Each era seems to have its own hotly-desired movie promotional tie-in product of choice. In the '90s, it was breakfast cereals and Happy Meals, and in 2024 it is the popcorn bucket.
After the Dune: Part Two sandworm-shaped bucket garnered viral interest across the world and became a collector's item, these themed-buckets are quickly emerging as a staple aspect of each blockbuster release, growing increasingly creative and elaborate in design.
Last month, for the release of Deadpool & Wolverine, Disney attempted to recapture the same excitement with a bucket shaped like the head of Wolverine, but failed to capture the same viral magic.
With a new bucket seemingly hitting the cinema almost every week, we have sorted through the best, worst and weirdest popcorn buckets released to date.
Worst: Alien: Romulus
The Alien fandom has been growing since the release of the first film in 1979 and seems to have hit its peak with the success of Alien: Romulus.
While some fans, including those in the UAE, were able to buy a xenomorph's head to hold their popcorn in, fans who attended screenings at Regal Cinemas in the US had to settle with a cylindrical see-through bucket that had a single face hugger on one side and the Wayland-Yutani logo on the other side. Fans were left to wonder, where's the main alien?
Worst: Inside Out 2 Control Panel
Pixar films often feature worlds that are filled with whimsy and imagination, always colourful and energetic. Their latest film, Inside Out 2, put the studio back in the record books this year with impressive ticket sales that have passed $1.65 billion worldwide.
Young fans who flocked to theatres to watch the film at Cinemark were offered a popcorn bucket shaped like the console the emotions use to control the main character, Riley.
For such a beautiful and quirky film experience, this popcorn bucket falls short of that whimsy. It is nice that it also serves as a holder for a drink on the side, but ultimately, it is just a small oval box with a lid.
Worst: Barbie Corvette
On its face, the pink Corvette popcorn bucket from AMC Theatres, which comes with a Barbie doll, is a fantastic idea. It was so sought-after, that it garnered headlines across the US as moviegoers searched for their own. Even its exorbitant $65 price point wasn’t putting off hardcore fans.
So why is it on the worst list? The thing can barely hold 12 pieces of popcorn. Pictures of the toy car showed it holding the salty snacks making it clear that it is primarily a model car and not a popcorn bucket. If the item is sold as a popcorn bucket, the least it should do is be able to carry a significant amount. The promotional material even showed a separate bucket alongside the car.
Best: R2-D2
The gold standard of what a popcorn bucket can and should do. This bucket, made by AMC Theatres for the re-release of Episode 1 – The Phantom Menace in April, is shaped like one of the most popular robots in cinema history, R2-D2.
The bucket has two major components – a compartment that holds a healthy amount of popcorn that can open and close with a hatch door, and a drinks container that doubles as the droid’s head. This is a clever design, and unlike the Barbie Corvette, the R2-D2 works both as a vehicle of food and drink as well as a worthy addition to a fan's model collection.
Best: Saw X
The Saw franchise returned last year with the release of the tenth film in the series. The face of the franchise is a puppet named Jigsaw who often arrives just before a victim is put into a painful trap. The creepy puppet has become one of the most beloved figures in horror alongside Chucky and Freddy Kreuger.
Saw fans who went to watch the latest film at Cinemark were given the chance to take Jigsaw home with them in the form of a popcorn bucket head. It’s great because it fits thematically within the film’s gruesome death scenes, as users need to uncover the top of the head to enjoy the popcorn underneath it.
Best: Bat-signal
The latest popcorn bucket to get fans excited is made by AMC Theatres to celebrate the re-release of 2022’s The Batman, as well as the character’s 85th anniversary. The bucket is shaped like the bat-signal, an object synonymous with the Caped Crusader which is used by Inspector Gordon to summon Batman.
The bat-signal is an instant winner. The fact that it has a built-in light that gives the signal character and makes it a must-own for fans of the Dark Knight. It’s also a huge bonus in that there’s room for a lot of popcorn when the lid is opened.
Aldar Properties Abu Dhabi T10
*November 15 to November 24
*Venue: Zayed Cricket Stadium, Abu Dhabi
*Tickets: Start at Dh10, from ttensports.com
*TV: Ten Sports
*Streaming: Jio Live
*2017 winners: Kerala Kings
*2018 winners: Northern Warriors
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Dunki
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The calling app is available to download on Google Play and Apple App Store
To successfully install ToTok, users are asked to enter their phone number and then create a nickname.
The app then gives users the option add their existing phone contacts, allowing them to immediately contact people also using the application by video or voice call or via message.
Users can also invite other contacts to download ToTok to allow them to make contact through the app.
Specs
Engine: 51.5kW electric motor
Range: 400km
Power: 134bhp
Torque: 175Nm
Price: From Dh98,800
Available: Now
The specs
Engine: 4.0-litre flat-six
Torque: 450Nm at 6,100rpm
Transmission: 7-speed PDK auto or 6-speed manual
Fuel economy, combined: 13.8L/100km
On sale: Available to order now
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Name: Carzaty
Founders: Marwan Chaar and Hassan Jaffar
Launched: 2017
Employees: 22
Based: Dubai and Muscat
Sector: Automobile retail
Funding to date: $5.5 million
UAE players with central contracts
Rohan Mustafa, Ashfaq Ahmed, Chirag Suri, Rameez Shahzad, Shaiman Anwar, Adnan Mufti, Mohammed Usman, Ghulam Shabbir, Ahmed Raza, Qadeer Ahmed, Amir Hayat, Mohammed Naveed and Imran Haider.
UK-EU trade at a glance
EU fishing vessels guaranteed access to UK waters for 12 years
Co-operation on security initiatives and procurement of defence products
Youth experience scheme to work, study or volunteer in UK and EU countries
Smoother border management with use of e-gates
Cutting red tape on import and export of food
The candidates
Dr Ayham Ammora, scientist and business executive
Ali Azeem, business leader
Tony Booth, professor of education
Lord Browne, former BP chief executive
Dr Mohamed El-Erian, economist
Professor Wyn Evans, astrophysicist
Dr Mark Mann, scientist
Gina MIller, anti-Brexit campaigner
Lord Smith, former Cabinet minister
Sandi Toksvig, broadcaster
HOW DO SIM CARD SCAMS WORK?
Sim swap frauds are a form of identity theft.
They involve criminals conning mobile phone operators into issuing them with replacement Sim cards, often by claiming their phone has been lost or stolen
They use the victim's personal details - obtained through criminal methods - to convince such companies of their identity.
The criminal can then access any online service that requires security codes to be sent to a user's mobile phone, such as banking services.
UAE SQUAD
UAE team
1. Chris Jones-Griffiths 2. Gio Fourie 3. Craig Nutt 4. Daniel Perry 5. Isaac Porter 6. Matt Mills 7. Hamish Anderson 8. Jaen Botes 9. Barry Dwyer 10. Luke Stevenson (captain) 11. Sean Carey 12. Andrew Powell 13. Saki Naisau 14. Thinus Steyn 15. Matt Richards
Replacements
16. Lukas Waddington 17. Murray Reason 18. Ahmed Moosa 19. Stephen Ferguson 20. Sean Stevens 21. Ed Armitage 22. Kini Natuna 23. Majid Al Balooshi
'Gold'
Director:Anthony Hayes
Stars:Zaf Efron, Anthony Hayes
Rating:3/5
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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Sole survivors
- Cecelia Crocker was on board Northwest Airlines Flight 255 in 1987 when it crashed in Detroit, killing 154 people, including her parents and brother. The plane had hit a light pole on take off
- George Lamson Jr, from Minnesota, was on a Galaxy Airlines flight that crashed in Reno in 1985, killing 68 people. His entire seat was launched out of the plane
- Bahia Bakari, then 12, survived when a Yemenia Airways flight crashed near the Comoros in 2009, killing 152. She was found clinging to wreckage after floating in the ocean for 13 hours.
- Jim Polehinke was the co-pilot and sole survivor of a 2006 Comair flight that crashed in Lexington, Kentucky, killing 49.
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THE%20SWIMMERS
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Specs
Engine: Duel electric motors
Power: 659hp
Torque: 1075Nm
On sale: Available for pre-order now
Price: On request
The specs
Engine: 2-litre or 3-litre 4Motion all-wheel-drive Power: 250Nm (2-litre); 340 (3-litre) Torque: 450Nm Transmission: 8-speed automatic Starting price: From Dh212,000 On sale: Now
Company%20Profile
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Manchester United v Club America
When: Thursday, 9pm Arizona time (Friday UAE, 8am)
Global state-owned investor ranking by size
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United States
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China
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3.
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UAE
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4.
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Japan
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5
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Norway
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Canada
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Singapore
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SANCTIONED
- Kirill Shamalov, Russia's youngest billionaire and previously married to Putin's daughter Katarina
- Petr Fradkov, head of recently sanctioned Promsvyazbank and son of former head of Russian Foreign Intelligence, the FSB.
- Denis Bortnikov, Deputy President of Russia's largest bank VTB. He is the son of Alexander Bortnikov, head of the FSB which was responsible for the poisoning of political activist Alexey Navalny in August 2020 with banned chemical agent novichok.
- Yury Slyusar, director of United Aircraft Corporation, a major aircraft manufacturer for the Russian military.
- Elena Aleksandrovna Georgieva, chair of the board of Novikombank, a state-owned defence conglomerate.