Watching movies is hungry work.

So before you head into the theater, you hit the concession stand. Nothing goes better with some blockbuster-sized explosions and mayhem than a pack of your favorite chocolate- or fruit-flavored goodies.

Of course, those movie-sized packs of candy are larger than the average, in part to justify their fairly impressive price tags. Most theaters offer combo deals, though, where you can add on the candy of your choice for what's actually a very reasonable price.

What's not quite as reasonable, though, is the toll that sack or box of candy will take on your waistline. When paired with a bag of fat- and calorie-rich movie popcorn and a soda, the candy can be a component of a explosion of the dietary kind.

But before we start, let's take a look at the most common accompaniments to your candy selection, a medium popcorn and medium soda, in this case a Coke.

Popcorn, medium, no added butter: 951 calories, 58 grams fat, 0 grams cholesterol, 93 grams carbs. The sodium count varies widely from chain to chain, but suffice it to say you'll get quite a dose of salt.

Coke, medium (roughly 2 pints): 236 calories, 0 grams fat, 72 mg sodium, 58.9 grams carbs.

So, you've already got more than 1,000 calories on board before your candy purchase. Enjoy!

We'll start with one of the most popular snacks of all time and go along from there.

Peanut M&M's (5.3 ounce bag): 786 calories, 39.3 grams fat, 18 mg cholesterol, 71 mg sodium, 92.9 grams carbs.

These may be popcorn's perfect partner. With a bit of salty-sweet action going on, they take that flavor contrast to new heights when paired with salty movie popcorn.

Plain M&M's (5.3 ounce bag): 750 calories, 32.1 grams fat, 18 mg cholesterol, 89 mg sodium, 107 grams carbs

You might be surprised to see that there's more sodium in the plain M&M's than in the peanut. They mix better with popcorn than their heavier brothers, and you get more total candies per bag.

Gummi Bears (3.5 ounce bag): 130 calories, 0 grams fat, 0 mg cholesterol, 15 mg sodium, 30 grams carbs.

These take time to eat, pack a pretty good flavor punch and won't blast your waistline too hard. They can be an acquired taste, but they're certainly worth a try.

Skittles (6.7 ounce bag): 765 calories, 9 grams fat, 0 mg cholesterol, 23 mg sodium, 166.5 grams carbs.

If you prefer fruit flavors to chocolate and want something to go well with your popcorn, this is your best choice. Both in form and flavor, Skittles will let you get your fruit kick in with your popcorn easily.

Starburst (4.4 ounce box): 440 calories, 10.5 grams fat, 0 mg cholesterol, 0 mg sodium, 99 grams carbs.

The problem with these fruit chews has always been the wrapping. In the dark of a theater, you want to be able to tear open a bag and munch. Having to fumble with unwrapping each individual piece is annoying. Tasty, but annoying.

Twix (king size, 4 bars): 475 calories, 23.8 grams fat, 0 mg cholesterol, 198 mg sodium, 63.3 grams carbs.

People who love Twix really love them. This candy probably has a higher ratio of fanatical devotees among its consumers than any other mass-market candy. They do offer a good flavor/texture combination, but eat them fast or you'll be sitting in the dark with chocolate-coated fingers.

Junior Mints (4.75 ounce box): 432 calories, 13.5 grams fat, 0 mg cholesterol, 0 mg sodium, 114 grams carbs.

Almost every concession worker has at least one horror story of running out of Junior Mints during a rush. Junior Mints lovers will accept no substitutes, and will become quite irate when they can't get their fix.

Goobers (3.5 ounce box): 534 calories, 33 grams fat, 13 mg cholesterol, 38 mg sodium, 50.8 grams carbs.

Goobers and the next entry, Raisinets, are two of the oldest movie candies around. There's just something about the simple chocolate around a salty roasted peanut or a sweet juicy raisin that has been irresistible to generations of moviegoers.

Raisinets (3.5 ounce box): 380 calories, 15.8 grams fat, 4 mg cholesterol, 36 mg sodium, 70.8 grams carbs.

Mix these into a hot bag of popcorn and wait a minute. You'll be rewarded with a gooey-sweet-salty treat. Grab plenty of napkins!

Sno-Caps (3.1 ounce box): 360 calories, 16 grams fat, 0 mg cholesterol, 0 mg sodium, 60 grams carbs.

This is the movie treat for those with more refined tastes, marrying semi-sweet chocolate with candy sprinkles for a taste that's unlike anything else in the candy counter. You probably haven't had them since you were a kid, and that's sad.

Milk Duds (4 ounce box): 495 calories, 17.5 grams fat, 0 mg cholesterol, 248 mg sodium, 81.6 grams carbs.

Like Junior Mints, these granddaddies of movie candies have a cadre of fanatically devoted fans who will raise a ruckus if deprived of their treats. While the calories and fat may be a bit off-putting, bear in mind that they're so chewy that one box will last an entire movie.

When it comes down to it, if you're going to buy candy at the movie no amount of nutritional information is going to change your mind. But take a closer look at the numbers and you might at least pick more wisely.