In movie theaters everywhere: 'Attack of the Artery-Clogging Popcorn'

The biggest horror show in movie theaters right now isn't on screens but in the tubs of popcorn resting in audience members' laps, if you ask one consumer advocate. Snacking on a medium popcorn and soda at one of Regal Entertainment Group's (RGC) cinemas is the nutritional equivalent of eating three McDonald's (MCD) Quarter Pounders slathered with 12 pats of butter, says the Center for Science in the Public Interest.

The twist in the plot? Both Regal and AMC -- the nation's No. 1 and No. 2 theater chains -- understate the calories in their popcorn servings by big amounts, according to laboratory analyses commissioned by the nonprofit.