Nicole Fontanez was in her kitchen when she opened a cardboard box and excitedly discovered a plastic Yoshi figure, Mario’s dinosaur companion. The toy was large and held an empty, spotted egg.
Thirty-one-year-old Maria Fontanez and her husband, Brian, 36, were recording themselves opening a new popcorn bucket – a collectible they share with their YouTube channel, “Our Guilty Collections.” The channel focuses on their love of movies and movie memorabilia.
“It almost looks like a toy, like something you’d get [at a] Toys ‘R’ Us,” she said in the video.
“This is definitely a display piece,” he added. “There’s no popcorn going into the egg.”
Business
Figment, a popular Disney character originally created in the 1980s, is experiencing a new wave of popularity thanks to TikTok, dedicated fans, and generous people sharing the love. This has led to a surge in demand for Figment merchandise.
With movie theaters facing low ticket sales, they’re hoping to boost revenue by selling collectible items like expensive popcorn buckets – such as a $50 Yoshi bucket – to appeal to millennials’ fondness for the past and create more buzz around films.
Let me tell you, the hype for “The Super Mario Galaxy Movie” wasn’t just about the film itself! The theaters were ready with the merchandise. Beyond the adorable Yoshi buckets, they had these really cool, light-up star-shaped Luma buckets for a hefty $45. But the real standout? Mini Bowser cauldrons – seriously, tiny things that could barely hold a handful of popcorn, like five to eleven kernels! Apparently, they were so small they actually broke the world record for the smallest popcorn container ever. It was a bit much, honestly, but you couldn’t deny the commitment to the Mario theme!
The booming bucket business
Disney started offering basic popcorn buckets as souvenirs in the 1990s, and in 2010 they added a 3D Mickey Mouse-shaped bucket. Recently, these collectible popcorn containers have become incredibly popular and are now sold in movie theaters as well.
Movie theaters have been releasing collectible popcorn buckets that fans love. Recent examples include a pink convertible for the “Barbie” movie, a bucket shaped like Wolverine with his mouth open for “Deadpool & Wolverine,” and a massive Galactus bucket for “The Fantastic Four: First Steps” – it’s the largest and most expensive container ever sold, costing almost $80. Some, like the sandworm bucket for “Dune 2,” have even become internet sensations, famously parodied on “Saturday Night Live.”
In 2019, AMC Theatres began offering special 3D collectible buckets, starting with R2-D2 designs to coincide with the release of “Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker.” Nels Storm, who leads food and beverage strategy for the theater chain, announced the initiative.
Storm explained they initially approached this new venture cautiously, as the buckets were costly to make. When the “Star Wars” buckets quickly sold out, the company realized people were eager for more physical souvenirs from their movie experiences.
In 2023, AMC Theatres, based in Leawood, Kansas, sold collectible movie buckets – known in the industry as concession vessels – for nine different films. They plan to expand this to over 40 movies by 2026. According to AMC, releasing popular bucket designs boosts attendance. These collectible buckets are a major driver of AMC’s merchandise sales, which reached approximately $54 million in 2023 and have continued to grow, according to spokesperson Ryan Noonan.
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As a movie fanatic, I’ve been noticing this trend with collectible popcorn buckets, and Cinemark is totally jumping on board! They started testing this out around the same time as AMC, and they’re really investing in making these buckets a big deal. Apparently, they’re planning to release buckets for about ten different movies in 2026. David Haywood, who heads up their food and drink department, said ‘Super Mario’ was an obvious pick – it just made sense!
You know, as someone who’s totally into movies and gaming, I’ve noticed a trend – everyone in this business is a bit of a nerd, and I say that with love! We all just gravitate towards the stuff we genuinely adore. And Mario? He’s one of those characters that just hits different for so many people. It’s crazy how he’s connected with generations, from those of us who grew up with the original Nintendo all the way to kids who discovered him on the Wii. He’s a classic for a reason.
Although the specialty buckets cost a lot to make, Cinemark believes they’re a good investment because they encourage customers to buy more popcorn and soda, according to the speaker.
While it might not be the most profitable offering, we truly value how much enjoyment it brings to our customers. Ultimately, that’s what we do as a movie theater – we sell happiness and a good time.
Limited releases drum up hype
The limited availability of these items is a big draw for many collectors. When the Yoshi bucket hats went on sale, Brian Fontanez woke up extra early and kept checking the Cinemark website, hoping to buy one before people reselling them could get to it all.
He told The Times he felt fortunate because the bucket sold out very quickly, within an hour. While Cinemark is accepting pre-orders now, the next shipment won’t be available until August, their website states.
I’m a bit obsessed with movie memorabilia, and lately, my wife and I have gotten really into collecting popcorn buckets! It started last year, and we already have a pretty cool collection. Our first bucket was Billy the Puppet from the new “Saw X” movie, which is awesome. We also snagged a “Scream 7” bucket with Ghostface breaking through a door – my wife actually wants to use that one as a vase! And we have a crystal ball with Madame Leota from Disney’s “Haunted Mansion.” We’ve probably spent over $500 on these buckets so far, but honestly, they’re just too fun to resist!
Nicole Fontanez explained that it’s a way to celebrate and display the films she enjoys, both for her own pleasure and to share with guests or viewers of her videos.
Some movie buffs, like Yuba City resident Mark Sullivan, will travel far for the buckets.
Food
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Sullivan, age 40, shared in an email that he once spent over two hours driving to a Bay Area movie theater hoping to get a dragon-shaped popcorn bucket released with the 2023 film “Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves.” Unfortunately, he arrived just minutes too late—they had sold out. He still saw the movie, but ended up buying the bucket online from a reseller and paid extra for it.
In 2024, Sullivan, who works at a hospital helping patients move around, created a Facebook group for people who collect movie theater popcorn buckets. The group has grown to over 15,000 members and is a place where people share advice on finding new buckets, trade with each other, sell their collections, or just show off what they’ve got. Sullivan noticed membership surges whenever a new horror movie releases a special bucket.
Cinemark has ordered more popcorn buckets to meet growing customer demand, but it’s difficult to know in advance which movies will become popular enough to create a dedicated fanbase and drive higher sales.
AMC aims for sold-out events to build excitement and enthusiasm among its fans, according to Storm.
“We’re aiming for just the right amount,” Storm explained. “Sometimes we underestimate, and other times we overestimate.”
Popcorn was once a lifeline for struggling movie palaces
As a huge movie fan, I always wondered why popcorn and movies just go together! I learned it actually started during the Great Depression. Apparently, movie theaters were looking for new ways to make money, and popcorn turned out to be the perfect, affordable treat. That’s according to Ross Melnick, a film historian at UC Santa Barbara, which I thought was a really interesting bit of history.
Until then, most grand movie theaters in the U.S. didn’t let people bring food or drinks into the viewing areas. They wanted to keep the carpets, rugs, and seats clean and in good condition, according to Melnick.
Following the 1929 Wall Street crash, fewer people went to the theater as they tried to save money. To stay afloat, theaters started offering cheaper tickets, running promotions with free items like dishes, and began selling snacks inside – things people used to buy from outside vendors or candy stores, according to Melnick.
Popcorn’s popularity grew right around then, helped by increased corn farming in America and its appeal to soldiers. Originally sold in small bags, theaters soon switched to cardboard boxes and tubs. According to Melnick, these containers were better because they were quieter to open and didn’t leak butter as easily.
According to Melnick, the current popularity of collecting movie popcorn containers mirrors the resurgence of interest in traditional, non-digital experiences, similar to the comeback of vinyl records. With movie tickets now mostly digital – and the paper stubs disappearing – people are finding new ways to document their moviegoing, such as using apps like Letterboxd to keep track of films they’ve seen.
“The popcorn bucket creates a physical memory of that moment,” Melnick said.
Fanor Sanchez, a 32-year-old food truck manager from Cypress Park, bought his first alien-shaped popcorn bucket because it reminded him of his childhood love for the “Alien” movies. He enjoyed it so much he now owns four of the collectible buckets, and even plans trips to the cinema on opening nights just to get them. He’d collect even more, but they’re starting to take over his space!
“It’s a really fun, temporary excitement,” Sanchez explained. “It feels like getting a new toy as a kid – something you enjoy a lot at first, but quickly lose interest in.”
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2026-04-06 13:32