#PopcornBuckets is the umbrella hashtag for the collectible movie-theater popcorn container category that exploded after AMC’s sandworm-lid #DunePartTwo vessel went viral in February 2024 and grew, by 2026, into a projected $100 million market with themed containers tied to nearly every major theatrical release. Prices run $20–$80 at the concession stand and often double on the resale market, and the category has become one of the loudest examples of exhibitors monetizing fandom around individual film releases.
Quick Facts
- Origin moment: AMC’s sandworm-lid Dune: Part Two bucket, February 2024
- 2026 market size: ~$100M, roughly double the 2023 figure
- Retail price range: $20 to $80 depending on tier
- Resale premium: Sold-out buckets often list at ~2x retail on eBay within hours
- Status: Active — nearly every wide release now ships at least one bucket
Origin
The market for movie-theater merchandise inside the theater existed before 2024 — AMC and others had shipped occasional novelty cups for years — but the modern collectible popcorn bucket category is dated to February 2024, when AMC released a $24.99 sandworm-shaped bucket for Denis Villeneuve’s Dune: Part Two. The lid opened like the maw of a sandworm; the internet decided this was funny; the bucket sold out and started resurfacing on resale sites at markups. Every studio and exhibitor read the same lesson: fandom will pay real money to eat popcorn out of a sculpted vessel from the film they came to see.
Timeline
2024
- February — AMC’s Dune: Part Two sandworm bucket goes viral, kicking off the modern collectible-bucket era.
- Summer — Deadpool & Wolverine, Kung Fu Panda 4, and Inside Out 2 all ship novelty buckets riding the moment.
- Fall — Alamo Drafthouse begins releasing premium sculpted buckets in the $50–$65 range.
2025
- Nearly every wide release ships a themed bucket. Wicked, A Minecraft Movie, and Jurassic World Rebirth all produce viral moments around theirs.
- Resale market matures; eBay listings routinely double retail on sold-out designs.
2026
- Trade coverage puts the market at a projected $100M for the year, roughly double the 2023 figure.
- Notable 2026 releases include a Devil Wears Prada 2 handbag-shaped bucket, a Trojan-horse vessel for The Odyssey, and multiple $65–$80 premium tiers for Spider-Man: Brand New Day.
- Warner Bros. teases the Dune: Part Three bucket months in advance through the studio’s own fan newsletter.
Commercial Success
Popcorn is already the highest-margin item at the theater; a $6 tub of kernels costs the exhibitor cents to produce. Charging $50 for the same popcorn served in a sculpted vessel is one of the fastest margin uplifts the industry has invented in a decade. Trade coverage in 2026 describes buckets as one of AMC’s clearest bright spots inside a still-recovering theatrical business, and premium buckets are increasingly built as collector items first and vessels second.
Cultural Impact
The bucket has become part of the theatrical release ritual. Fandom social feeds fill in the days before a release with unboxing videos, comparison shots between chains, and “which theater has the best one” guides. The bucket is now marketing collateral, not just concession-stand upsell — teasers for a film’s popcorn bucket ship months before the film itself, and viral bucket designs (the sandworm, the R2-D2, the sandworm’s descendants) reliably outlive the news cycle of the movie they came from.
Sources
- https://www.aol.com/articles/popcorn-buckets-70-become-cash-194235000.html
- https://tucson.com/life-entertainment/nation-world/movies-tv/article_8811b1bb-005d-49b0-b89a-5c58ece7d3cc.html
- https://attractionsmagazine.com/movie-theater-collectables-popcorn-buckets-cups/
- https://www.fantasylandnews.com/movie-theater-popcorn-buckets/