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  "path": "/novelty-popcorn-bucket",
  "publishedAt": "2026-06-29T19:20:02.000Z",
  "site": "https://nofilmschool.com",
  "tags": [
    "Theatrical distribution",
    "Theatrical exhibition",
    "Popcorn buckets",
    "The Dailies",
    "www.youtube.com",
    "The Wrap",
    "NPR's The Indicator"
  ],
  "textContent": "\n\n\n\nI woke up to a cool report from The Dailies that popcorn buckets were kind of saving movie theaters. They're neat little collector items that allow theaters to profit greatly and bring in cash. They also drive people to buy tickets and come to the theater.\n\nCase in point, a $49.99 popcorn bucket shaped like an IMAX camera, tied to Christopher Nolan’s _The Odyssey_ , sold out in about an hour this month.\n\nThen it restocked and sold out again.\n\nWe're in the third wave of them making them, and I still don't have one. Feel free to send it to me, I really want one!\n\nThese buckets are not just for nerds but a bright spot for theaters that need extra revenue.\n\nLet's divide.\n\n- YouTubewww.youtube.com\n\n* * *\n\n## The Cash Cow\n\nSo, over the last few years, we've gotten too many reports about how the marketing departments are absolutely cooking with these cool popcorn buckets.\n\nThe Wrap did a report where they said AMC pulled in a staggering $54 million selling movie-themed merchandise and collectible vessels in 2023.\n\nTo put that into perspective, the chain's revenue from this specific category sat at a grand total of $0 just five years earlier.\n\nWe're still waiting on the numbers from 2025.\n\nWhile a report from NPR's The Indicator notes that merchandise still accounts for a relatively small percentage (around 3%) of total food and beverage revenue, the profit margins are incredibly high.\n\nThat means they can make these things for cheap and sell them for a lot, and benefit a lot in the process.\n\nSure, some of the designs look stupid, but they're selling!\n\nThe first one I got was the infamous _Dune: Part Two_ sandworm that spawned a cultural phenomenon and made people a little too horny.\n\nNow it feelsl ike eveyrone has one, from the highly detailed _Alien: Romulus_ Xenomorph head to the massive Trojan Horse vessel released for _The Odyssey_.\n\nPeople are paying a lot of money to have a keepsake and for a laugh.\n\nBut these buckets can also be a bit of a gamble. According to reports, it can take six to nine months to design, manufacture, and ship 3D-molded plastic vessels.\n\nYou also have to place their manufacturing orders long before reviews drop or tracking numbers come on, so the chance of being stuck with a bunch of junk is high as well.\n\nIt's cool to see theaters thinking outside the box for additional revenue. Anything for these communal spaces to survive.\n\nLet me know your favorite popcorn bucket in the comments.",
  "title": "The Novelty Popcorn Bucket is Saving Cinema"
}