On March 12, 2025, weeks before The Devil Wears Prada 2 hit theaters, the Fandango bundle that included a ticket and a popcorn bucket shaped like a red runway handbag was already sold out online. Units immediately showed up on eBay at double the original price. The movie hadn’t premiered yet. The accessory had.
What’s going on here? Spoiler: it’s not just a TikTok trend. It’s one of the coolest and most unexpected marketing strategies of recent years — and it has a lot to teach the study of consumer behavior.
Movie theaters were limping along
To understand the phenomenon, we first need to look at the numbers without sugarcoating. Movie ticket sales in North America are down 40% from pre-pandemic levels, [2] and the 2024 box office closed 3.4% below 2023, reaching $8.74 billion. [2] The pandemic sent people to their couches, streaming kept them there, and the 2023 strikes delayed the releases that were on their way.
The question that had been circling the hallways of movie theater chains for years was becoming more urgent by the day: why should anyone leave their house? The answer that no one saw coming came from the concession stand.
The origin: from R2-D2 to Ghostface
Collectible buckets aren’t exactly new. Back in 2019, AMC sold one shaped like R2-D2 for $49.99 — today that same item shows up on eBay for over $2,000. But at the time, it was an isolated bet, not a strategy.
The first sign that something bigger was brewing came in 2023 with Scream VI and an iconic killer. Cinemark launched a Ghostface bucket for $15. It sold out instantly at multiple locations — forcing the chain to open online presales with international shipping. [3] On eBay, resellers were listing it for as much as $252. Sean Gamble, CEO of Cinemark, admitted it with no filter: “We did a Ghostface bucket and it caught us completely off guard. That thing had massive adoption.” [1]
The signal was there. The real explosion came in March 2024.
The turning point: the Dune sandworm that changed everything
When Dune: Part Two hit theaters, AMC sold a $25 bucket with a sandworm’s mouth as the lid. Within days, the object spawned an army of memes until Saturday Night Live dedicated an entire sketch to it [4] — though for reasons the designer probably hadn’t anticipated. The free publicity was incalculable.
From then on, chains began planning their buckets nearly a year in advance, revealing designs weeks before release to generate buzz. [4] Ryan Reynolds captured it perfectly on X, while promoting the Deadpool & Wolverine bucket: “Years from now, people will look back and remember 2024 as the year the Popcorn Bucket Wars began.” [1]
The business logic behind the phenomenon
What makes this strategy brilliant isn’t just the buzz. It’s the economic structure behind it. In 2018, AMC generated practically nothing from collectible containers. By 2023, that figure had reached $54 million. In 2024, $65 million. [5]
Why does this work better than raising ticket prices? Because ticket revenue is shared with the studios. What happens at the concession stand, on the other hand, stays with the theater. [2] Nels Storm, AMC’s VP of Food and Beverage, summed it up this way: “Yes, it has to hold popcorn, but we’re not designing around a bucket.” [1]
Desire for an object can move an entire market
And here’s the point that goes beyond the movie theater business: when an object generates genuine desire, it doesn’t just shift consumption behavior in a single category — it moves everything that comes along with it.
When someone wants the Ghostface bucket, they buy the ticket. When they want the handbag-bucket from The Devil Wears Prada 2, they buy the bundle with the included ticket. The object of desire drags the whole chain along with it: the seat, the popcorn, the night out. A product that boosts revenue per customer without any additional ad spend.
So much so that a formal secondary market already exists. Marcus Vassell founded Bucket Banditz, a company dedicated to buying buckets to resell on eBay. His eureka moment: “I spent $75 on three Spider-Man buckets and in three days my friend brought me back $300. Wait, what just happened?” [1]
Today’s moviegoers are more selective about what they want to see in theaters — but when they do go out, they’re willing to spend, with sustained growth in IMAX and premium format tickets. [2] Movie theaters stopped competing on volume and started competing on experience. The bucket is part of that experience.
What will be the next must-have merch?
The industry already has its cards on the table. The collectible bucket model is expanding beyond movie theaters, with deals already underway with the NHL, NFL, NBA, and MLB. [5] And for upcoming releases, the titles most often mentioned as candidates for the next viral object are Avengers: Doomsday, Shrek 5, and Toy Story 5.
The question is no longer whether there will be an object of desire for the next big release. The question is what shape it will take, and who will be standing in line to get it before it sells out — even if the movie hasn’t premiered yet.
What The Devil Wears Prada 2 teaches us — and what Miranda Priestly probably already knew — is that the right accessory doesn’t complement the experience. It creates it.
Sources
[1] NPR / Planet Money — The curious rise of novelty popcorn buckets — https://www.npr.org/2024/07/26/nx-s1-5006701/the-indicator-from-planet-money-the-curious-rise-of-novelty-popcorn-buckets
[2] Hollywood Reporter — Movie theaters’ secret revenue weapon — https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/popcorn-buckets-dune-star-wars-movie-theater-revenue-1235824026/
[3] ComicBook.com — Scream VI Ghostface popcorn buckets now available — https://comicbook.com/horror/news/scream-6-vi-popcorn-bucket-collectible-order-ghostface-cinemark/
[4] The Direct — Dune 2 sandworm popcorn bucket explained — https://thedirect.com/article/dune-2-sandworm-popcorn-bucket-explained-where-purchase
[5] Fantasy Land News — From theater snack to $90 status symbol — https://www.fantasylandnews.com/2025/11/20/from-theater-snack-to-90-status-symbol-how-popcorn-buckets-became-the-hottest-collectible/