />
zarre to audiences from Kansas and the know if it will be my personal preference, but what can I tell ya, I'm a Diet Coke man. And as to what<br />
idea of squid and sequels isn't appetizing<br />
it tells me about the people of Brazil, boy do they like their fructose down there. Guess if you Uve in<br />
to teenagers in Seattle, think what a country that exports a lot of fruit, this is the kind of stuff you drink. I don't know if it will work in<br />
audiences in Bangladesh could possibly<br />
think of Sour Patch Kids or<br />
nesian theatregoers enjoy<br />
packaged betel nut, which is slightly<br />
narcotic and flavored with limes. The<br />
British like their sodas served warm,<br />
GUARANA: THE <strong>Boxoffice</strong> TASTE TEST<br />
From<br />
out of the misty, mysterious plains of the Rain<br />
Forest comes GUARANA, an extremely popular Brazilian<br />
soft drink that, according to Cinemark's Tim<br />
Warner, outsells Pepsi there, aitd sells almost as well as Coke.<br />
After caning our way through the Brazilian jungle with a<br />
machete (actually it was more like a letter opener) and<br />
locating tlie sacred temple (actually, the U.S. Post Office's<br />
Hollywood Branch), a sample of this legendary nectar was<br />
bestowed upon us by the Ancient Brazilian Gods (okay, so<br />
Cinemark sent us one). Would our Americanized palates be<br />
readyfor so magical a draft? Well, yes and no...<br />
RAY GREENE: BoxomcE Senior Editor Christine<br />
James, vour reaction to this beverage from BrazU?<br />
CHRISTINE JAMES: First off. I'm very glad that there<br />
the States, but somebody oughtta give it a try.<br />
The sun .
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