popcorn movie

Definitions

A motion picture without serious dramatic content, a weighty message, or intellectual depth, which serves simply as enjoyable entertainment.

idiomatic

Examples

“Ah well, it's a pure popcorn movie, so what do you expect⟳? Drop Zone doesn't tax many brain cells, but it does keep⟳ the pulse pounding right to the end⟳.”

“Spielberg calls Minority Report⟳ the most cynical film he will have⟳ made—but yes, it has a happy ending, he says, and yes, it's a popcorn movie, "but a gourmet popcorn movie."”

“As a movie, The Day After Tomorrow is your classic computer-generated cinematic confection, only the bad guy isn't an alien or a giant lizard, it's global warming. That gives Tomorrow a lot more political heft than your average popcorn movie.”

CEFR level