Even The Guys Who Design Novelty Popcorn Buckets Are A Little Freaked Out By Moviegoers Combining These Two Creatures

In the age of novelty popcorn buckets, the Dune bucket was the initial pioneer, paving the way for the Minion buckets and Beetlejuice drinks that have since popped up in theaters. The Dune: Part Two popcorn bucket went viral earlier this year for… reasons and quickly ushered in the next generation of novelty movie items. But whose idea was it?! That would be Zinc Group, an advertising company that has been churning out buckets for the biggest blockbusters.

In a new interview with Slate , Zinc’s VP of business development, Rod Mason and global creative director Marcus Gonzalez express excitement and confusion over the success of their buckets. “The funny thing with Dune Part Two, as you’re probably aware, was the actor strike last year. The movie was supposed to be released in November, but it got moved to March 2024,” Mason explained. That means there was an empty room filled to the brim with worm popcorn buckets, just waiting to be discovered. “Still, all of the popcorn buckets were produced last summer. They were delivered and they were just sitting in warehouses all over the world.”

Despite the frenzy that followed, Gonzalez says they are still surprised by how creative and dedicated some fans are. Almost…too creative maybe, as some fans have been creating their own Sandworm/Xenomorph hybrid. He said, “Now there are people combining the Dune bucket with the Xenomorph that we just put out for Alien Romulus. The back of the head conveniently fits inside the mouth of the worm, which it’s like … what? Who takes a look at those two things and goes, ‘Hey …'” It’s probably the same people who spend $31 on some alcoholic Beetle juice .

Even though they might not be getting used for their intended purpose, the popcorn bucket movement is seemingly just beginning. Mason said that companies are reaching out to collaborate on all different types of products and tie-ins. “It’s just astonishing. We are receiving very regular inquiries as to what we can do for TV shows, professional sports teams, professional sports leagues—pretty much everybody,” Mason explained.

So where do we do from here? More popcorn buckets. Mason added, “It’s really become part of the zeitgeist. It’s one of these weird things that everybody wants to have fun with. Now, as to whether the trend will continue, who knows? We’ll have to see, because obviously there’s a bar that’s been set. We’ll see where it goes.” For now, we will just have to hope and pray that Keanu Reeves’ head becomes the official Sonic 3 popcorn bucket.

( Via Slate )