How the Novelty Popcorn Bucket Came to Rule the Movies

As a lifelong film enthusiast who has spent countless hours in movie theaters, I must say that the innovative popcorn buckets have undeniably added a whole new level of excitement to my cinematic experiences. These intricately designed containers are not just vessels for our favorite snack; they are collectibles, souvenirs of our shared love for movies.

Tom Cruise takes great interest in ensuring your popcorn bucket experience is top-notch, given his well-known dedication to enhancing the cinema visit. Consequently, for the last part of his ongoing Mission: Impossible series, he’s getting on board with the popular movie theater craze where you insert your hand into peculiar openings to get your snack. Rob Bennett, AMC’s food and beverage product strategy director, reveals that Cruise played a significant role in designing the chain’s bucket, launching alongside Mission: Impossible—The Final Reckoning in May. Bennett is keeping secrets, but he’s excited, saying, “But we got it right!

Besides the cruise line, other high-profile figures are also providing design suggestions for these buckets priced between $20 and $65 each. For instance, Tim Burton played a role in the design process of the Beetlejuice bucket to ensure its unique style. The head atop it is supposed to resemble a shriveled one. Moreover, James Cameron has the final say on the Avatar popcorn bucket, which will coincide with the launch of the third film in the franchise next December. Bennett appreciates that these filmmakers are enthusiastic about the design.

In the realm of blockbuster cinema, I’ve noticed an intriguing trend: each anticipated film now comes with its unique, attention-grabbing novelty bucket! Cinema chains are brainstorming increasingly creative and, at times, even slightly disruptive devices to draw patrons in. Regal’s novelty bucket for the upcoming “Inside Out 2” is inspired by the character of Anger, featuring a glowing design – quite a fitting choice considering it’ll be used amid the dimmed theater lights. Meanwhile, AMC has come up with a multi-functional popcorn holder for December’s animated “Lord of the Rings: War of the Rohirrim” movie. This ingenious device can double as a mini hammer, allowing a moviegoer to gently tap a chatty neighbor if needed!

In a rather lackluster year for cinema-going due to the pandemic and the surge in streaming services, a viral popcorn bucket has emerged as a symbol of optimism for the theater experience. Despite the challenges faced, it seems that people continue to discuss this innovative popcorn container on social media platforms, either praising its virtues or poking fun at it.

In 2018, AMC reported no income from its collectible concession vessels (CCVs), whereas the previous year’s revenue was a significant $54 million. Although AMC has yet to disclose its total earnings for this year, there is anticipation that popcorn bucket sales will surge once the containers for Wicked and Gladiator II are released. To put last year’s CCV revenue in perspective, it represented a minuscule fraction of AMC’s overall global earnings of $4.8 billion across all sectors. Nonetheless, it’s always good to have some extra income.

As a movie enthusiast, I wholeheartedly agree that eye-catching items such as uniquely designed popcorn containers can lure me away from my comfortable couch and into the cinemas, contributing to an increase in box office sales – though it’s important to note that these attention-grabbing items may not single-handedly save them from their ongoing existential struggles.

“The year the war of the popcorn buckets began”

The novelty popcorn bucket isn’t technically new. Theme parks, particularly Disney’s, have been selling something similar at least since the early ’90s. But movie theaters only began adopting the strategy in earnest in 2019, with the release of AMC’s R2-D2 popcorn bucket when The Rise of Skywalker hit theaters. “AMC Theaters CEO Adam Aron has been at the forefront of trying new things like this to get customers in the door,” says Eric Wold, a movie theater analyst at B. Riley.

CCVs aren’t just simple cardboard containers with images on them; they are actually three-dimensional molds. The R2-D2, strikingly similar to the beloved Star Wars robot, was sold out for $50 per piece. However, when the pandemic arrived, all large bucket projects were postponed. It wasn’t until last summer that theaters began to recognize their potential again.

According to Bennett, we weren’t the sole attraction, but we were leading the charge in many cases. In the past 18 months, our competition has significantly expanded. Regal only started seriously promoting its novelty items when a particular blonde doll appeared on the big screen in 2023.

Matt Willard, head of business development at Regal Cinemas, candidly admitted, “Indeed, it was Barbie.” With the barrage of Barbie merchandise flooding last year’s market, from floor coverings to frozen yogurt, it’s hard not to remember. But what among all the Barbie goods could possibly hold popcorn? “We had a popcorn container shaped like the box Barbie comes in with its clear front,” Willard explained, referring to an item that AMC already claimed as their bucket. “It truly showcased the potential of these items.

The significant moment that boosted the prestige of popcorn containers could have been last March, when film director Denis Villeneuve showed surprise over the seemingly inappropriate AMC “Dune: Part 2” container. “When I saw it, I exclaimed, ‘Wow!’ What on earth!?” he told the New York Times. This bucket, designed to resemble the movie’s massive sandworms, gained popularity partly due to a “Saturday Night Live ” skit involving uses of the container other than for food. “It was likely unintentional,” says Wold. The creators of the buckets, Zinc Group, have been taken aback by the explicit jokes.

As a die-hard film fan, I’m thrilled about this summer’s anticipated clash between Deadpool and Wolverine! And guess what? Ryan Reynolds stirred up some buzz with his tweet about the gritty popcorn bucket for the movie, subtly highlighting Wolverine’s textured tongue. He wrote, “2024 will be remembered as the year the Popcorn Bucket War started.

Movie theater chains strategize and create unique popcorn containers for themed releases as much as a year ahead of time, such as Regal preparing buckets for films yet to be released in Q4 2025. These theaters collaborate with several licensing companies to design these containers, receiving input from both the theaters and movie studios. While studios do not earn revenue from bucket sales, they aim for the containers to gain widespread popularity.

There’s been much discussion online about the effectiveness of these popcorn buckets from AMC, Regal, and others. Fans have noted that removing popcorn from the AMC Deadpool and Wolverine bucket can be tricky before even touching Wolverine’s uncomfortable tongue. The AMC Barbie corvette didn’t retain kernels well. As for the new Regal Gladiator II bucket, its hinged helmet tends to create a significant noise when closed.

According to Bennett, we often prioritize style (coolness) over practicality (functionality). Our goal is to design a souvenir that appeals most to the fans. He also mentions that many people tend to keep these items as is, rather than using them for snacks like popcorn or soda.

For some people, those buckets might appear as if they belong in a landfill, but collectors see them as valuable items, with a rapidly expanding market. For instance, Dune buckets are being sold on eBay for $300. The collectibles market, worth $32.4 billion according to Market Decipher in 2023, is experiencing significant growth. This group of enthusiastic adults, often referred to as “kidults,” who amass toys, gadgets, and collectibles, are a rapidly growing segment of the toy industry. This year, AMC participated in San Diego Comic-Con for the first time to sell some of these containers. At home, fans proudly display them alongside Funko Pops of Captain America and Direwolf stuffed animals.

Getting butts in seats

Most of a theater’s earnings come from concession sales, rather than ticket sales. When a movie-goer buys a ticket, only around half of that money goes to the film studio. The remaining half is kept by the theater owner. Once expenses like utilities, cleaning, rent, and maintenance are accounted for, the profits can be quite slim.

Theaters can retain nearly all profits from their food and beverage sales, as these items typically have high profit margins. For instance, concession stand earnings often fall within the mid-80% range, with classic items like popcorn and soda boasting a 95% margin. While novelty popcorn buckets are costlier to manufacture than standard paper bags, their profits still outweigh the extra expense. If a theater sells a $10 regular bucket of popcorn at a 95% margin, they earn approximately $9.50. Similarly, if they sell a $30 special popcorn bucket at a 75% margin, they make around $22.50.

Instead of increasing ticket prices, which split revenues with movie studios and might discourage attendance, it’s more advantageous for struggling cinemas to enhance popcorn sales. Once a customer has made the decision to attend a film, they are often willing to splurge on an enhanced experience. For instance, in 2024, premium format ticket sales like IMAX accounted for over 14% of all ticket sales, representing a 4% increase compared to 2019, as per a recent Wall Street Journal survey. As Wold notes, concessions are also doing well. The idea is to maximize spending from customers once they’ve entered the theater without having to share those earnings with the studios.

Theaters make an effort to avoid producing excessive popcorn buckets not only due to the allure created by scarcity, but also because once a movie leaves the theater, it becomes difficult to sell leftover items. This is according to Wold’s explanation.

According to AMC, the majority of sales occur during the film’s premiere weekend. After the first week, sales significantly decrease, so we aim to reach our optimal sales figure. Our objective is to completely sell out by the afternoon of the third day.

It’s challenging to measure exactly how much impact buckets are having in attracting people back to cinemas. However, given the high volume of inquiries we receive about their release dates through our customer service channel, I believe they are indeed encouraging customers to visit our theaters.

These popcorn buckets, offering high returns, seem unlikely to fade away in our plans, although maintaining this pace might prove challenging for us. Bennett expresses optimism, saying, “While we can’t definitively attribute it to popcorn containers alone, they will undoubtedly play a role in our future strategy.” Theaters are attempting to attract patrons with various enticements such as plush seats, adult beverages, and premium snack options. These buckets are simply the most recent addition to these efforts.

In the world of cinemas, it’s commonly observed that watching movies encourages more movie-watching. A theatergoer might see five trailers before a film and decide to watch one of them later. After another set of five trailers, they may return for yet another movie, grabbing a bucket of popcorn, always eager to enjoy the latest spectacle that Hollywood has created.

2024-11-26 15:07