istockphoto / Cavan Images

Blockbuster movies represent cultural events. People flock to be among the first to catch the latest blockbuster, from Marvel and Star Wars films to 2023’s massively successful Barbie movie to 2026’s 70-millimeter extravaganza The Odyssey. So imagine: You’re a movie theater operator, selling a thrilling experience to a vast audience of willing consumers. They’re already in your retail location, and they are accustomed to spending money to enhance their experience with snacks and drinks. What else could you do to earn more of their entertainment budget?

Behold, the collectible popcorn bucket.

Rather than sell popped kernels in conventional paper bags, movie theaters have introduced “collectible concession vessels” that hold moviegoers’ favorite snack in themed, plastic buckets that the fans can take home with them after the credits roll. The first of these collectibles was released in conjunction with the 2019 Star Wars installment, The Rise of the Skywalker. Disney licensed the likeness of the droid R2-D2 to a company called Golden Link, which created a 17-inch version to hold popcorn. It sold well, signaling massive consumer demand. In response, the market expanded, with prices to match. Today, some of the special, limited-edition receptacles retail for up to $70, and resale markets among collectors exhibit even higher prices.

In an attempt to benefit from these opportunities, many studios have entered into partnerships with the three main bucket suppliers currently in existence: Golden Link (which mainly works with Disney), Snap, and Zinc. When these firms win a contract to provide the collectibles for a particular movie, they refer to it with a new verb: They “bucket” the film. The resulting bucketing contracts have proved remarkably popular and lucrative. According to AMC Theaters, buckets associated with the various movies it screens will earn $100 million in revenue in 2026, which is approximately twice the amount it earned in 2023.

A brand new revenue stream, with benefits for multiple members of the supply chain (i.e., bucket suppliers, film studios, and theater chains), seems like a fairy tale. But creating a new retail market also inherently involves challenges, as became abundantly clear in relation to the popcorn buckets for The Odyssey. Snap produced two different versions: a recreation of the 70-millimeter IMAX camera that Christopher Nolan used to shoot the epic and a 22-inch-high Trojan horse, sold for $50 and $70, respectively. Worried that people would not really be interested in the technical details surrounding the camera used for filming the movie, IMAX ordered only 2,500 of this version to stock its U.S. theaters.

It sold out within just 90 minutes. The online orders came in even before the film opened. The theater company then scrambled to find more, requesting the products that had been slated to ship to China (where the movie opened later than in the United States). That shipment of 2,500 more camera buckets sold out in 7 minutes. In the meantime, Snap was busy manufacturing more of the buckets, such that IMAX estimates it has sold 30,000 of the collectibles.

It was fortunate to be able to find an alternative source, to make up for its insufficient estimates of actual demand. On the basis of its experience, other studios and theaters might plan to purchase more. For example, noting the “unbelievable” demand for the buckets that Cinemark Theaters commissioned to commemorate the release of The Devil Wears Prada 2, one executive noted, “If I could do that one over again, I don’t even know if there’s a max I would buy.”

But predicting uncertain market demand, and then ordering an appropriate inventory level in this novel market, remains incredibly difficult, and ordering too much carries its own risks. Good predictive models are not yet available. For example, most analysts have proposed that demand for the collectibles comes mainly from younger, Gen Z consumers. But movies targeting this demographic have been responsible for some notable market failures. The Supergirl movie did not do well in theaters, and neither did its themed bucket, featuring the main character’s canine sidekick. Masters of the Universe also performed pretty poorly in terms of ticket sales, but its bucket outcomes varied: A version depicting Castle Grayskull (designed with a candy compartment and a detachable cup) sold massively, whereas the one made to look like Skeletor’s throne barely moved off theater shelves. Young viewers were the target markets for these films, whereas the popularity of the red, handbag-shaped buckets evoking The Devil Wears Prada sequel actually involved purchases by older women who had enjoyed the first movie when it launched, two decades ago.

The implications of poor buying decisions are critical. If they order too many, theaters are stuck with bulky, excessive inventory that they cannot easily sell, discount, or repurpose. Unlike conventional popcorn bags and paper buckets, the themed containers have a limited time appeal. Once the relevant movie leaves the theater, there’s virtually no more demand for leftover, unpopular vessels.

This challenge also appears likely to become even more pressing, as the bucket suppliers come up with new and more extreme versions. For example, marking a theater rerelease of a Harry Potter movie, filmgoers will encounter a four-foot replica of Harry’s broom, the bottom of which will hold 135 ounces of popcorn. Storing such large containers, in a way that still ensures they are food-safe, represents an ongoing challenge.

Other creative designs create an opposite problem, because in prioritizing the cleverness of the visual design, the resulting containers cannot hold enough popcorn to satisfy hungry filmgoers. Then theaters confront a different problem (or perhaps an opportunity) associated with forcing viewers to leave the film to come get refills of their snacks (and maybe buy something else while they’re there).

All these questions remain to be resolved. Like a good thriller, the twists and turns that have marked the storyline of this new market are holding the interest of a lot of audiences.

Discussion Questions

1. How should the sellers in this supply chain develop metrics to predict demand for collectible popcorn buckets for different movie releases? What are some of the factors they should take into consideration?
2. Who should be responsible for dealing with unsold collectible buckets: the supplier, the film studio, or the theater chain? How might these actors establish a fair method among themselves?

Sources: Nicole Sperling, “Salty, Buttery, Astonishingly Lucrative: The $100 Million Market of Popcorn Buckets,” The New York Times, July 23, 2026; Matt Minton, “Popcorn Bucket Craze Pops Off with Skyrocketing Scalper Prices, Director Approvals and Imax’s First-Ever Movie Merch,” Variety, August 3, 2026.