Topline
A new themed popcorn bucket made by Marvel Studios to celebrate the release of “Fantastic Four: First Steps” has broken size and price records for the novelty items, which have made millions for theaters and helped pull them from the depths of COVID-era losses.
Marvel Studios' Galactus popcorn bucket.
The newest limited edition popcorn bucket holds a massive 9 liters, or 361 oz., of popcorn and is shaped like the movie's villan—Galactus, Marvel’s devourer of worlds.
The bucket, with its glowing LED eyes and removable horns, is selling for $80 in select theaters and online stores, making it the most expensive novelty popcorn bucket made since AMC Theatres started the trend in earnest in 2019 by releasing an R2-D2 bucket to coincide with the release of "Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker."
The buckets are part of a broader strategy to enhance the moviegoing experience and boost concession sales—Regal and Cinemark jumped on board with “Barbie” and “Scream VI” themed vessels in 2023, respectively—and it’s worked.
The items have ranged from $20 to $65 (until the Galactus bucket, that is) and have gotten more elaborate as time goes on: Regal's bucket for "Inside Out 2" was modeled on the character Anger and lit up red, the "War of the Rohirrim" bucket doubled as a hammer and the "Dune Part 2" bucket from AMC required the user to put their hand into a sandworm's mouth to get their snack.
Ben Fritz, who covers the entertainment industry for The Wall Street Journal, told NPR the “very big profit margins” on the vessels have made a big difference for theaters looking to recover from pandemic-era losses: “They're essentially well-designed pieces of plastic, and they're selling them for 50 bucks, 80 bucks… It’s a good profit for the theaters.”
Get Forbes Breaking News Text Alerts: We’re launching text message alerts so you'll always know the biggest stories shaping the day’s headlines. Text “Alerts” to (201) 335-0739 or sign up here: joinsubtext.com/forbes.
"Only rich people, obviously,” Galactus actor Ralph Ineson responded when asked in an interview how he felt about knowing movie goers would be "eating popcorn out of your head.”
$54 million. That’s how much AMC said it made in revenue on collectible concession vessels in 2023, TIME reported, up from $0 in 2018.
Even movie directors are in on it. Tim Burton apparently contributed to the design for the “Beetlejuice Beetlejuice” popcorn bucket and James Cameron will have “final approval” on the “Avatar 3” popcorn bucket before it comes out in December, according to TIME.
The “Fantastic Four” bucket is 20 inches wide with the horns of Galactus' helmet attached, 17.5 inches tall and 9.6 inches deep—so big that the theaters are warning online buyers shipping "will cost a bit more than usual." A regular, refillable large popcorn bucket at AMC Theatres is about 150 ounces, making the $80 novelty more than twice as big. The bucket is just one of the custom containers made for “First Steps” and is available starting Thursday in Cinemark, AMC, and Regal theaters (and on their websites starting July 26, Aug. 1 and Aug. 14, respectively). Other novelty concession items made for "First Steps" include an 85-ounce "Fantasticar" popcorn bucket sold by Regal for $57, a Mr. Fantastic bucket from Cinemark ($58) limited-edition pint glasses from Alamo Drafthouse.
Hard to say. While some people have certainly gone all-in, there isn’t a huge secondary market for most of the buckets, but some do go for above asking price. An eBay seller who got their hands on the new Galactus bucket early has already sold nine for $150 each, and buckets from "Superman," "Barbie" and "Avengers: Endgame" are all listed for $75 or more.
"Fantastic Four: First Steps" has an 89% positive score on Rotten Tomatoes and has been praised by critics. The Telegraph called it "Marvel's best film in a decade” and Variety's review was headlined, "Marvel gets its Mojo back with a satisfying retro-styled reboot." The film is set in the 1960s and is a sequel to the 2015 flop featuring the same characters, but new actors. Pedro Pascal stars as Mr. Fantastic, Vanessa Kirby as The Invisible Woman, Joseph Quinn as the Human Torch and Ebon Moss-Bachrach as The Thing. The four heroes fight Marvel’s classic villains Galactus (Ineson) and the Silver Surfer (Julia Garner).
How much "Fantastic Four: First Steps" makes at the box office. The film is expected to open anywhere between $100 million to $110 million this weekend, according to industry publications, slightly lower than the $122 million domestic opening of "Superman" two weeks ago.