At the box office, Deadpool & Wolverine is achieving record-breaking success, but the excitement extends beyond the film itself to a unique popcorn bucket designed like Wolverine’s mask. This bucket features a distinctive wide, circular mouth opening and a textured tongue that extends slightly beyond the edge.
The trend of offering creatively designed popcorn buckets is not new. It started in December 2019 when theaters introduced the first “elevated concession vessels” with a container shaped like a droid R2-D2 to coincide with the release of Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker.
This bucket was divided to hold a drink at the top and popcorn in the middle. Rod Mason, vice president of business development at Zinc Group, shared with Yahoo Entertainment that the company, which has been creating specialty items for theme parks and other venues, was the pioneer in this trend.
“We started it,” Mason said. The R2-D2 bucket was initially feared to be too pricey, but after AMC Theatres purchased a batch, they sold out in just 48 hours for around $50 each.
Mason noted that demand for themed popcorn buckets has surged, with inquiries ranging from sports teams to television series. However, the production of these buckets faced challenges during the 2020 COVID-19 lockdown, which saw a delay in movie releases and affected popcorn bucket production.
Hank Green, senior vice president of food and beverage at AMC, reflected that the sales pause allowed them to evaluate the success of these specialty items and plan future endeavors.
“The fans are genuine, and they crave unique items,” Green remarked. “The movie theater industry has a long history, and now we have this exciting new trend to engage with.”