The average British adult tucks into almost 13,000 calories a year while watching movies at the cinema, according to a survey.

Respondents said they ate sweets, popcorn and hotdogs containing 1,795 calories each time they watched a movie on the big screen - almost the same as a woman's recommended daily amount of 2,000.

On average they said they made seven trips to the cinema a year, therefore consuming a total of 12,565 calories annually.

Popcorn was found to be the favourite movie food followed by sweets, ice cream and nachos.

Comedy was the most popular film genre, followed by thrillers and adventure movies, with Bohemian Rhapsody and Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom as the most watched films of 2018.

"Britons love of going to the cinema seems to be stronger than ever, however, one area many cinemas struggle with is their selection of healthy snacks," said Charif Christian Carvajal, a spokesperson for Chilean Blueberries, which commissioned the poll. “Many cinemagoers would prefer to have healthier options than the traditional hot dogs, nachos or popcorn that are usually offered."

The study of 2,000 adults found four in 10 would like cinemas to serve healthier snacks, with one in four wishing they could enjoy mixed nuts. One in 10 said they would like to have carrot sticks, while 15 per cent wanted some healthy banana chips to eat.

Almost 90 per cent thought current cinema snacks were overpriced, with a fifth saying they would be happy to pay a bit more for their movie ticket if the food was cheaper.

The high prices led to nine in 10 sneaking their own snacks into the theatre, rather than pay inflated prices.