Salty, buttery, and increasingly off-putting. [View on web]( [Rows upon rows of popcorn-filled buckets are stacked upon each other at a movie theater concession stand, commemorating Taylor Swift's Eras tour.]( The popcorn buckets for Taylor Swiftâs Eras Tour film were kind of like getting merch at the concert. | AFP/Getty Images I didnât realize Despicable Me 4 was happening until I saw [the popcorn bucket](: a âbaby popcorn carrierâ that will allow its wearer to hold popcorn hands-free, while also creating the illusion of a Minion jumper and Gruâs signature scarf. This is presumably a tie-in to the fact that the new movie features Gruâs newborn son, Gru Jr., plus, Iâm guessing, more Minion antics. I have somehow managed to avoid seeing any movies involving Minions and yet, now I know this, thanks to the picture of the popcorn carrier thatâs making the rounds online. Commemorative popcorn buckets are no new thing. AMC has been selling themed metal collectorâs buckets [for years](, and bulky, limited edition novelty buckets are hyped [among Disney World fans](, with guides dedicated to sharing the parkâs [recent offerings](. What does seem new, however, is the surge of maximalist, memeable popcorn buckets and mainstream consumer interest in them â you donât have to be a Disney die-hard to encounter one. [According to Google Trends](, search interest in the term âpopcorn bucketâ went from basically negligible between 2004 and 2022 to slightly more appealing in 2022 and 2023 to hugely, shockingly popular in early 2024. [Various images of the baby popcorn carrier advertising Despicable Me 4.]( [Discussing Film/X]( | //link.eater.com/click/35802400.37350/aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cudGlrdG9rLmNvbS9AZmFuZGFuZ28vdmlkZW8vNzM4MDA1MzQzODgxMTQ5MTYxND9pc19mcm9tX3dlYmFwcD0xJnNlbmRlcl9kZXZpY2U9cGMmdWVpZD02YzUzYjYzYThlM2ZhZDcwYWQ0ZWYxMzAwNDUyNzQzNw/61436a767b51b35caf6c365fB991922ba//link.eater.com/click/35802400.37350/aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cudGlrdG9rLmNvbS9AZmFuZGFuZ28vdmlkZW8vNzM4MDA1MzQzODgxMTQ5MTYxND9pc19mcm9tX3dlYmFwcD0xJnNlbmRlcl9kZXZpY2U9cGMmdWVpZD02YzUzYjYzYThlM2ZhZDcwYWQ0ZWYxMzAwNDUyNzQzNw/61436a767b51b35caf6c365fC991922ba[Fandango]([/TikTok]( We can thank the sandworm for that. AMCâs Dune: Part Two popcorn bucket, which began to circulate online in January, was an instant sensation. The lid, which was meant to look like the maw of the franchiseâs famous Shai-Hulud, was sphincter-esque with long bristles for the wormâs teeth. It inspired headlines like âThe Internet Fears the Dune 2 Dick-Trap Popcorn Bucketâ and a dedicated skit [on Saturday Night Live](. But maybe most importantly, it got people talking about Dune, even if they hadnât previously been fans. The Dune popcorn bucket is part of a new promotional playbook. Accompanying 2023âs flashy Barbie, AMC [offered pink toy Corvettes]( for holding popcorn. The same year, for Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, AMC also sold [$30 Ant-Man helmets](, the tops of which opened up to reveal popcorn inside. Cinemark presented popcorn containers in the form of large blue beetles with lifting wings for Blue Beetle. When Taylor Swiftâs Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour hit theaters, it was accompanied by [its own popcorn buckets](. For Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire, also in March of this year, Regal offered [âghost trapâ popcorn buckets]( with hinged, battery-powered doors that sprung open and closed, presumably for catching ghosts. [[ratio] ]( With Deadpool & Wolverine hitting theaters next month, the actor Ryan Reynolds recently [shared a promotional video]( of a popcorn bucket that requires requires you to stick a hand into Wolverineâs open mouth. Reynolds wrote on Instagram, âYears from now they will look back at 2024 as the year the War of the Popcorn Buckets began.â Movie theaters, which [were on the downturn]( even before the pandemic, are now attempting to claw back audiences. And movie theatergoing is on the uptick, although some surveys [suggest that]( theaters will simply never go back to what they were pre-COVID. With revenue down, movie theaters are simply trying to maximize their profit margins. Boxoffice editor Daniel Loria [told the Wrap earlier this year](: âMoviegoers are showing a greater willingness to spend more at theaters, so why not see how far theyâre willing to spend?â [The Deadpool-themed popcorn bucket features a plastic mask-like recreation of Wolverine, mouth wide open. To reach the popcorn, customers must reach into Wolverine's open maw.]( [Instagram]( Indeed, AMC [told IndieWire last year]( that it sees growing potential in âstrategic in-theatre merchandise salesâ as a result of the success of its collectable popcorn vessels, which generally cost around $30 and often include the cost of the popcorn itself. (But there can still be surprises: AMCâs Barbie corvette, which included both popcorn and a Barbie doll, cost $65.) When you can watch almost anything at home, the gimmicky popcorn bucket is also a reason to actually go to the theater. If you made the effort to go to the movies instead of sitting on the couch â to maybe even dress up, as people did for Barbie â you might want to commemorate it with a souvenir. And of course, thereâs no underestimating American consumersâ endless appetite for cheap plastic stuff. Some of the appeal lingers long after the release. As of this writing, Dune popcorn buckets, sandworm lid included, are listed between [$80]( and [$300]( on eBay. And while active listings are often inaccurate gauges of an itemâs value, recent sales show they are, in fact, pulling in around $50-$130. The Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire ghost trap popcorn bucket. | [Regal Store]( However, value is ultimately beside the point. At their essence, the popcorn buckets are a wink and a nudge that a movie is in on the jokes youâre inevitably going to tell. In the case of Dune: Part Two, the absurdity of the popcorn bucket helped inject the otherwise serious, complicated franchise with light meme fodder â an approach that the movieâs marketing team also leaned into through [short-form videos](. Thereâs certainly much to discuss around Duneâs big, heady themes and Denis Villeneuveâs directing, but letâs be honest: Itâs the dumb stuff that gets people interested and keeps them talking. Months after Dune: Part Twoâs release, itâs not the cinematography, as good as it was, that Iâm rehashing mentally, but the memes (everything spawned by Austin Butlerâs gruff âmay thy knife chip and shatter,â in particular). Iâm still thinking about the logistics of sticking my hand down a Shai-Hulud to get my popcorn, and how gross those bristles must be after all that butter brushes through them. To be memed is to be remembered, and the movie theaters know that. â Bettina Makalintal, Eater.com senior reporter [The exterior of nikkei restaurant Osso Brasil in Japan.]( Alex Ehrenreich More for the table: - Netflix is also [entering the popcorn game](.
- A [major film studio]( now owns the movie theater chain Alamo Drafthouse.
- American Express is [acquiring Tock](, leaving many diners wondering whoâs actually winning the restaurant reservation wars?
- In Japanâs Little Brazil, Nikkei restaurants serving linguica sausage-topped donburi and local fish-stuffed empanadas are [searching for their place](.
- Everyone knows drag queens are multi-hyphenates. For [Trixie Mattel and others](, that includes bar ownership. If you like this email, please forward it to a friend. If you aren't signed up for this newsletter, you can [do so right here](.
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