For reasons I still can’t figure out, the internet has fixated on something totally out of left field: popcorn buckets. It all kicked off back in February with a promo popcorn bucket for Dune: Part Two—and fans had mixed (read: hilarious) reactions, thanks to its very suggestive look. Since then, marketing teams have been trying to one-up that controversial design, cranking up the absurdity just to grab that viral spotlight.
Nailing packaging design is no easy feat, and I’ve never thought a scandalous angle was the secret to success. But I have to bite my tongue here—these recent weirdo buckets aren’t just unforgettable; they’re also a genius (if slightly ridiculous) marketing move.
Let’s rewind to early February: Dune 2 hype was through the roof, and out popped a seemingly harmless popcorn bucket shaped like a sandworm. Innocent, right? Obviously not to the internet. I’ll let you fill in the blanks, but let’s just say people made some pretty creative NSFW comparisons to a certain adult accessory.
It was messy, but for some reason, it worked. That Dune 2 bucket blew up online, and it ended up promoting the movie in one of the most unorthodoxly successful ways I’ve seen lately.
Then Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire rolled out its own popcorn bucket—and while it was way less risqué than the sandworm, it sparked drama too. Fans felt totally catfished when their orders arrived. AMC’s Slimer-themed bucket (part of its Frozen Empire lineup) was supposed to be a translucent, movie-accurate design. But what many people got was a messy, joke-worthy hunk of plastic that looked like a bad parody.
Some marketing teams, though, went all in on the suggestive vibe—especially the geniuses behind the official Deadpool & Wolverine bucket. Ryan Reynolds, the lead actor, shared a video of the bucket’s debut on X, tweeting: “Years from now, they’ll look back at 2024 as the year the Popcorn Bucket War began.”
The clip is pure comedy: slow-mo shots of the Wolverine-head-shaped bucket, backed by dramatic music. The best part? The camera lingers as a drizzle of buttery glaze covers Wolverine’s face, then pulls back to reveal a messy scribble on the side that says “Designed by Deadpool.”
I’m low-key crossing my fingers that this so-called “Popcorn Bucket War” sticks around for summer’s blockbusters. With movies like Venom: The Last Dance and Mufasa: The Lion King hitting theaters soon, there’s tons of room for weird, creative new designs to scratch that itch for absurdity. A Nosferatu-themed popcorn bucket, anyone?
For more movie news, check out the new Alien: Romulus poster—it’s stunningly intense. And if you’re into more questionable design choices, take a look at these cringey X-Men posters we still can’t believe got the green light.
