Jul 24, 2026
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Add us on GoogleA $50 popcorn bucket modeled after the camera Christopher Nolan used to make The Odyssey became a Trojan horse for IMAX, sneaking a surprising new revenue stream into the movie theater business.
IMAX initially approved the production of just 2,500 camera-shaped buckets, which sold out almost immediately. IMAX CEO Rich Gelfond then called the head of IMAX China, Daniel Manwaring, and asked him to send over their supply, as the film was not scheduled to open there until August, according to The New York Times.
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Manwaring agreed. When another 2,500 buckets went on sale, they sold out in seven minutes. IMAX estimates that it sold about 30,000 of the collectibles online and through theaters, the Times reported. The company’s online store now lists the $50 bucket as sold out.
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“I know a lot about the movie business, and I didn’t really know much about the bucket business,” Gelfond told the Times.
He does now.
Elaborate popcorn buckets have evolved from novelty concession items into a lucrative merchandise category for movie theater operators. Collectors sometimes buy them without purchasing a movie ticket or even putting popcorn inside.
Popcorn buckets are all pop when it comes to revenue
AMC Theatres expects its collectible popcorn buckets and other movie merchandise to produce about $100 million in revenue this year, nearly double what it brought in during 2023, according to the Times.
That growth follows a year in which AMC generated $54 million from movie-themed merchandise such as collectible buckets, cups and tins, The Wrap reported in 2024.
AMC has since made movie merchandise a bigger part of its broader business strategy. In its 2025 annual report, the company identified expanding movie-themed merchandise as a priority alongside growing its branded popcorn, candy and other food businesses.
Cinemark has seen similar momentum. The company told the Times that bucket sales helped its merchandise revenue climb 40% between 2024 and 2025. Regal expects its merchandise sales to surpass $40 million this year, according to the report.
Theater chains do not publicly break out all bucket sales in their financial statements, but concessions remain central to their businesses. Cinemark reported about $1.3 billion in concession revenue in 2025, while the North American box office totaled an estimated $8.9 billion, according to the company’s annual report.
AMC has also described merchandise as only one part of its wider effort to generate revenue beyond tickets. Its annual filing says the chain has been expanding retail popcorn, branded candy, premium food and beverage offerings, theater advertising and movie merchandise.
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The ‘Dune’ bucket turned merchandise into a viral event
Movie theaters have sold character cups and special concession containers for years. But the current rush for increasingly elaborate designs accelerated after AMC released its infamous sandworm bucket for Dune: Part Two in 2024.
The container originally sold for $24.99 and was designed to resemble the circular mouth of one of the franchise’s giant sandworms. Its suggestive appearance inspired memes, jokes from the movie’s cast and a Saturday Night Live sketch.
The attention pushed some resale listings far above the retail price. Most listings ranged from approximately $40 to $100 shortly after the film’s release, although some sellers sought more than $800, according to People.
AMC Chief Content Officer Elizabeth Frank later said the theater chain never expected the bucket to be mocked or celebrated in that way. Still, she described the collectibles as a “material part” of AMC’s food and beverage operation, comparing them with concert T-shirts that give fans a souvenir of an experience, Business Insider reported.
Theaters have continued testing unusual designs. AMC sold green and pink popcorn vessels connected with Wicked in 2024, which the company said were effectively sold out by the middle of the film’s opening weekend.
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More recently, AMC released an outhouse-shaped bucket for the 25th anniversary of Shrek and a red handbag-style container for The Devil Wears Prada 2. The latter also appeared on resale sites at prices above its original cost, The Guardian reported.
‘The Odyssey’ offered fans two oversized collectibles
The IMAX camera bucket was one of two elaborate containers created for Nolan’s “The Odyssey.”
Snap Creative, a California company that designs movie merchandise, also developed a 22-inch Trojan horse bucket priced at $70. The horse holds about 50 ounces of popcorn inside its body, while the camera version recreates the equipment associated with the movie’s production, according to the Times.
The design was especially relevant because The Odyssey was the first feature film shot entirely with IMAX film cameras, according to IMAX. The production used 2.1 million feet of film and a newly engineered camera enclosure that allowed dialogue scenes to be recorded with synchronized sound.
The film opened in the U.S. on July 17 and delivered an estimated $124.5 million domestically and $264.1 million worldwide during its first weekend, Barron’s reported. IMAX screenings accounted for about $51.8 million of the worldwide opening.
That turnout helped provide a large pool of potential buyers for the buckets. AMC added overnight screenings in response to demand for the film and sold themed merchandise connected with its release, according to Barron’s.
Limited supplies can create demand — but also risk
The business isn’t as simple as ordering more buckets for every major movie.
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Limited runs can create urgency and encourage fans to buy before a product disappears. But theater operators also risk being left with merchandise tied to a movie or design that does not connect with audiences.
The Times reported that buckets made for recent films, including Supergirl and Pixar’s Hoppers, struggled to sell. Unwanted merchandise can leave individual theaters deciding whether to discount it, return it or store the remaining inventory.
Demand can also be difficult to predict when a movie underperforms. Masters of the Universe disappointed at the box office, according to the Times, but a Castle Grayskull bucket equipped with a detachable tumbler and candy compartment still became a hit.
The industry’s appetite for attention-grabbing containers is not slowing down. For an August rerelease of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, Snap Creative plans to sell a four-foot-long Nimbus 2000 broom bucket for $50, according to the Times.
It will hold 135 ounces of popcorn. Although, as demonstrated by the buyers ordering empty buckets through the mail, holding popcorn may no longer be the primary attraction.
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Clay Halton is an associate editor at Money.ca, covering a wide range of consumer-focused financial stories. He has over eight years of experience in digital publishing and has written and edited for outlets including PCMag and Investopedia.
