The 5 best movie theater snacks showcased at CinemaCon

The pickle lemonade isn’t ready for the masses.

Yet.

The Coca-Cola booth at CinemaCon, this week’s annual gathering of movie theater owners at Caesars Palace, served up the concoction — which tasted neither like pickles nor lemonade but was surprisingly potable — as a way to showcase the company’s mixology potential.

The world’s largest trade show dedicated to movie theaters is the place where attendees from more than 80 countries look for everything from new projectors and seats to ways to freshen up their snack bars.

While there are no plans to add pickle lemonade dispensers at concession stands around the world, here are the five best food items found at the show that could be coming soon to a theater near you:

CVT ice cream pouches

Joe Nicchi founded CVT — named for its signature chocolate, vanilla and twist soft-serve ice cream flavors — in 2014 out of a renovated Mister Softee truck in Los Angeles. After cultivating a devoted following, CVT launched its grab-and-go ice cream pouches in 2023. They have a twist-off top, and you can squeeze the soft serve straight into your mouth, eliminating the worry of messy drips in the darkened theater.

Walking Tacos

The self-serve snacks are inspired by the popular street food. Frito-Lay demonstrated the concept with specially designed horizontal bags of Doritos, Fritos Scoops, Tostitos Bite Size and Tostitos Salsa Verde. After customers choose their bag and tear it open, they head to dispensers and top them with any combination of Tostitos nacho cheese, Tostitos queso blanco and Fritos chili.

Tru Q BBQ

The barbecue concept served up brisket mac and cheese for attendees. In addition to the brisket, it also can provide concession stands with pulled pork, pulled chicken and smoked sausage, along with 23 sides, including collard greens and corn on the cob, and seven sauces.

Pretzilla

The small-batch manufacturer of pretzel buns and bagels has moved into the concessions space with snack cups. The single-serving containers come with 4 ounces of bite-sized soft pretzels with nacho cheese dip or bite-sized cinnamon buns with cream cheese icing.

Bakery Fresh Pies

Made with real fruit filling and no artificial colors or flavors, these small pies could be mistaken for empanadas. Available in apple and cherry, they’re designed to be served warm and gooey.

Contact Christopher Lawrence at clawrence@reviewjournal.com or 702-380-4567.