Big Money in Popcorn Buckets

[Harold Hallikainen]

https://www.nwahomepage.com/news/nat...-collectables/

$70 for a popcorn bucket? Movie theaters are seeing big business with blockbuster collectables
by: Jocelyn Fiset, David Lazarus
Posted: Jul 26, 2026 / 10:01 AM CDT
Updated: Jul 26, 2026 / 10:01 AM CDT

Movie theater operators are facing hard times, with streaming becoming a dominant way to watch films in this day and age.

That being said, theaters searching for new revenue streams have clearly hit upon a winner in those very lucrative collectable popcorn buckets that seem to be ubiquitous with blockbuster movies.

Some buckets, which are made of plastic, can cost up to $70.

AMC, the world’s largest theater chain, estimates it will see $100 million in revenue this year alone from its collectable popcorn buckets.

Cinemark, the third-largest chain, said sales of these buckets contributed to a 40% increase in merch revenue over the past few years.

“Seven years ago, this business effectively didn’t exist for AMC,” Nels Storm, AMC’s vice president of food and beverage product strategy, told the New York Times. “I would never suggest that popcorn buckets are the reason people go to the movies, or that movie-themed merch is saving the industry, but over the last few years they’ve become a big part of the conversation around major releases.”

There are a few things to think about with this trend, according to KTLA’s David Lazarus.

First, moviegoers gripe constantly about the high cost of tickets these days, but a significant portion are willing to fork out $70 on a plastic popcorn bucket.

Second, this is a very rare example of a package being worth far more than the product it contains.

It costs a movie theater less than $2 to serve up a large bucket of popcorn, Lazarus learned. That’s the cost of the popcorn for them, then they sell it back to you for $10. That’s a markup of roughly 400 percent.

However, if someone bought that same large popcorn in a $70 collectible bucket, that’s a markup of 3,400 percent.

Many of these popcorn buckets, like the 22-inch rendering of the Trojan horse designed for “The Odyssey,” are a hot commodity and will likely be up for sale on eBay at a higher price.

[Ryan Gallagher]

Considering the massive merchandizing successes that were the major blockbusters of my youth. You'd think the "merch" lesson would have stuck around in a more general sense and not be re-invented constantly.

Personally I think merch popcorn buckets are kinda silly (except for the profit margin). They have little use except as a collectable. Ones that are exclusive to premiers maybe?

But I think there is a ton of other money to be had in t-shirts, caps, and general ephemera, especially if made exclusive like "opening weekend only" availability. People who are really into something crave to have a memento of their experience.

Take a page from every band out on club/bar tours.... ALL the money is at the merch table. Although admittedly they'll never be able to fully copy that model cause they can't sell the blu-rays during the theatrical/streaming windows etc. But if theatrical exclusivity went the way of the dodo (practically there already), maybe it's not too crazy to consider alternative models.

Of course selling physical media is not really the push that any of the bean counters are after anymore either. They all want the "you'll own nothing" type recurring subscription income.

Maybe we are headed to a future where everything is released on all formats at the exact same time (like music "mostly" is). And then the seeing it in a room with a bunch of other people is the "live" experience, where you can pick up your copy to take home too.

Just spitballing.

[Frank Cox]

The "next theatre down the road from me" bought the Taylor Swift popcorn buckets when they played her movie.

I saw notices on their facebook page for several months afterward still offering those buckets for sale, so I guess it didn't sell like they figured it would.

I remember getting special Real D glasses for one of the Ice Age movies that had the squirrel on them. I was handing those glasses out for months afterward as well.

[Marcel Birgelen]

Haven't those promo items been around since "forever"? I remember Darth Vader shaped popcorn buckets, branded collectible drink cans for about every major blockbuster in the last 20 or so years. What people forget is that not only does the exhibitor pay a premium for the licensing of those products, they also bear most of the risk if the stuff doesn't sell.

But $70 for that ugly horse, which will only fit a measly amount of popcorn and will be impossible to wield while watching a movie in the dark, that's a bit steep, even for AMC pricing...

[Mike Blakesley]

Like everything else, this industry is going to milk this cow dry as soon as it possibly can by overdoing it and overpricing it.

I guess the plan is, spend $1000 on 100 buckets, and plan on selling 50 of them for $50, thereby making a $1500 profit and not having to worry about the leftovers. If you sell out the other 50 buckets, the extra $2500 is a bonus.

That's a good plan, until it stops working. Eventually people are going to say "Oh, I've already got a shelf full of these buckets collecting dust, I guess I'll pass on this one." Or they'll say "$50 for a bucket? That's ridiculous, I'll pass."

To me a better option is not to have a collectible for each and every movie. And, don't overstock. PLAN TO RUN OUT. That way people will be more incentivized with "FOMO" (fear of missing out) and you won't over-saturate the market.

The other thing is not to over-price these items. Instead of the math I presented above, how about selling the 100 buckets for $20 each. That way you are virtually guaranteed to sell them all and make a cool thousand bucks. Yes, you won't make as much, but your risk is lower, you won't leave a bad taste in the customers' mouths, and they're more likely to return for the next collectible.

We bought four collectibles so far this year (Mandalorian, Minions & Monsters, Moana and Spider-Man.) They're all buckets except the Minions, which is a throw blanket. We bought just one case of each, which is usually 24 or 30 units. The first three all sold out except the Minions blankets, which is understandable because it's been a hot summer for us. Yes, a few people are bummed that they didn't get their bucket of choice, but we just smile and say "try again on the next one!" and it becomes a fun quest.

We came close to buying some item from Supergirl, but we weren't going to play it on the break, so we passed on it. Thank the Lord we dodged that bullet.

The hottest collectible we've ever had was the Stitch bucket from Lilo and Stitch last year. We got two cases of those, and they were gone in two days. We probably could have sold six cases. They were super cool, I even wanted one.

The one we really missed out on was The Devil Wears Prada 2, which was a handbag. It was awful cute and we had a lot of requests for it, which surprised me -- I thought the crowd for that movie wouldn't really be in the market for plastic collectibles.

But $70 for that ugly horse, which will only fit a measly amount of popcorn and will be impossible to wield while watching a movie in the dark, that's a bit steep, even for AMC pricing...

I hate "buckets" that are too big but hardly hold any popcorn.

[Mark Gulbrandsen]

Good Lord! Yet another reason for Parents not to take their kids to the movies. Every Kid is gonna want one! You can buy the same Dino toy for your kid at Walmart for $14.95

[Ryan Gallagher]

Speaking of popcorn, I witnessed the first "popcorn to go" order at my venue recently. Granted she was staff and was just swinging by to get her fix. But still whole family left with popcorn.

[Paul H. Rayton]

I'm surprised nobody has yet posted here the "big" popcorn item of this summer -- the 100 oz. capacity popcorn container in the shape of ... an IMAX camera (replica). It's got a light-up viewfinder that shows some kind of image from (of course!) "The Odyssey". Popcorn not included. It's being merchandised on some websites, for example, on the Regal site ( https://store.regmovies.com/products...y=US&currency= USD&gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=21861573761 ), but apparently not in the theaters themselves. Too expensive and bulky to keep around. There were a couple of previous batches issued, which sold out. The ones now being advertised are listed for future delivery, typically in late November, 2026. The price? A mere $49.99, plus potential tax and shipping! Listed for sale within the US only (at least as per the Regal website.) I'm attaching an image of a sample, as copied from tre Regal ad.

There is some extra "fine print" about the offer:

The Odyssey IMAX Film Camera Popcorn Bucket is now available for pre-order, with delivery beginning 23rd November, 2026. This will be the final production run. Pre-orders close 4th August 2026, or once supplies last!. For more details, please visit our FAQ page.

Bring home a piece of filmmaking history! This limited-edition collectible popcorn bucket is inspired by the IMAX 15/65mm Camera—the same large-format camera technology used by Christopher Nolan and famously described by the filmmaker as "the Gold Standard". This popcorn bucket celebrates the innovation and artistry behind modern filmmaking, featuring a light-up viewfinder that reveals imagery from Nolan’s new film, The Odyssey. 1.43:1 Expanded Aspect Ratio. Limited quantities available.

So collectible popcorn buckets seem to be a "growth industry"

[Ryan Gallagher]

I'm surprised nobody has yet posted here the "big" popcorn item of this summer -- the 100 oz. capacity popcorn container in the shape of ... an IMAX camera (replica). It's got a light-up viewfinder that shows some kind of image from (of course!) "The Odyssey". Popcorn not included. It's being merchandised on some websites, for example, on the Regal site ( https://store.regmovies.com/products...y=US&currency= USD&gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=21861573761 ), but apparently not in the theaters themselves. Too expensive and bulky to keep around. There were a couple of previous batches issued, which sold out. The ones now being advertised are listed for future delivery, typically in late November, 2026. The price? A mere $49.99, plus potential tax and shipping! Listed for sale within the US only (at least as per the Regal website.) I'm attaching an image of a sample, as copied from tre Regal ad.

There is some extra "fine print" about the offer:


So collectible popcorn buckets seem to be a "growth industry"

LOL, I feel like a need a scale reference on that one. Those kernels look pretty big. Imagine releasing an IMAX popcorn bucket and not making it at least the large bucket capacity.

Here ya go: properly demonstrated by a popcorn gremlin too, viewfinder feature as well.
https://www.tiktok.com/@carolina.cin...nder_device=pc

I'll give it a stamp of approval on size, the popcorn goes all the way into the camera body.

[Paul H. Rayton]

Good idea, Ryan. Here's an IMAX popcorn bucket illustration (from the WalMart website ad for the same item) with a model holding a sample of the popcorn bucket. In the image below, with the model holding (presumably) an actual item, the item is smaller than one might think, esp. considering how BIG the real cameras are, as seen in numerous production stills!

[Ryan Gallagher]

Good idea, Ryan. Here's an IMAX popcorn bucket illustration (from the WalMart website ad for the same item) with a model holding a sample of the popcorn bucket. In the image below, with the model holding (presumably) an actual item, the item is smaller than one might think, esp. considering how BIG the real cameras are, as seen in numerous production stills!

Hehe, I think that one is AI generated... or the popcorn kid in the ticktok I shared is very small! ;-)

[Mike Blakesley]

If that photo is real, there s no way that box is holding 100 ounces of popcorn. Looks closer to 85 oz if it goes into the front camera body part. It's hard to tell how wide it is, though.

So now we're starting to see people bringing their previously-purchased popcorn buckets into the theatre wanting to get them filled with popcorn. We tell them due to health rules we can't refill an outside container, but we'll sell them a standard bucket and they can transfer it to their own bucket if they want.

[Ryan Gallagher]

I went and saw Spider Man with my avid movie going parents today. Hadn't been in a Regal lobby in a while... the whole area in front of concessions was franchise merch... buckets, drink cups, and way more. I should have snagged a photo.

[Tj Hopland]

Do they offer finance options yet? Step right up and get your popcorn bucket for just 12 easy payments. Would you also like the extended service plan?

BTW, read the fine print the first 6 payments are due during the preshow......

[Ryan Gallagher]

Do they offer finance options yet? Step right up and get your popcorn bucket for just 12 easy payments. Would you also like the extended service plan?

BTW, read the fine print the first 6 payments are due during the preshow......

How about a cine-lease for that IMAX Camera bucket. Like you would the real thing.