With prices ranging from $25 to $50 and more, the phenomenon of the collectible popcorn bucket has emerged as a surprising new revenue stream for movie theatres. Merchandisers offered the first collectible popcorn bucket with the 2019 release of STAR WARS: THE RISE OF SKYWALKER, with a particularly charming example modelled on the cylindrical droid R2-D2.
Since then, the most newsworthy example has certainly been the Sandworm’s maw popcorn bucket offered with the release of DUNE 2 in 2024. Its unique design caused quite a stir, and took off with widespread coverage in the media and incredibly strong sales at high margins. An article this week in the Wall Street Journal profiled the Australian company Zinc Design Works, which created the DUNE 2 bucket, and how that product spawned an industry of collectible canisters. Fun!
See also: How Zinc’s Collectible Popcorn Buckets Sparked a Concession Stand Revolution (Fast Company)
