These Popcorn Buckets Are Getting out of Hand
“You haven’t lived until you’ve munched on popcorn from within M3GAN’s robot head.”
When M3GAN 2.0 hits theaters on June 27, fans can opt in to a sinister little treat. Alamo Drafthouse just announced their promotional popcorn bucket for the film, which is a M3GAN doll that has hinges to allow her head to open up, revealing a buttery popcorn interior. The theater chain promises “you haven’t lived until you’ve munched on popcorn from within M3GAN’s robot head.”
The price of the M3GAN 2.0 popcorn bucket? $45.
Custom popcorn buckets have been around for decades, but their popularity has really exploded in the last few years. It was the yonic Dune 2 promotional bucket (the user sticks their hand into the mouth of a giant sandworm to extract popcorn) that catapulted the products into public consciousness. The bucket went viral on social media and the increased interest culminated in a Dune 2 promotional popcorn bucket musical number on Saturday Night Live. Afterwards the buckets were reselling for as much as $175.
As the iconic red and white cardboard popcorn containers of the past gave way to plastic buckets, customization as a way to promote movies was always inevitable (and some of the early cardboard containers also had ads on them). However, the first plastic popcorn buckets had plain designs and were intended to be reused, making them an environmentally friendly option. Modern promotional popcorn buckets are made with the intention that fans enjoy them once (or maybe a handful of times at home) but mostly display them or keep them as souvenirs while continuing to buy new popcorn containers at the theater. Customers will continue to amass plastic containers that aren’t really used for anything, which is not sustainable.
And then there’s the price tag. Theater-goers are already fatigued by high ticket prices and astronomical markups on concessions. Even for customers who aren’t trying to keep up with every new promotional popcorn bucket, the constant releases have become exhausting.
Of course, it’s just a popcorn bucket. For people who love movies, why not offer them a silly indulgence? If I don’t like it, I can continue to order regular popcorn buckets or sneak snacks into the theater like a normal person. Also, I might just be bitter because I didn’t get to the theater in time to snag my Ghostface popcorn bucket when Scream VI came out. Frugal fans also have the option of buying their own promotional popcorn buckets for a few bucks at discount stores before or after hitting the theater.
Other Alamo Drafthouse promotional items for M3GAN 2.0 include free enamel pins on opening weekend and a limited edition M3GAN charm with 14k gold plating available for $30 on their website. They urge customers to “order while supplies last and before it becomes sentient.”
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