It's not what you eat when you watch, it's what you watch when you eat. Researchers at Cornell University looked at the calories consumed during action flicks (in this case "The Island") vs an interview talk show ("Charlie Rose").

The results showed that the subjects who watched the action flick consumed an average of 354 calories and nearly twice as much in weight compared to the group that watched the talk show, who only consumed 215 calories.

Study author Aner Tal, a postdoctoral research associate at Cornell’s Food and Brand Lab, said that stimulating, fast-paced programs with a lot of camera cuts drew viewers in and distracted them from what they were eating. “They can make you eat more because you’re paying less attention to how much you are putting in your mouth,” Tal said.