Survey Reveals Two-Thirds Of Americans Prefer Watching Movies At Home Over The Theater And Women Are More Likely Than Men To Read The Book Before Seeing The Movie Version

PLANO, Texas, Oct. 7, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- In celebration of National Popcorn Month, movie critic Ben Lyons and Smartfood Popcorn, the No. 1 ready-to-eat popcorn brand* from PepsiCo's Frito-Lay division, went to the polls with a survey on American at-home movie and TV-watching habits, honoring America's go-to popcorn eating occasion. Among the interesting results, the survey revealed more than two-thirds of respondents are staying home and prefer a movie night from the comfort of their couch over a night out at the movie theater, and 70 percent of respondents indicated they prefer to pace themselves rather than marathon-watch a television or movie series. Additionally, when asked when they would most likely reach for the popcorn while watching a movie, 78 percent of respondents indicated they get a hankering for the snack during exciting or happy moments, as opposed to only 22 percent during sad or scary moments.

"Throughout the year I spend lot of my time at film festivals and big movie premieres, but the truth is, I also love a relaxing night at home enjoying a good movie or my favorite TV shows," said Ben Lyons. "I'm not surprised that in the survey, Americans agreed that buying the right variety of snacks is the best way to make a movie night at home feel special. So, a fun way for movie fans to celebrate National Popcorn Month is to stay at home with some Smartfood popcorn and enjoy a great film."

Additional survey results revealed:

• Not feeling nostalgia: The all-important decision between watching a new movie or an old favorite swayed in favor of the latest and greatest, with 62 percent of respondents indicating they most often watch new movies versus old ones.
• Book vs. movie - A battle of the sexes: With so many literary works turned into movies, men and women stand divided on what should be enjoyed first – the book or the movie. Sixty-two percent of women say reading the book is a must before watching the movie version, compared to 53 percent of men preferring the move first.
• Slow and steady beats marathon viewing: When choosing to binge-watch movies or a television series, the average number of episodes enjoyed per sitting is a whopping seven, however, 70 percent of Americans indicate a preference to pace themselves rather than taking on a marathon session.

As a smart snacking choice that's air popped with great taste, and doesn't use artificial flavors or preservatives, Smartfood is a flavorful snacking choice and the perfect complement to at-home movie night. For a reduced-fat** snacking spin, Smartfood Delight Popcorn offers snack fans a tasty way to enjoy delicious flavors at 35 calories per cup. Available in two varieties, Sea Salt and White Cheddar, Smartfood Delight popcorn is 100 percent whole-grain popcorn, gluten free and contains no artificial flavors, colors or preservatives.

To celebrate National Popcorn Month, Smartfood and Lyons invite popcorn fans to enjoy a Smartfood flavor with their favorite kind of "flick:"

• Smartfood White Cheddar Popcorn – perfect for a family favorite
• Smartfood Movie Theater Butter Popcorn – perfect for an action-packed Hollywood blockbuster
• Smartfood Kettle Corn Popcorn – perfect for a romantic comedy
• Smartfood Cinnamon Brown Sugar – perfect for a holiday classic
• Smartfood Delight Sea Salt Popcorn– perfect for a critically acclaimed film
• Smartfood Delight White Cheddar Popcorn – perfect for a feel-good chick flick

Wakefield Research conducted the Smartfood National Popcorn Month survey online with 1,000 nationally representative U.S. adults ages 18+ from September 15, 2014 – September 19, 2014.

For more information, visit www.smartfood.com or www.facebook.com/Smartfood.

About Smartfood

Smartfood is one of the many brands that make up Frito-Lay North America, the $13 billion convenient foods business unit of PepsiCo (NYSE: PEP), which is headquartered in Purchase, NY.  Learn more about Smartfood at www.facebook.com/smartfood  and Frito-Lay at the corporate website, http://www.fritolay.com, the Snack Chat blog, http://www.snacks.com/ and on Twitter at www.twitter.com/fritolay.

About PepsiCo
PepsiCo products are enjoyed by consumers one billion times a day in more than 200 countries and territories around the world. PepsiCo generated more than $66 billion in net revenue in 2013, driven by a complementary food and beverage portfolio that includes Frito-Lay, Gatorade, Pepsi-Cola, Quaker and Tropicana. PepsiCo's product portfolio includes a wide range of enjoyable foods and beverages, including 22 brands that generate more than $1 billion each in estimated annual retail sales.

At the heart of PepsiCo is Performance with Purpose – our goal to deliver top-tier financial performance while creating sustainable growth in shareholder value. In practice, Performance with Purpose means providing a wide range of foods and beverages from treats to healthy eats; finding innovative ways to minimize our impact on the environment and reduce our operating costs; providing a safe and inclusive workplace for our employees globally; and respecting, supporting and investing in the local communities where we operate. For more information, visit www.pepsico.com.

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* Smartfood® is America's #1 Selling Popcorn Brand based on 2013 retail sales data from Information Resources, Inc.

** Regular Smartfood White Cheddar Popcorn has 10 g of total fat per 1-oz. serving. Smartfood Delight Sea Salt Popcorn has 7 g of total fat per 1-oz. serving. Smartfood Delight White Cheddar Popcorn has 5 g of total fat per 1-oz. serving.

SOURCE Frito-Lay North America