Movie-themed popcorn buckets were hot collectors’ items again in 2024, featuring creative containers for such films as Moana 2, Gladiator II, Deadpool & Wolverine and Beetlejuice Beetlejuice.
And as the year winds up there’s more on the way, starting Friday with a Sonic-themed popcorn bucket from Cinemark Theaters for Sonic the Hedgehog 3 and Regal Cinemas’ Pride Rock popcorn container for Mufasa: The Lion King.
Perhaps the most notable movie-themed popcorn bucket earlier in the year was AMC Theatres’ “popcorn vessel” for Dune: Part Two, which was released in March.
A popcorn bucket with a replica of the film’s sandworm atop it, the Dune: Part Two popcorn vessel received major attention thanks to a viral Saturday Night Live film short that had fun at the expense of the item’s suggestive design.
All jokes about it aside, Dune: Part Two’s popcorn wasn’t the only movie-themed theater novelty to feature a sandworm.
Thanks to the return of the Beetlejuice sandworm in Beetlejuice Beetlejuice, Regal Cinemas and AMC Theatres brought the iconic black-and-white striped creature to the concession stand in the form of a popcorn bucket.
See photos below of various popcorn buckets that appeared at Regal, AMC and Cinemark theaters in 2024. While some theaters had exclusive movie-themed popcorn buckets, most were available at different theaters including smaller chains like Emagine Entertainment’s theaters.
AMC’s Offerings Included ‘Dune: Part Two’ And ‘Deadpool & Wolverine’ Popcorn Buckets
AMC Theaters not only had a popcorn vessel for Dune: Part Two, it sold a Batman Batsignal celebrating the film’s character’s 80th anniversary in 2024.
In addition, AMC sold Deadpool & Wolverine—one featuring Headpool and the other Wolverine—and Minon-themed Despicable Me 4 popcorn containers.
‘Venom: The Last Dance’ Brought Symbiote Buckets To Concession Stands
Regal Cinemas and AMC Theatres each had popcorn containers for Venom: The Last Dance. Regal’s Venom popcorn container featured the neck and the head of the symbiote, while AMC went with a more traditional popcorn bucket shape for the Marvel movie character.
‘Gladiator II’ Brought Strength And Honor To Movie-Themed Popcorn Buckets
AMC Theatres and Cinemark Theaters was inspired by the Roman Colosseum and a gladiator helmet for their Gladiator II popcorn containers. AMC went with arena-style popcorn tin while Cinemark had a bucket with gladiator helmet topper.
In addition, Cinemark sold a Roman Colosseum AR-ena popcorn container that implented augmented reality (AR) technology. See the post on X below to watch the action unfold.
‘Moana 2’ Made Waves With A 3D Popcorn Bucket
Cinemark Theaters went with a 3D popcorn bucket for Moana 2, one of which features figures of Moana, Pua and Hei Hei, as well as Maui’s Manaiakalani. The bucket itself is a “live” ocean wave.
In addition, the chain sold a more traditional bucket featuring the ocean wave and an oversized replica of Moana’s necklace.
Cinemark also sold Wicked popcorn tins and a Sonic the Hedgehog 3 popcorn bucket.
Regal Cinemas Offered A Wide Array Of Movie-Themed Popcorn Buckets
Regal Cinemas sold popcorn containers for Alien: Romulus, Transformers One, Beetlejuice Beetlejuice (also sold by AMC Theatres) and The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim, as well as Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire.
In addition, Regal Cinemas sold popcorn containers (below) for Deadpool & Wolverine, Despicable Me 4, Red One and Beetlejuice Beetlejuice.
There are sure to be more creative movie-themed popcorn buckets coming to theaters in 2025, so get ready to dig into the fun again in 2025.
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