Was at a theater in south east Asia. Don't think I've ever had popcorn without kernels in this part of the world except maybe in amusement parks or restaurants.
I believe in the eastern world, caramel popcorn is the "default". At least, it definitely is the default here in HK; I've never had salty popcorn until I was in the US.
I've been to a few that had some as starters/light snack options. One of the best popcorns I've ever had was at a fancy restaurant where it was just at the table before we even sat down.
I actually didn't know salty was the normal type of popcorn in the US until my 20s
So am I, and I've been to multiple SEA countries and I've had popcorn in multiple restaurants. I'll admit, it's not common, but it's definitely a thing that exists.
North West South East Asia, North South East Asia, North East South East Asia, East South East Asia, South East South East Asia, South South East Asia, South West South East Asia or West South East Asia?
I'd rather not be specific, people do weird things with comment history and location. But I'll say at least that I have been to more than a handful of SEA countries. Never seen the region broken down quite like you're doing though