Image: AMC Theatres / Cinemark / Kotaku
As it turns out, the Dune: Part Two sandworm-shaped monstrosity that AMC passed off as a popcorn bucket wasn’t the only one of its kind. In fact, since 2019, AMC has apparently made a killing selling all kinds of collectible tie-in buckets for the year’s biggest blockbusters, from Star Wars: Rise of Skywalker to Taylor Swift: Eras Tour. This year, they’ve been making a killing by selling buckets themed after a bunch of blockbusters and family-centric movies, which tend to bring in huge audiences that live and die for this kind of stuff. It’s all a racket, I tells ya, but a racket that has spawned a bigger market than I was led to believe. Cinemark and other movie theater chains have also jumped on the train, and by now there are folks with a sizeable-enough bunch of these buckets at home to call it an honest-to-goodness collection, and their interest in them an obsession.
And frighteningly, we may just be at the start of this trend. Since first going down this rabbit hole earlier this year, theater chains have only continued putting out the weirdest and most imaginative collectible popcorn buckets, running the gamut from cute to horny. On one hand, there’s a baby carrier for Despicable Me 4 that I simply must have. On the other hand, there’s also a Chestburster bucket from Alien or Wolverine’s mouth. What are we doing here? I’ve come to you all with my findings. I’m so sorry. Here are some of the best, and absolute worst, popcorn buckets you can pick up. For real American dollars. Of your own volition. For some reason.
Originally published August 8, 2024, this list periodically updates with new popcorn buckets as this very strange trend persists.