7 Ways to Make Your Home Feel Like a Movie Theater

You deserve a break. A break from the news, from the kids, from cooking, from cleaning, from cleaning again, from all of it. Time to zone out. Wouldn’t it be dreamy, though, if your version of “zoning out” conjured the nicest movie theater in town? The one with the plushest seats and the best snacks?

You’re worth it, so here’s how to go full cinema in your own home, at least on the snacks and drinks front. Dim the lights, shush your partner or your pet, put your feet up, and dig in.

1. Buttered Popcorn Salt

Popcorn. There must be popcorn. The butterier and messier, the better. This theater-style buttered popcorn salt is what you want, whether you’re popping your own kernels stovetop or in the microwave. (And isn’t that classic cinema-style shaker just the cutest?)

2. Amish Popcorn Library

A dozen different homegrown popcorn kernel varieties comprise this stunner of a set. (You weren’t going to eat that buttered popcorn salt straight, were you?) Grown on a family farm in northern Indiana Amish country, all kernels are natural, GMO-free, and grown with care and love.

3. Popcorn with Lemon Butter

There’s popcorn you nibble at unthinkingly. Then there’s the stuff that makes you look right away from the screen, diving elbow-deep into the carton. This recipe falls squarely into the latter category. Maple, thyme, lemon, butter and olive oil mingle to coat fat, fluffy kernels of corn. It’s unbelievable how well such an unorthodox combo works.

4. DIY Soda

Build yourself a good cocktail or pour a pint before starting the flick if that’s more your speed, but you could also make a pretty fabulous non-alcoholic soda. If you don’t own a sparkling water maker, they’re money-savers and they don’t take up much room. The simplest recipe is to add bitters to your sparkling water; we quite like our own.

5. Unicorn Popcorn Sundae

Another candidate for the “Why didn’t anyone think of that sooner?” award: Popcorn and chocolate ice cream, plus rainbow sprinkles, all together. Salty, sweet, crunchy and creamy, it’s the best of both worlds, and then some. Amirah Kassem of New York City bakery Flour Shop is the genius mind behind this recipe.

6. Add Candy

Don’t get us wrong! Milk Duds and Jujyfruits definitely have their place in our favorite theater snack bars, but when we’re at home we like to treat ourselves to the good stuff. Whether it’s artisanal chocolates and strawberry gummies, or Red Vines and bite-size Charleston Chews, we say let there be candy—and plenty of it!

7. Keep It Cozy

Depending on where in the country you are, you’re either between seasons or squarely into spring. Most of us can still benefit from getting a bit cozy, though. So break out the real candles, put the fireplace on if you like, grab a cashmere throw, open the good wine, and get cozy. Social distancing is necessary right now; you’re helping those you know and love and those you don’t. We toast your efforts from our own hearths.