Popcorn at the movies can almost seem like an afterthought sometimes, but Smithsonian's Food & Think blog has a lengthy new article up that reminds readers that spending $10 on a medium corn is a privilege, not a right. In the piece, the magazine details the genesis of movie theater popcorn from the cultivation of maize 8,000 years ago. That might be a little far to go back, but it all plays into the larger picture, as the popped corn became such an everyman food that it was barred from movie palaces, which were deemed far too upscale. Eventually, after vendors set up outside the theaters, owners realized that they could make more money if they just sold it themselves, and thus the snack bar was born. Today, movie theaters make an estimated 85 percent profit off concession sales, and those sales make up about 46 percent of a theater’s overall profits.