Mary-Louise Parker holds a bag of G.H. Cretors Chicago Mix during a scene in Red 2. Photo provided by G.H. Cretors.

Not one marketing dollar was spent, but G.H. Cretors all natural popped corn made it to the big screen of Red 2. Filmmakers had tried the popcorn in Canada as Red 2 was being filmed and asked the Waukegan, Ill., manufacturer if it could be used as a prop.

Actress Mary-Louise Parker picks up a bag of G.H. Cretors Chicago Mix during a scene that takes places in Costco and then hangs onto it for five minutes of the movie’s opening until it flies everywhere during an explosion.

The exposure, which came about by chance, has caused the company’s telephone to ring off the hook by customers excited to see their favorite brand in the movies. The company is expecting a 64 percent growth this year, according to its spokespeople.

It all started in 1885 when Charles Cretors invented the commercial large-scale popcorn machine, which popped corn in a mixture of lard, oil and salt uniformly for the first time in its own seasoning. His great-great-great grandson, George Henry Cretors started Corn Fields, which created G.H. Cretors. Now it is ran by mother-daughter team Phyllis and Claire Cretors, who still make popcorn the old-fashioned way in copper kettles one batch at a time. Great granddaughter times four, Claire Cretors, is the current president.

They offer three varieties, Just the Cheese Corn, using real cheddar cheese melted to the right temperature before being poured on fluffy popcorn; Just the Caramel Corn; and Chicago Mix, a mixture of the previous two. All the popcorn is made with brown rice syrup, no artificial flavors or colors, and their products are gluten free and non-GMO.