The 10 Best Novelty Popcorn Buckets, Ranked
From iconic helmets and open-topped sports cars to conspicuously-shaped Arrakeen sand worms, novelty popcorn buckets have been all the rage the last few years, but which of these glorious receptacles reigns supreme? And more importantly, how the hell did we get here?
Writing for the New York Times back in July, Nicole Sperling reported that the popcorn bucket industry was now worth around $100m in annual revenue to AMC theatres alone — and this after being more or less non-existent until the end of the 2010s. Everything changed in 2019 when a scaled-down model of R2-D2 with an opening, popcorn-ready back section went on sale for the release of Star Wars: Episode IX - The Rise of Skywalker and got snapped up faster than fans could say “beep boop bwee-oo.”
Naturally, since then, movie studios and cinema chains have found themselves in a buttery, salty, arms race to come up with the next viral popcorn bucket sensation — which appears to be achievable either by pure design originality or, perhaps better yet, via a supposedly accidental bit of innuendo.
What follows is our definitive top ten, which are ranked in descending order.
10. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 - Groot Bucket
Let’s kick things off with a modest but highly functional bucket that was released by Disney and Marvel Studios for the theatrical run of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3.
On the negative side, it's important to note that the Groot bucket this doesn’t hold a huge amount of popped kernels, but I think it more than makes up for it with that nifty handle situation — and plus, you might be able to make a galactic-sized cup of tea in there after a couple of runs in the dishwasher.
For further bonus points, I'm also quite fond of the nice, branchy texture of the main bucket, even if we could have done without the logo out front — like it's Groot, we get it.
9. Deadpool & Wolverine - Logan’s Sloppy Seconds
For three instalments and counting, Ryan Reynolds' Deadpool movies have achieved an enormous level of success thanks to Reynolds’ uncanny ability to wink to the audience without ever fully taking you out of the story being told.
Naturally, this alchemy has extended to Reynolds’ off-screen appearances as the character, as well as to the movies’ merchandising — and perhaps never more so than in the case of this legendary popcorn bucket for Deadpool & Wolverine.
Released five months after the Dune: Part Two fiasco, the Deadpool & Wolverine marketing team certainly struck while the iron was hot with this knowingly suggestive recreation of Logan’s head that leaves his mouth open a little more than ajar. It makes ninth place on our list because it's just a little too intentionally gross to actually eat out of.
8. Jaws - Jaws
Cheeky humour and absurdity can go a long way, but some of the best novelty popcorn buckets are actually just really cool and classy designs.
Case in point is this Alamo Drafthouse popcorn homage to Steven Spielberg’s Jaws, which was released for the movie's 50th anniversary and brings to mind the classic poster with an impressive level of detail and functionality — extra points for making the retractable sides the pink of the mouth instead of the grey of Bruce's skin and scales.
This is the kind of novelty bucket that wouldn't look out of place on a DVD shelf, if you were so inclined.
7. Scream 7 - “Let Me In!”
One thing that’s a little annoying about most of these overpriced clunks of plastic is how little popcorn they seem to hold. One of the worst offenders I’ve seen is this boxy creation for Scream 7, which as far as I can tell would barely hold enough to get me through a single trailer, let alone an entire movie.
And yet, the design is just so fricking cool that I’m giving this one the total benefit of the doubt. In my research, I also came across a pretty cool light up display case version for Ghostface, but I’m just not sure how you would even get your hands in to reach the popcorn, let alone even attempt to clean it.
6. Alien: Romulus - Xenomorph
After moaning about the lack of space in the “Let me in!” bucket I’m going to go two in a row with this staggeringly impractical Xenomorph head that was made available for the release of Alien: Romulus.
Looking at it, it's hard to imagine it holding anything above a small portion and some ingenuity would be required to sit comfortably with it for the best part of two hours. But does it look cool as hell and could you find another use for it around Halloween? You bet.
For this section of the list, we could easily have gone for the frankly obscene Trojan horse bucket that Universal released for The Odyssey, but that thing is frankly too unruly for consideration — how in Athena's name are you even meant to sit down with that thing?
5. Despicable Me 4 - Baby Carrier Bucket
While we’re on the topic of ergonomics, the popcorn bucket makers of this world should all take some notes from this incredible baby carrier/popcorn holder collab from AMC and the good people at Despicable Me 4 — a genuinely wearable and multi-purpose piece that solves the issue of bucket-holding altogether.
Made from real material and boasting jazzy add-ons like “support straps”, “thermal scarf” and “additional snack storage”, this thing looks almost too fancy for the modest task of popcorn holding — "almost" being the key word in that sentence.
4. The Devil Wears Prada 2 - The Butter Birkin
It’s only right that The Devil Wears Prada 2 managed to spark a mini online fashion sensation with the release of a popcorn bucket — which naturally was shaped like a red designer bag, complete with tag and keyring trimmings — that quickly became the must-have popcorn holder of the season.
Nicknamed the “Butter Birkin”, after the legendarily expensive Hermes bag, it started popping up on resale sites before the movie had even been released — a sure sign that, when it comes to fashion, regardless of the function, Miranda Priestley’s blessing should always be taken as gospel.
3. Street Fighter - Guile Hair
The Street Fighter Guile Hair bucket hasn’t even been released yet but I’m already confident enough to declare that it’s one of the best novelty popcorn buckets ever made.
Sure, you will probably (and justifiably) get HADOUKEN!-ed out the nearest exit by anyone sitting behind you if you attempt to wear this thing after the movie starts, but in terms of look, creativity, simplicity and functionality, it’s really a 10/10 across the board. Add to that the complimentary buttery-yellow blonde of Guile’s famously stiff mop and you've got yourself an instant classic of the genre — the kind of bucket you can take home with you and even build a Halloween costume around.
2. The Fantastic 4: First Steps - Galactus Head
We've already covered the smaller end of the popcorn bucket range, now it's time to talk about the biggest: yes, it's the already iconic Galactus popcorn bucket that arrived, rather unheralded, at our cinema concessions stands for the release of The Fantastic 4: First Steps. Modelled on Ralph Ineson’s world-eating demigod and capable of holding enough popcorn to satisfy even that Marvel villain’s famously voracious appetite, it immediately earned its place in the pantheon of great novelty popcorn buckets.
In fact, this one currently holds the Guinness World Record for being the largest receptacle of its kind — and yes, I am also pleased to hear that it's someone's job to keep track of these things. Double bonus points for the metallic purple of the helmet, the remarkable level of detail, and the light up eyes.
1. Dune: Part Two - Sandworm
The Dune: Part Two popcorn bucket is the Sistine Chapel of novelty popcorn buckets: an uncommonly detailed and infamously suggestive masterpiece that was modelled on an unassuming Arrakeen sandworm, but is perhaps even more well known — at least amongst some high-minded fans of the seventh art — for its resemblance to a Fleshlight.
Like good, old, non-assuming R2-D2 in 2019, this one vanished from the shelves almost immediately; with some re-sellers hawking them for upwards of $800 on eBay not long after. Everyone from Jimmy Kimmel to Marcello Hernandez got in on the joke, with Timothée Chalamet even going so far as to joke that he keeps one under his bed — dude, ew.
It was probably difficult to eat from and it definitely brought to mind all the wrong things, but in terms of popcorn bucket cultural impact, this one will take (ahem) some beating.
