At the movie theater, popcorn has never been more popular — thanks to the container it comes in.
2024’s hottest-ticket item at concession stands is the collectible popcorn bucket. These over-the-top vessels have become an important part of every blockbuster release in recent memory at the big three movie theater chains: Cinemark, Regal and AMC Theatres.
On Oct. 22, Cinemark announced its latest buzzy bucket — one shaped like the Roman Colosseum — for the upcoming epic “Gladiator II.”
Dubbed the “Gladiator II Popcorn AR-ena Bucket,” the Cinemark exclusive is being sold (sans popcorn) for $22.99. Comparable buckets typically cost $24.99 to $30 or more, depending on the theater.
Although the “Gladiator II” media blitz has a star-studded Pepsi commercial and high-profile interviews with its romanesque stars under its leather belt, its stately popcorn bucket is holding its own in the public zeitgeist. Plenty of people online are expressing their intention to buy it.
“Our themed concessions vessels have been performing incredibly well, flying off of shelves and generating even more excitement to catch Hollywood’s newest content at our theaters,” David Haywood, Cinemark’s SVP of food and beverage, tells TODAY.com, adding that social media has played a big part in the category’s growing popularity.
So, when did this all start? AMC has been selling themed popcorn containers for years, but nothing like the sculptural souvenirs they’re slinging now. In 2019, AMC offered a popcorn and drink holder shaped like R2-DR for “The Rise of Skywalker,” which seems to have set off the trend.
During the theatrical release of 2023’s highest-grossing movie, “Barbie,” AMC sold a popcorn bucket shaped like a pink convertible that came with a doll and cost customers $64.99.
Google Trends shows that search interest in the term “popcorn bucket” saw an uptick back in 2022, holding steady until there was a huge spike in March 2024, thanks to one majorly viral (and unintentionally inappropriate) popcorn bucket.
In January, “Dune: Part Two” enjoyed a viral moment before it even hit theaters when AMC debuted a popcorn bucket shaped like Shai-Hulud, the sandworm from the movies and novels.
Originally priced at $24.99, it had a sphincter-like circular row of rubbery teeth that gave fans limited access to the buttery popcorn within.
To put it plainly: People thought it looked like a sex toy, which sent the bucket into the viral stratosphere with countless memes, adult jokes and even an “SNL” skit.
Its memeability translated to sales, too — the bucket sold out and spurred a resale market on sites like eBay, where it has sold for as much as $219.
Google Trends shows a second spike in July 2024, when summer blockbusters offered a bevy of popular popcorn buckets. July’s “Despicable Me 4” bucket was made to look like a baby carrier as a reference to protagonist Gru’s new infant son in the animated film.
When “Deadpool & Wolverine” dropped in theaters that same month, Ryan Reynolds shared a video on Instagram of the movie’s popcorn bucket. In keeping with the film’s raunchy themes and perhaps riffing on of the “Dune: Part Two” bucket, the container features a suggestively cartoonish version of Wolverine’s wide-open maw.
“Years from now they will look back at 2024 as the year the War of the Popcorn Buckets began,” Reynolds wrote in the caption.
Nels Storm, AMC Theatres’ vice president of food and beverage product strategy, tells TODAY.com that AMC’s R2-D2 vessel was popular from the moment it hit shelves in 2019, and that’s how the company knew it was onto something.
“Since then, guests have been thrilled with the innovative collectible concession vessels we’ve introduced, with many of them selling out during their opening weekend — proving that movie lovers want to connect with these movies and have a lasting memento they can take with them,” he says.
Storm adds that AMC’s merchandise sales have gone from $0 five years ago to $54 million in 2023 and that it plans on dropping more sculptural containers this year, including for “Wicked,” “Moana 2,” “Red One” and “Mufasa.”
Matt Willard, head of business development at Regal, tells TODAY.com that when “Barbie” was released last year, Regal recognized the rise in popularity for in-theater merch. The theater chain released a Barbie-pink popcorn bucket made to look like the doll’s iconic toy packaging.
“Collectible containers drive interest for both avid moviegoers and casual attendees to visit our theatres and create additional opportunities for fans to engage with popular films,” Willard says, adding that the company is very excited about the lineup of exclusive merchandise it has planned for “Gladiator II,” “Wicked” and more.
These days, cinephiles can expect collectible containers to be sold alongside high-budget films like “Venom,” “Mean Girls,” “Child’s Play,” “Inside Out,” “The Batman,” and “Beetlejuice 2,” which has a much less suggestive sandworm.
This new type of movie memorabilia has attracted fans with deep pockets, lots of shelf space and a love for liquid butter and salt, who have been showing off their collections on Reddit and YouTube.
Which means, of course, that the “Dune: Part Two” bucket isn’t the only viral vessel on the resale market: Popular items on eBay include containers from multiple Marvel movies, the “Star Wars” movies and Jack Skellington from “Nightmare Before Christmas,” with some selling for hundreds of dollars.
If you’ve got your eye on one of these buckets, may we suggest visiting your local thrift shop in a year or so? It’s only a matter of time before it gets there. Otherwise, our landfills will soon be filled with the freakiest forms of plastic.
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