Orville Redenbacher's Movie Theater Butter Popcorn: Labelgrade C- (59/100)
C- 59 / 100 — Notable saturated fat load, effectively zero sugar, high sodium per 100g, and substantial fiber.
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Orville Redenbacher’s Movie Theater Butter Popcorn delivers 2g of protein and 160 calories per 2 tbsp (34g) unpopped (makes about 4.5 cups popped) (USDA FDC 2755279). Per 100g that’s 5.9g of protein; per oz, 1.7g. The Labelgrade is C- (59 / 100): Notable saturated fat load, effectively zero sugar, high sodium per 100g, and substantial fiber.
Why this Labelgrade
| Dimension | Grade | Score | Why |
|---|---|---|---|
| Protein density | C- | 59 / 100 | 5.9g per 100g — below the high-protein bar; not the right product for protein hunting |
| Ingredient quality | B- | 72 / 100 | 6 ingredients, recognizable, no significant additive flags |
| Saturated fat load | F | 33 / 100 | 5g per serving (14.7g per 100g) — high; FDA daily limit is 20g |
| Sodium load | F | 15 / 100 | 340mg per serving (283mg per oz) — high; structural for cured/preserved foods |
| Sugar load | A+ | 100 / 100 | 0g of sugar — perfect |
| Fiber | A | 92 / 100 | 2.99g per serving — excellent, particularly in this category |
| Overall | C- | 59 / 100 | Weighted blend: protein 23% · ingredients 21% · saturated fat 18% · sodium 15% · sugar 15% · fiber 8% |
The oil is the story
Popcorn is, on its own, a genuinely good snack — a whole grain, naturally high in fiber, naturally low in fat. Air-popped, it grades in the B range and shows up on most “smart snack” lists for good reason. So when a popcorn product lands at C-, the question is always what got added, and here the answer is short and sits right at the top of the ingredient list: palm oil, second only to the corn itself.
That oil is what turns a 30-calorie-a-cup whole grain into a 160-calorie serving with 10g of total fat, 5g of it saturated. Add salt (340mg of sodium) and the butter flavoring, and two of the six grading dimensions collapse to an F — saturated fat and sodium — while the corn’s real strength, fiber, still earns an A. The C- is the average of those: a healthy base dragged down by the flavoring system layered on top. Nothing here is unsafe or even unusual for the category; it’s just that “movie theater butter” is, nutritionally, a euphemism for oil and salt, and the panel reflects that honestly.
What you keep, and what you give up
It’s worth being precise about the trade, because this isn’t an all-or-nothing snack. What you keep with this popcorn is real: the whole-grain corn is intact, so the 3g of fiber (an A) comes along for the ride, and there’s zero sugar — this is a savory treat, not a sweet one, which is a genuine point in its favor over most snack-aisle options. What you give up is the thing that made plain popcorn a standout: the palm oil and salt add the saturated fat and sodium that air-popping avoids entirely.
The practical read depends on what you want from it. As a treat — a movie-night bowl, eaten for the buttery taste — it’s a reasonable one: zero sugar, real fiber, and far better than a fried, sugary alternative. As an everyday snack you’re eating because popcorn is healthy, it doesn’t quite earn that, and the fix is simple and cheap: pop plain kernels (microwave a bag of just corn, or air-pop) and salt them lightly yourself. You keep the fiber and the whole grain, ditch most of the saturated fat, and control the sodium — the same snack, a letter grade or two higher.
How it compares
| Product | Protein per serving | Per 100 g | Per oz | Calories |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Orville Redenbacher’s Movie Theater Butter Popcorn (this product) | 2g | 5.9g | 1.7g | 160 |
| LesserEvil Himalayan Pink Salt Popcorn | 2g | 7.1g | 2g | 120 |
| Plain cooked chicken breast (benchmark) | — | 31g | 8.8g | ~165 |
Scope
This page covers Orville Redenbacher’s Movie Theater Butter Popcorn (54 ONZ), UPC 00027000073193, as represented in USDA Branded Foods FDC 2755279. Orville Redenbacher’s sells multiple variants in this product line — other sizes, flavors, or fat levels may have different macros and Labelgrade scores. Manufacturers periodically reformulate; always cross-reference the actual package label, especially if you have allergies or dietary restrictions.
Ingredients (from the USDA Branded Foods entry)
Whole Grain Popping Corn, Palm Oil, Salt, Natural Flavor (Including Milk), Rosemary Extract (For Freshness), Color Added (Annatto). CONTAINS: MILK.
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Quick Facts
Per serving · 2 tbsp (34g) unpopped (makes about 4.5 cups popped)
See how this fits your day — protein calculator · macro calculator
Full nutrition facts
| Nutrient | Per Serving (2 tbsp (34g) unpopped (makes about 4.5 cups popped)) |
|---|---|
| Calories | 160 |
| Protein | 2g |
| Total Fat | 10g |
| Saturated Fat | 5g |
| Trans Fat | 0g |
| Total Carbohydrates | 17g |
| Dietary Fiber | 2.99g |
| Total Sugars | 0g |
| Added Sugars | 0g |
| Sodium | 340mg |
| Cholesterol | 0mg |
| Calcium | 0mg |
| Iron | 0.401mg |
| Potassium | 0mg |
Scope: This page applies specifically to Movie Theater Butter Popcorn (54 ONZ) · UPC 00027000073193. Other sizes, flavors, or formulations may differ.
How this fits each diet
Each score is computed from the same USDA nutrition + ingredient data, against the published rules of each diet. They tell you "does this food fit this diet" — not whether the diet is right for you.
contains animal-derived ingredients
contains no listed meat or fish
no wheat, barley, rye, or malt detected in USDA ingredient list
Frequently Asked Questions
Is microwave butter popcorn healthy?
Plain popcorn is one of the better snacks there is — a whole grain, high in fiber, naturally low in fat. This Movie Theater Butter version takes that good base and adds palm oil and butter flavoring, which is where the trouble starts: 5g of saturated fat and 340mg of sodium per serving. That oil-and-salt layer is the entire reason it grades a C- (59/100) instead of much higher. The corn is healthy; what's been done to it is the problem.
Why does buttered popcorn grade lower than plain popcorn?
Because the butter flavoring is mostly oil. Air-popped plain popcorn has roughly 1g of fat and almost no sodium per serving, and it would grade in the B range as a high-fiber whole grain. This version adds palm oil (for richness and to carry the flavor) and salt, bringing 10g of total fat — 5g of it saturated — plus 340mg of sodium. Saturated fat drops to an F and sodium to an F on this product, and those two dimensions pull an otherwise-decent whole grain down to a C-. The oil is the story.
How much saturated fat is in Orville Redenbacher's Movie Theater Butter Popcorn?
5g per serving — about 25% of the FDA's 20g daily limit (USDA FDC 2755279). It comes from the palm oil and butter flavoring, not the corn. For comparison, air-popped popcorn has essentially none. That 5g is the single biggest reason this grades a C-, and it's the clearest example of how a 'butter' flavoring changes a snack's profile.
Does this popcorn still have the fiber benefit of regular popcorn?
Yes — that part survives. The whole-grain corn delivers 3g of fiber per serving, about 11% of a day's worth, which earns a strong A on that dimension. Fiber is the one place this product genuinely scores well, and it's why the grade lands at C- rather than D: the good whole-grain base is still in there, just buried under the oil and salt. If you popped plain kernels yourself, you'd keep the fiber and drop the saturated fat entirely.
Is air-popped popcorn a better choice?
On the label, clearly yes. Air-popped (or plain stovetop) popcorn keeps the fiber and whole-grain benefit while cutting the saturated fat to near zero and letting you control the salt — it grades well above this. The trade-off is the taste and convenience everyone actually buys microwave butter popcorn for. So this is the honest split: Movie Theater Butter is a tasty treat that happens to be built on a healthy grain; air-popped is the genuinely-healthy version of the same snack, minus the buttery flavor.
When was this data last verified?
2026-06-05, against USDA FoodData Central FDC 2755279. We re-verify top-traffic pages monthly and update within 7 days when a manufacturer reformulates.