The Top 10 Popcorn Buckets of 2024

War of the Rohirrim is set 183 before the events in Peter Jackson’s Lord of The Rings trilogy, covering the story of Rohan under their legendary king, Helm Hammerhand, and his brave daughter, Hera. New Line Cinema had to hurry through the film’s production to prevent losing the rights to Tolkien’s books, on which the franchise is based. The animated film, which was released on December 13, 2024, was positively received with an opening IMDB score of 6.7/10 and 57% on Rotten Tomatoes.

The film’s novelty popcorn bucket, a limited edition hammer-shaped model, is also one of the best in 2024. The bucket is basically a 2-ft-long replica of a war hammer with the hammerhead opening to one side to hold the popcorn. Besides rhyming with the second name of the main characters, the bucket pretty much turns the moviegoers into warriors, improving their Middle Earth experience. AMC sold the bucket as a package alongside a wooden stein.

Ridley Scott’s Gladiator 2 is another hit film that outperformed expectations in 2024, with many stars, including Denzel Washington, praising the recreation of the Colosseum. While Cinemark theatres released a range of merchandise for the film, the most popular popcorn bucket is the model of the Gladiatoral Arena.

“Finish the popcorn, scan the code, and let the games begin. Experience your own augmented reality gladiator battle with the Gladiator II Popcorn AR-ENA bucket…” Cinemark Theatres posted on X while advertising the bucket. The gladiator’s helmet was another innovative bucket the theatre chain launched alongside a key chain with a Gladiator’s head and a cup.

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Terrifier 3 was one of the biggest surprises of 2023 after becoming the highest-grossing unrated film of all time. The film’s raw expression of gore and violence made it the go-to film for thrill seekers over Halloween, earning over $89 million worldwide on a $2 million budget. The film features the franchise’s notorious serial killer, Art the Clown, in a Santa costume, a feature that has made it relevant through Christmas.

The violence in the film’s first five minutes is so unsettling that it caused a string of walkouts and episodes of vomiting in the theatres. For a popcorn bucket, the creators chose a model of Art’s grim-looking head with his Santa hat as the lid. While it is not the most creative of designs, the sheer impression of the users drawing popcorn from the killer’s head in the theatre is immense, especially with everyone freaking out around you.

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After earning $473 million globally, Venom: The Last Dance became the lowest-grossing film in the Venom trilogy. Yet, it’s still one of the most-viewed films in 2024. The film follows Eddie (Tom Hardy) and his Symbiote, Venom, as they fight to stop Venom’s alien arch-nemesis Knull from bringing the apocalypse.

The film’s theatre run featured one of the most suggestive popcorn buckets of 2024. The bucket is a spooky model of Venom’s head with a whole slimy tongue poking out between the exposed teeth. Users have to stick their fingers down Venom’s throat to retrieve the popcorn, which is a whole adventure in a theatre setting. The drink holder is also a venom-themed cup coated with the venom-slime.

Ghostbuster: Frozen Empire didn’t hit the heights of the franchise’s earliest films, but it remains one of the best horror films of 2024. The film follows the original team of Ghostbusters, who are forced to come out of retirement and join a new team to stop a major evil from unleashing a second ice age on Earth. The film’s strong connection to the first film created a nostalgic appeal, something the theatres hoped to heavily benefit from.

For collectibles, the theatres released multiple fancy buckets, best of all being models of the franchise’s famous ghost trap. The large transparent container on top of the bucket makes the popcorn feel like the prize of a successful ghost hunt. Another bucket features a green translucent Slimer that glows under light while holding a popcorn bucket. For a drinks holder, they offered a limited edition cup shaped like a Stay-Puft Marshmallow Man.

After opening to a 94% Rotten Tomatoes score, Nosferatu is one of the top contenders for the Oscars. The gothic horror follows Bill Skarsgard as Count Orlok, an ancient vampire who starts haunting a young girl, leading to untold horror in her village. One of the best moments in the film comes when Orlok rises from his sarcophagus, an impression the Cinemark Theatres’ novelty bucket captures perfectly.

For the popcorn bucket, Cinemark released a limited edition metallic model of Orlok’s coffin with a glowing interior. While it is not the fanciest, it remains one of the most collectible-worthy novelty buckets of 2024, especially because of its metallic body. Its gothic design and rugged exterior make it feel like a true relic of 1800s Germany.

Deadpool and Wolverine was the shining light of the MCU in 2024, making over $1 billion globally, the first to do so since Spiderman: No way Home in 2021. In the film, Wade Wilson (Ryan Reynolds) teams up with Logan (Hugh Jackman) to stop the Time Variance Authority from destroying his universe. The partnership between Reynolds and Jackman proved highly popular, which explains the range of merchandise for both characters.

The popcorn bucket that caught many people’s attention is Wolverine’s head. It is a regular bucket featuring Wolverine’s head as a lid with a wide open mouth as the opening that moviegoers use to retrieve the contents. The bucket’s close resemblance to the Dune Part Two bucket has seen Marvel accused of copying. A second bucket featuring Deadpool as a baby wasn’t as warmly received, but it is also pretty innovative.

Alien: Romulus was one of the most impactful horror films of 2024, with the reinvention of Xenomorphs, the franchise’s ultimate villains, receiving lots of praise. It outperformed most of its predecessors, making over $350 million worldwide. While it is not necessarily better than the original film of the franchise, the 2024 release gave moviegoers a popcorn bucket worth remembering.

The most innovative bucket is the nasty-looking model of the Xenomorph with exposed teeth. The bucket has a handle on the bottom that gives the impression of a crawling xenomorph when held, making its theatre experience more interesting. The theatres also released a green-glowing drinks holder gripped by a Facehugger, which is just as spooky as the popcorn bucket.

Having earned $221 million in its opening week, Moana 2 broke many Box Office records, making it one of the best-performing films of 2024. Having passed the $600 million mark, Moana 2 has already outperformed its predecessor. The film follows Moana (Auliʻi Cravalho) as she embarks on a new mission to find Maui (Dwayne Johnson) and defeat another threat to the islands.

While it was always expected to be a big hit, the film was still accompanied by a catchy collection of merchandise. Top of the list is the wave-shaped bucket that buys into Moana’s connection to the sea. Regal Cinemas also included a boat-shaped nacho tray. Other sea-themed buckets and drink holders are also included in the list, including one with models of Moana’s pet cockrel and pig, which are an important part of the film.

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Despite its controversial appearance, the Dune: Part Two popcorn bucket is, hands-down, the winner of the 2024 war of popcorn buckets. The bucket is designed like the mouth of Shai-Hulud, a sandworm that is popular in both films and books. The most controversial aspect of the design is the rubber bristles around the open top that makes the user feel like they are drawing popcorn from the sandworm’s belly.

The bucket went viral when memes emerged after its release, with many, including an SNL episode, comparing it to a sex toy. The bucket, which launched at $24.99, sold out within days of the film’s release. Models of the bucket have since emerged on secondary markets at a way higher price than the original, including one eBay listing of $805.