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.
Ferrari 12Cilindri specs
Engine: naturally aspirated 6.5-liter V12
Power: 819hp
Torque: 678Nm at 7,250rpm
Price: From Dh1,700,000
Available: Now
More on animal trafficking
The specs
Engine: 3-litre twin-turbo V6
Power: 400hp
Torque: 475Nm
Transmission: 9-speed automatic
Price: From Dh215,900
On sale: Now
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
Dust and sand storms compared
Sand storm
- Particle size: Larger, heavier sand grains
- Visibility: Often dramatic with thick "walls" of sand
- Duration: Short-lived, typically localised
- Travel distance: Limited
- Source: Open desert areas with strong winds
Dust storm
- Particle size: Much finer, lightweight particles
- Visibility: Hazy skies but less intense
- Duration: Can linger for days
- Travel distance: Long-range, up to thousands of kilometres
- Source: Can be carried from distant regions
Copa del Rey
Semi-final, first leg
Barcelona 1 (Malcom 57')
Real Madrid (Vazquez 6')
Second leg, February 27
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.
What are NFTs?
Are non-fungible tokens a currency, asset, or a licensing instrument? Arnab Das, global market strategist EMEA at Invesco, says they are mix of all of three.
You can buy, hold and use NFTs just like US dollars and Bitcoins. “They can appreciate in value and even produce cash flows.”
However, while money is fungible, NFTs are not. “One Bitcoin, dollar, euro or dirham is largely indistinguishable from the next. Nothing ties a dollar bill to a particular owner, for example. Nor does it tie you to to any goods, services or assets you bought with that currency. In contrast, NFTs confer specific ownership,” Mr Das says.
This makes NFTs closer to a piece of intellectual property such as a work of art or licence, as you can claim royalties or profit by exchanging it at a higher value later, Mr Das says. “They could provide a sustainable income stream.”
This income will depend on future demand and use, which makes NFTs difficult to value. “However, there is a credible use case for many forms of intellectual property, notably art, songs, videos,” Mr Das says.
Global state-owned investor ranking by size
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United States
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China
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UAE
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Japan
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Norway
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Canada
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Singapore
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Australia
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Saudi Arabia
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South Korea
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Specs
Engine: 51.5kW electric motor
Range: 400km
Power: 134bhp
Torque: 175Nm
Price: From Dh98,800
Available: Now
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ECompany%20name%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ETuhoon%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EYear%20started%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EJune%202021%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ECo-founders%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EFares%20Ghandour%2C%20Dr%20Naif%20Almutawa%2C%20Aymane%20Sennoussi%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ERiyadh%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ESector%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3Ehealth%20care%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ESize%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E15%20employees%2C%20%24250%2C000%20in%20revenue%0D%3Cbr%3EI%3Cstrong%3Envestment%20stage%3A%20s%3C%2Fstrong%3Eeed%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestors%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EWamda%20Capital%2C%20Nuwa%20Capital%2C%20angel%20investors%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
DMZ facts
- The DMZ was created as a buffer after the 1950-53 Korean War.
- It runs 248 kilometers across the Korean Peninsula and is 4km wide.
- The zone is jointly overseen by the US-led United Nations Command and North Korea.
- It is littered with an estimated 2 million mines, tank traps, razor wire fences and guard posts.
- Donald Trump and Kim Jong-Un met at a building in Panmunjom, where an armistice was signed to stop the Korean War.
- Panmunjom is 52km north of the Korean capital Seoul and 147km south of Pyongyang, North Korea’s capital.
- Former US president Bill Clinton visited Panmunjom in 1993, while Ronald Reagan visited the DMZ in 1983, George W. Bush in 2002 and Barack Obama visited a nearby military camp in 2012.
- Mr Trump planned to visit in November 2017, but heavy fog that prevented his helicopter from landing.
Takreem Awards winners 2021
Corporate Leadership: Carl Bistany (Lebanon)
Cultural Excellence: Hoor Al Qasimi (UAE)
Environmental Development and Sustainability: Bkerzay (Lebanon)
Environmental Development and Sustainability: Raya Ani (Iraq)
Humanitarian and Civic Services: Women’s Programs Association (Lebanon)
Humanitarian and Civic Services: Osamah Al Thini (Libya)
Excellence in Education: World Innovation Summit for Education (WISE) (Qatar)
Outstanding Arab Woman: Balghis Badri (Sudan)
Scientific and Technological Achievement: Mohamed Slim Alouini (KSA)
Young Entrepreneur: Omar Itani (Lebanon)
Lifetime Achievement: Suad Al Amiry (Palestine)
Super 30
Produced: Sajid Nadiadwala and Phantom Productions
Directed: Vikas Bahl
Cast: Hrithik Roshan, Pankaj Tripathi, Aditya Srivastav, Mrinal Thakur
Rating: 3.5 /5
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Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Guns N’ Roses’s last gig before Abu Dhabi was in Hong Kong on November 21. We were there – and here’s what they played, and in what order. You were warned.
- It’s So Easy
- Mr Brownstone
- Chinese Democracy
- Welcome to the Jungle
- Double Talkin’ Jive
- Better
- Estranged
- Live and Let Die (Wings cover)
- Slither (Velvet Revolver cover)
- Rocket Queen
- You Could Be Mine
- Shadow of Your Love
- Attitude (Misfits cover)
- Civil War
- Coma
- Love Theme from The Godfather (movie cover)
- Sweet Child O’ Mine
- Wichita Lineman (Jimmy Webb cover)
- Wish You Were Here (instrumental Pink Floyd cover)
- November Rain
- Black Hole Sun (Soundgarden cover)
- Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door (Bob Dylan cover)
- Nightrain
Encore:
- Patience
- Don’t Cry
- The Seeker (The Who cover)
- Paradise City
Specs
Engine: Electric motor generating 54.2kWh (Cooper SE and Aceman SE), 64.6kW (Countryman All4 SE)
Power: 218hp (Cooper and Aceman), 313hp (Countryman)
Torque: 330Nm (Cooper and Aceman), 494Nm (Countryman)
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh158,000 (Cooper), Dh168,000 (Aceman), Dh190,000 (Countryman)
INVESTMENT PLEDGES
Cartlow: $13.4m
Rabbitmart: $14m
Smileneo: $5.8m
Soum: $4m
imVentures: $100m
Plug and Play: $25m
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The National Archives, Abu Dhabi
Founded over 50 years ago, the National Archives collects valuable historical material relating to the UAE, and is the oldest and richest archive relating to the Arabian Gulf.
Much of the material can be viewed on line at the Arabian Gulf Digital Archive - https://www.agda.ae/en
