Doc Popcorn Franchise
Cost, fees, owner earnings, closure rate and litigation for a Doc Popcorn franchise — pulled from the franchisor's own public FDD (2026), not its sales material.
Disclosure honesty
Doc Popcorn discloses little or no owner-earnings data (Item 19) — the franchisor won't put real profit in writing.
What their own earnings claim actually says
No financial performance representations disclosed. Franchisor explicitly states it makes no representations about franchisee future or past outlet financial performance.
What a Doc Popcorn franchise actually costs to run
| Fee | Disclosed | Where it comes from |
|---|---|---|
| Initial franchise fee | $15,000 | Item 5 — paid up front, before you open |
| Royalty | 6% of gross sales | Item 6 — charged on revenue, not profit |
| Advertising fund | 1% of gross sales | Item 6 — brand marketing, spent at the franchisor's discretion |
| Total recurring fees | 7% of gross sales | Before rent, labor, food or debt service |
| Total initial investment | $135,000 – $393,050 | Item 7 — franchisor's own low/high estimate |
6% royalty + 1% advertising (up to 2%). Multiple additional fees: $65/month technology, transfer fees up to $7,500, $2,500 renewal fee.
Royalty and ad-fund percentages are charged on gross sales — an owner pays them whether or not the location is profitable.
Doc Popcorn system size and owner turnover
| Total outlets | 79 |
| Ceased operations | 1 |
| Terminated by franchisor | 4 |
| Transferred to new owners | 1 |
| Closure rate | 1.3% of outlets |
1 termination in 2024; 1 ceased operations (Texas 2025); minimal transfers suggest stable retention.
From Item 20 of the FDD 2026. Terminations and ceased operations are the franchisor's own count of owners who stopped — the number the sales pitch leaves out.
Is Doc Popcorn worth it? — how it compares to 164 similar franchises
| Ongoing fees | 7% of sales | lower than most (median 8%) |
| Startup cost | from $135,000 | cheaper than most (median $481,500) |
| Disclosure honesty | Grade F | less honest than most of the category |
| Closure rate | 1.3% of outlets | about average |
| Disclosed lawsuits | 0 | fewer than most |
Benchmarked against every quick service restaurants franchise we've graded from public FDDs — the context the franchisor's pitch never gives you.
Owner take-home for a Doc Popcorn
The franchisor's framing: No financial performance representations disclosed. Franchisor explicitly states it makes … We reconstruct what an owner actually keeps, from their own FDD.
- Reconstructed owner P&L — net take-home after royalty, ad fund, rent, labor & debt
- Break-even timeline + cash-on-cash ROI
- Full fee stack + required-purchase markups
- Decoded real failure / closure rate
- How it ranks vs comparable franchises
- Validation-call playbook — the exact questions to ask
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Doc Popcorn franchise — frequently asked
- How much does a Doc Popcorn franchise cost?
- The FDD lists a total initial investment of about $135,000–$393,050, including a $15,000 initial franchise fee.
- How much do Doc Popcorn franchise owners make?
- Doc Popcorn discloses little or no earnings data (Item 19) — meaning the franchisor won't put real owner profit in writing. That's a red flag worth questioning.
- What are the Doc Popcorn franchise fees?
- Doc Popcorn's FDD discloses a $15,000 initial franchise fee, a 6% royalty on gross sales, a 1% advertising-fund contribution, for roughly 7% of gross sales in recurring fees before rent, labor, or debt service. 6% royalty + 1% advertising (up to 2%). Multiple additional fees: $65/month technology, transfer fees up to $7,500, $2,500 renewal fee.
- What is the Doc Popcorn franchise profit margin?
- Doc Popcorn discloses no Item 19 earnings representation, so no profit margin can be derived from the FDD at all. Any margin figure quoted elsewhere is an estimate, not a disclosure.
- What is the Doc Popcorn franchise failure rate?
- 1 termination in 2024; 1 ceased operations (Texas 2025); minimal transfers suggest stable retention.
- How many Doc Popcorn locations are there?
- Doc Popcorn's FDD reports 79 total outlets, with 1 that ceased operations in the most recent reporting year and 1 transferred to new owners. Item 20 is where system health shows up before the marketing does.
- Does Doc Popcorn have complaints or lawsuits?
- Doc Popcorn discloses no material litigation in Item 3 of the filing we reviewed. That's a positive signal, though it covers only what the franchisor is required to report.
- Is a Doc Popcorn franchise worth it?
- It depends on the numbers, not the pitch. Doc Popcorn scores F on disclosure honesty, carries about 7% of sales in ongoing fees. Get the real owner take-home before you sign.
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Compare Doc Popcorn to similar franchises
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Source: WI DFI Franchise Registration (2026). FranchiseValidate is independent and not affiliated with Doc Popcorn or its franchisor. Figures are extracted from the franchisor's own public disclosure document; verify against the current FDD before any decision.