AYESHA RASCOE, HOST:
An old theater classic is getting a makeover - the popcorn bucket. More and more films are coming out with exclusive designs of novelty buckets for fans to collect.
BEN FRITZ: It's a rarity now for a film to come out that doesn't have a few novelty popcorn buckets.
RASCOE: Ben Fritz covers the entertainment industry for the Wall Street Journal, and he says it all started in 2019 when "Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker" came out with a bucket shaped like the beloved robot R2-D2. But the popcorn bucket race really took off last year.
FRITZ: With "Dune: Chapter Two," there was a special popcorn bucket that was based on the sandworm from the movie, and you put your hand sort of through the sandworm's mouth to eat the popcorn. And that went crazily viral because it was very sexually suggestive in a way that the designers did not intend and hadn't even thought of.
RASCOE: The designers might have missed it, but the fans certainly didn't.
FRITZ: Everybody was talking about it. They sold out quickly. And after that, every movie studio, every movie theater wanted to have another novelty popcorn bucket to go with their latest film.
RASCOE: A colosseum-shaped bucket for "Gladiator II," a dinosaur head for "Jurassic World Rebirth" - every movie is a new chance for a popcorn bucket artist to shine.
REBECCA ALTER: I like the ones that are really out of the box with how they're interpreting the assignment.
RASCOE: Rebecca Alter is a staff writer at Vulture and also their senior bucket critic.
ALTER: There's a "Karate Kid" one where you chop the wooden plank and then the popcorn's underneath, or a "Superman" one right now where it looks like a newspaper box for The Daily Planet. You open the door like you would to pick up a newspaper and popcorn's spilling out.
RASCOE: Most buckets go for 25 to 50 dollars, but last month, Marvel Entertainment announced that along with their new movie, "Fantastic Four: First Steps," you could buy the Galactus LED bucket, 20 inches wide, 17 inches tall, removable horns.
FRITZ: It's like a massive toy with multiple pieces and glowing lights, and it holds more than twice as much popcorn as you can get in a normal large popcorn. It is over the top by every measure.
RASCOE: It's Galactus - over the top, for sure, including with the price. It costs $80. But Fritz says the popcorn bucket arms race is good for theaters, which have struggled to recover from the pandemic and face increasing competition with streaming services.
FRITZ: These have very big profit margins. I mean, they're essentially well-designed pieces of plastic, and they're selling them for 50 bucks, 80 bucks. You know, it's a good profit for the theaters.
RASCOE: Alter says, these special-edition buckets have also been a boon for collectors.
ALTER: These are so whimsical in their design. A lot of thought is put into them. So I think it's good as an intervention as an alternative to the Funko Pop equivalent of these characters.
RASCOE: But as much as you love your new bucket and you like to show it off, Alter says there still should be some rules about the way we use them inside theaters.
ALTER: God forbid they start making ones that make noises. That you can play with in the lobby. You can play with it after. But, you know, phones in theaters are already bad enough. We can't have lasers as well.
RASCOE: So if you get a new shiny bucket the next time you go to the movies, feel free to show it off. Just remember to wait until after the movie.
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