By Salma El-Sakka
AMC has released a new collectible popcorn bucket for the upcoming film "Dune: Part Three," reigniting the viral buzz that surrounded a similar container for the previous installment.
Double Sandworm Design Sparks Online Commentary
The "Double Sandworm Collectible" features two sandworm heads, the iconic creatures from the desert planet Arrakis. The design follows a 2024 single-sandworm bucket that drew widespread NSFW comparisons and a parody on "Saturday Night Live." Social media users quickly noted the suggestive shape, with comments suggesting the marketing team intentionally leaned into the meme. One user wrote, "Two worms now. They learned nothing," while another joked, "I am never putting my hand in there!" Others questioned the practicality of retrieving popcorn through the narrow openings.
Collectible Buckets Drive Significant Revenue
Themed popcorn buckets have become a major revenue stream for theater chains. AMC CEO Adam Aron previously projected the company would earn more than $100 million from such collectibles this year. Recent releases include a Trojan horse bucket for Christopher Nolan's "The Odyssey" and a red purse for "The Devil Wears Prada 2." Hank Green, AMC's senior vice president of food and beverage, said the goal for the "Dune: Part Three" collectibles was to exceed fan expectations set by the previous film's viral phenomenon.
Film Details and Release
"Dune: Part Three," based on Frank Herbert's 1969 novel "Dune Messiah," is scheduled to open in U.S. cinemas on December 18. The film will star Timothée Chalamet, Robert Pattinson, Zendaya, Florence Pugh, Jason Momoa, and Rebecca Ferguson. The previous bucket's creator, Marcus Gonzalez of the Zinc Group, told the Wall Street Journal in 2024 that sexual innuendo "was definitely not the intent," describing the design as simply "the worm's the worm's the worm."
