American Licorice Company

Location: Julius Ballroom — Booth 320J

Sour Punch Filled Straws — Blue Raz Lemonade (5oz Hanging Bag)

What’s New:
American Licorice Company is introducing Sour Punch Filled Straws in a Blue Raz Lemonade flavor, adding a filled format to its existing Sour Punch lineup.

What It Is:
The product combines a sour-coated straw candy with a flavored filling, packaged in a 5oz hanging bag designed for concession display and grab-and-go purchases.

Why It Matters:
For exhibitors, novelty and flavor extensions remain key drivers of impulse concession sales. Products that build on familiar brands while introducing new formats can help refresh the candy mix without requiring major changes to merchandising.

The combination of a recognizable Sour Punch profile with a filled center offers a variation on a well-known product, giving cinemas an additional option to capture attention at the point of sale.

Sour Punch Sip-N-Chew — Blue Raspberry (Individually Wrapped)

What’s New:
American Licorice Company is also showcasing Sour Punch Sip-N-Chew, a new individually wrapped format designed for portability and portion control.

What It Is:
The product features blue raspberry Sour Punch straws packaged as individually wrapped pieces within a multi-pack format, allowing for easier distribution and on-the-go consumption.

Why It Matters:
Individually wrapped formats can provide exhibitors with more flexibility in how products are sold and bundled, particularly in environments where portability and sharing are factors. They also support alternative merchandising approaches, including combo integration or secondary placement outside traditional candy racks.

By adapting an established product into a more flexible format, Sip-N-Chew reflects a broader trend toward packaging that aligns with evolving consumption habits inside and outside the auditorium.

C. Cretors & Company

Location: Julius Ballroom — Booth 315J

Self-Serve Poppers & Warmers (2 ft. & 4 ft.)

What’s New:
As C. Cretors and Company marks its 140th year, the company is introducing new 2 ft. and 4 ft. self-serve poppers and warmers designed to support customer-led concessions while improving efficiency and sanitation in high-traffic environments.

What It Is:
The units feature a customer-controlled conveyor system that dispenses popcorn directly into containers, reducing the need for staff handling. An integrated recirculating conditioning system maintains consistent temperature and airflow to preserve freshness throughout the day. The poppers are available in multiple sizes, including 12 oz. and 32 oz. kettle configurations, with warmer-only options also offered.

Why It Matters:
As operators look for ways to manage labor costs while maintaining service speed, self-serve formats are becoming a more viable option in concession areas. Systems that allow customers to serve themselves can help reduce staffing pressure while keeping lines moving during peak periods.

At the same time, limiting direct contact with food aligns with ongoing expectations around hygiene and cleanliness. For cinemas offering refills or high-volume popcorn sales, self-serve solutions provide a potential way to streamline operations without sacrificing product consistency.

Frazil (Freezing Point)

Location: Julius Ballroom — Booth 114J

Café Tango Frozen Coffee Program

What’s New:
Frazil is highlighting Café Tango, a newer frozen coffee program and brand extension, at CinemaCon, expanding its beverage offering beyond traditional slush products into coffee-based drinks.

What It Is:
Café Tango is a frozen coffee platform featuring a range of flavors such as espresso, caramel macchiato, mocha, and seasonal varieties. The program is designed as a turnkey solution, with equipment, service, and product bundled together, allowing cinemas to introduce the offering without upfront capital investment. The beverages are dairy-free and designed for both concession and bar applications, including use in frozen cocktails.

Why It Matters:
As concession strategies evolve, exhibitors are looking beyond traditional soda and popcorn to higher-margin, specialty beverages. At the same time, consumer preferences, particularly among younger audiences, are shifting toward cold and frozen coffee drinks served throughout the day rather than limited to morning occasions .

Programs like Café Tango are positioned to address both trends, offering a category that can sit alongside existing concessions while also opening up opportunities in dine-in and bar environments. With a bundled deployment model and existing installations across multiple circuits, the approach lowers the barrier to entry for exhibitors looking to test and expand premium beverage offerings.

Gold Medal

Location: Julius Ballroom — Booth 709J

Dual Zone Elite Merchandiser

What’s New:
Gold Medal is introducing the Dual Zone Elite Merchandiser at CinemaCon, a concession display unit designed to hold and showcase multiple types of hot food within a single footprint.

What It Is:
The Dual Zone Elite Merchandiser is a glass-front display unit with two independently controlled temperature zones, allowing cinemas to hold different food items — such as popcorn, pizza, and hot sandwiches — in the same unit. The design supports both front-facing merchandising and rear access for restocking, making it suitable for high-traffic concession areas.

Why It Matters:
Grab-and-go food offerings are becoming more common at movie theatres, particularly in locations looking to increase throughput during peak periods. Equipment that can both hold and visually present a wider range of items can help support that shift.

By combining dual temperature control with a high-visibility display format, units like the Dual Zone Elite Merchandiser are positioned to help operators streamline service while encouraging impulse purchases, particularly in busy lobby environments where speed and visibility are closely linked.

The Hershey Company

Location: Julius Ballroom — Booth 727J

Movie Exclusive Product Assortment

What’s New:
The Hershey Company is introducing a Movie Exclusive confectionery assortment at CinemaCon, timed to support an upcoming 2026 theatrical release of “Hershey,” a major motion picture celebrating the authentic origin story and enduring legacy of one of America’s most iconic brands.

What It Is:
The offering brings together Hershey’s Milk Chocolate and Hershey’s Kisses in movie-exclusive packaging. The assortment is positioned as a cross-promotional product, linking established confectionery brands with a film centered on the company’s origin story.

Why It Matters:
Studios and concession partners continue to look for ways to extend film marketing into the theater environment. Themed or co-branded products allow operators to refresh well-known items without adding operational complexity, while creating promotional touchpoints that align with the release calendar and encourage incremental purchases.

Sour Strips Rainbow Candy Peg Bag, 3.4oz

What’s New:
Hershey is showcasing Sour Strips Rainbow Candy in a 3.4oz peg bag format at CinemaCon, expanding its presence within cinema concession offerings.

What It Is:
The product features multi-flavored sour candy strips coated for a high-intensity sour profile, packaged in a peg bag format suitable for retail-style display and grab-and-go purchase.

Why It Matters:
Sour candy continues to perform strongly among younger audiences, particularly in formats that emphasize bold flavor and shareability. For cinemas, adding or rotating recognizable sour brands can help diversify confectionery offerings beyond traditional chocolate and support impulse purchases at the concession stand.

Products like Sour Strips reflect a broader trend toward more flavor-forward snack options that appeal to evolving consumer preferences.

J&J Snack Foods

Location: Julius Ballroom — Booth 418J

Limited Time Offer Concessions & Branded Collaborations (ICEE, Dippin’ Dots)

What’s New:
J&J Snack Foods is showcasing a range of limited-time offerings (LTOs), branded collaborations, and new menu concepts at CinemaCon, spanning its ICEE, Dippin’ Dots, and foodservice snack portfolios.

What It Is:
The lineup includes cross-brand collaborations such as a Dippin’ Dots flavor developed with Dr Pepper, as well as movie-themed LTOs tied to upcoming releases, including Dippin’ Dots Galaxy Pop and ICEE “Star Powered” flavors inspired by the Super Mario franchise. Additional beverage concepts include customization options such as candy mix-ins and cream-based variations.

On the food side, J&J is introducing new snackable items designed for concession environments, including Birthday Cake Flavored Filled Churro Bites and the SuperPretzel Protein Pretzel, alongside a cookie program that allows operators to bake fresh products on site.

Why It Matters:
Concession strategies are increasingly focused on creating novelty and variety through limited-time offerings and recognizable brand partnerships. These types of promotions can generate repeat visits and provide exhibitors with opportunities to refresh menus without permanently expanding SKU counts.

Customization and fresh-prepared options also reflect a broader shift toward more flexible, experience-driven concession programs, where variety and visual appeal play a larger role in driving guest engagement and incremental spend.

Mars Snacking

Location: Julius Ballroom — Booth 727J

Skittles Gummies Fuego, Twix Bits & M&M’S Caramel POP’d

What’s New:
Mars is bringing a range of new confectionery formats at CinemaCon, including Skittles Gummies Fuego, Twix Bits, and M&M’S Caramel POP’d, each designed around evolving snacking preferences in theaters.

What It Is:
The lineup reflects a shift toward alternative textures and formats beyond traditional boxed candy. Skittles Gummies Fuego combines fruit flavors with a sweet-and-spicy profile, while Twix Bits reimagines the brand’s cookie-and-caramel structure in a smaller, poppable format. M&M’S Caramel POP’d introduces a freeze-dried variation of the brand, creating a lighter, airy texture compared to standard offerings .

Together, these products emphasize portability, shareability, and varied textures, aligning with how audiences increasingly consume snacks during a cinema visit.

Why It Matters:
Concession trends continue to move toward formats that are easier to handle, share, and consume throughout a film. Bite-sized and lightweight products can reduce mess, improve convenience, and encourage repeat purchasing during a single visit.

By expanding beyond traditional formats, manufacturers are giving exhibitors more flexibility in how products are merchandised and positioned, particularly in grab-and-go environments where variety and visual differentiation can influence impulse decisions.

Smart Bar USA

Location: Meetings by appointment

Self-Serve Cocktail System with DraftServ Integration

What’s New:
Smart Bar is introducing a self-serve cocktail system at CinemaCon, developed in partnership with DraftServ, that allows cinemas to offer automated beverage service with controlled access and tracking.

What It Is:
The system enables guests to purchase drinks in advance — either online, at the concession stand, or through in-seat ordering — and access them at a self-serve station using a QR code, RFID, or barcode. Each transaction is tied to a predefined number of pours, allowing the system to track and limit usage based on what has been purchased.

By integrating with existing ordering workflows, the platform supports bundled offers (such as tickets combined with food and beverage), while also allowing staff to direct orders to self-service stations instead of preparing drinks manually.

Why It Matters:
Alcohol service in cinemas can be operationally complex, requiring staffing, infrastructure, and compliance controls. Systems that automate dispensing while maintaining oversight of each transaction offer a way to expand beverage programs without significantly increasing labor or buildout requirements.

Pre-purchasing and bundled offers also shift revenue earlier in the customer journey, while self-service options can help reduce peak-time congestion and improve throughput in high-traffic environments.