AMC Cinema Sweets Review: Do These Chocolate Candies Deserve A Round Of Applause?
Popcorn vendors used to set up shop outside of movie houses, but during The Great Depression, in order to survive, theaters started selling the snack themselves on the inside, helping to make it a movie theater staple. In the coming decades, the concession stand became a must-stop for sodas and candy too. AMC Theatres has been screening movies since 1920, but one thing the theater chain has never done before is sell candy under its own name... until now. AMC Theatres is giving candy-making the old college try, introducing a new line of gourmet Cinema Sweets, in four different varieties — Chocolate Covered Almonds, Chocolate Covered Peanuts, Chocolate Covered Pretzels with a Dark Chocolate Drizzle, and Chocolate Covered Raisins. In a press release, Hank Green, AMC's vice president, Food & Beverage said, "We spent the last year in research and development ensuring that AMC Cinema Sweets, carrying the AMC name, are candies we are proud of, and just as important -– really delicious snacks that our guests will enjoy and seek out when they come to the movies."
So, are AMC's Cinema Sweets coming attractions you cannot pass up at the concession stand, or a bunch of trailers, lagging behind sensational standbys like boxes of Milk Duds and bags of Twizzlers? I tore open a bag of each to see what is what. Here are the results of this chew and review.
Some recommendations are based on first-hand impressions of promotional materials and products provided by the manufacturer.
What do Cinema Sweets Chocolate Covered Almonds taste like?
While peanuts are a common crunchy filler for chocolates, almonds have been working their own magic over the years. If you've ever had the pleasure of having almond M&Ms, you already know they are a major step up over the formidable peanut M&Ms.
With this in mind, I was particularly excited to tear into the Cinema Sweets chocolate covered almonds. These candies have a faint smell of chocolate, with an even lighter hint of the nut hiding inside. The oval pieces are nicely sized, and it's easy to hold a bunch in a single hand.
The exterior milk chocolate shell is super thick, and with added ingredients tapioca starch, sugar, and confectioner's glaze, have a good mild taste to them. The problem here is that there's almost too much chocolate surrounding the almond. By the time I got to the actual almond, my mouth was so engulfed in chocolate that the nut almost seemed like an afterthought. It's still a decent candy, but I wish the chocolate to almond ratio was a bit more even to make for a smoother blend.
A single serving is about nine pieces, and there are 5 servings per bag. A serving is good for 150 calories, 10 grams of total fat, 5 milligrams of cholesterol, 15 milligrams of sodium, 15 grams of total carbohydrates, 1 of which is dietary fiber and 13 are total sugars, and 3 grams of protein.
What do Cinema Sweets Chocolate Covered Peanuts taste like?
The chocolate covered almonds were a bit of a disappointment, but luckily the Cinema Sweets chocolate covered peanuts more than helped to ease my sorrows. On the surface, these candies that range in shape from oval to round, look teeny tiny in comparison to their almond brethren. With a more compact size, they run the risk of getting loose and lost in the handoff between bag and hand.
Size matters not here, as these candies do a lot more with less. Here, the chocolate to peanut ratio is a lot closer than it is with almonds, and strikes the perfect balance between the two while eating. The peanuts aren't whole, but rather pieces. The milk chocolate, also fortified with tapioca starch, sugar, and confectioner's glaze, adds a nice sweet smoothness to juxtapose with the salty and toasted peanut bits. Some pieces got a little melty while in my hand, but whatever minor mess it made was worth it. The chocolate covered peanuts are an excellent candy, and stack up well against peanut M&Ms, even without a hard candy shell.
A single serving is about 23 pieces, and there are 5 servings per bag. A serving is good for 150 calories, 11 grams of total fat, 5 milligrams of cholesterol, 10 milligrams of sodium, 12 grams of total carbohydrates, 1 of which is dietary fiber and 10 are total sugars, and 4 grams of protein.
What do Cinema Sweets Chocolate Covered Pretzels with a Dark Chocolate Drizzle taste like?
AMC's chocolate covered pretzels with a dark chocolate drizzle bag paints a real pretty picture: A rounded, twisted mini pretzel is dipped in shiny milk chocolate, and then perfectly striped with thin strips of dark chocolate. Taking a gander at the actual pretzels, they don't remotely match what the bag's illustration promised. The milk chocolate coating was dull, and the dark chocolate drizzles were sparse and sporadically placed. Alas, I wasn't here to hang these pretzels on the walls of the Louvre, but to munch down on them.
These candies smell like hot chocolate, and have a nice mild, sweet milk chocolate taste. The pretzels have a great crunch, with notes of salt, but not the bigger, coarse kind you'd find in normal pretzels. The addition of dark chocolate breaks things up a bit, adding a nice one-two punch of taste. The only drawback with these winners is they have a tendency to melt quickly in the palm of a hand. Not the best for sitting in a theater for almost 2 hours, so be sure to grab plenty of napkins.
A single serving is about 23 pieces, and there are 5 servings per bag. A serving is good for 150 calories, 11 grams of total fat, 5 milligrams of cholesterol, 10 milligrams of sodium, 12 grams of total carbohydrates, 1 of which is dietary fiber and 10 are total sugars, and 4 grams of protein.
What do Cinema Sweets Chocolate Covered Raisins taste like?
If you're AMC is offering up chocolate covered raisins, does that mean they don't sell competitors' versions of the same exact thing? Digging deep on AMC's app, where you can see in advance what candies most of its theaters peddle, I saw no signs of Raisinets whatsoever, but some locations do carry Sunmaid Chocolate Raisins.
AMC's take on the classic candy, which has been around since at least the late 19th century, is exactly what one expects for a chocolate covered raisin. The size of these treats are a bit larger than the chocolate covered peanuts, and come in various shapes, some complete with pock marks. The milk chocolate, which is joined by powdered sugar, cocoa powder, tapioca starch, sugar, confectioner's glaze, has the right amount of thickness to surround each chewy raisin.
Chocolate covered raisins aren't for everyone, so it boils down to this: If this is your go to movie treat, AMC has totally got your covered. If it is not your thing, feel free to pick something else.
A single serving is about 25 pieces, and there are 5 servings per bag. A serving is good for 120 calories, 5 grams of total fat, 5 milligrams of cholesterol, 10 milligrams of sodium, 19 grams of total carbohydrates, 1 of which is dietary fiber and 17 are total sugars, and 1 grams of protein.
How to buy AMC Cinema Sweets and how much they cost
Cinema Sweets currently come in four varities: Chocolate Covered Almonds, Chocolate Covered Peanuts, Chocolate Covered Pretzels with a Dark Chocolate Drizzle, and Chocolate Covered Raisins, with the promise of more branded candies to come in 2024. They are available now for purchase, while supplies last, only at AMC Theatres in the United States. The candies can be purchased directly at the concession stand, or even in advance using the "Express Pick-Up" option available through AMC's app or website.
Each bag is 5 ounces, which are super easy to tear open, and varies in price, based on theater location. Checking prices at various AMCs, prices have ranged from as low as $5.29 to as high as $5.99.
The final verdict
The concession stand at AMC Theatres is all about endless options. That's why it offers a whopping 24 snacks, and I've tasted and ranked every one of them. When it comes to candy, while the theatre has a variety of options, these new candies fill a certain void.
The chocolate covered peanuts are the best of the newbies, and are so darn good, I actually wish they were available for purchase outside of the movie theater. Despite their drab appearance, the chocolate covered pretzels with a dark chocolate drizzle are also a winner, and I hope a white chocolate version is currently a work in progress. If Raisinets are a must at the movies for you, then look no further than the chocolate covered raisins under the Cinema Sweets banner. The chocolate covered almonds are a decent treat, but not something that deserves a hearty acceptance speech.
AMC's Cinema Sweets are a welcome addition to concession stands, although with brown packaging, these bags don't exactly stand out on a rack. Also, these candies cost the same as the name brand ones, and I think it's a missed opportunity that they weren't offered at a lower price point to initially lure in new eaters. Regardless, I'm looking forward to more sweet treats by AMC to come, hopefully including a mix bag that includes all four of these together. Lights! Camera! Snacktion!