But what if you could trade that oil-drenched popcorn for a salad with white-truffle vinaigrette? Don't laugh: Your screen-chow options are about to expand faster than your waistline. "The megaplex has become a destination in itself," says Cretors. "People figure something will be playing. Meanwhile, they have dinner and shop." And that's not all.

Take, for instance, FunScape, brought to you by Regal Cinemas. Now in four states, these multiscreen metropolises are complete with bowling alleys, bumper cars, and miniature golf courses. And coming soon: Escape, with pool tables, bars, and full-service restaurants. Last month in suburban Chicago, a new General Cinema theater set new standards for upscale moviegoing, offering valet parking and cocktails.

The theaters themselves are experimenting too. They're tackling new concepts like branding, either via partnerships with fast-food chains like Taco Bell or coffee nooks like Starbucks, or by developing their own signature eats. Says Loews Cineplex Entertainment VP Marc Pascucci: "We've got our own brands, like 'Reel Java' and cooked-to-order popcorn shrimp, chicken tenders, and curly fries. People enjoy it."

It's ironic, really. Where theater owners once pooh-poohed eating at the pictures, they now envision movie houses of the future having seats with fold-down meal trays, like those in airplanes; customers will be able to ingest a film and a full-course meal. "The only problem," says Pascucci, "is we have to tear out the old seats."

Not everyone thinks this smells like progress. "Forget full-course meals," says film critic Gene Siskel. "What I'd like to see is a luxury theater where the films are properly illuminated, with great sound and no bad reels. People would pay a premium for that. To me, that would be appetizing."

But they don't call 'em concession stands for nothing—sometimes you've just got to give in. "Chances are you're gonna go there," says Arnot, "skip dinner, and make a meal of popcorn—you can't stop.... That's the trouble with the movie food." Is there any escape from the vicious cycle of concession codependence? The upstate New York theater manager offers this distasteful advice: "If you really want to hurt us, go to the movies...and don't eat." Now, that's a scary picture.

(Additional reporting by Leonard McCants, Lilly Ock, and Dodai Stewart)