In 2024, the world of film wasn’t defined by any one movie. It was defined by the over-the-top popcorn buckets released with certain films. And now, to close out 2024, Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim has jumped the shark with its popcorn bucket.
Unique popcorn buckets that were sold as tie-in products to major films at distributors like AMC, Cinemark, and Regal are nothing new. Before the pandemic, they were typically just standard large popcorn buckets made of metal with some slick color scheme and a logo. But in an age where movie theater chains are struggling to get people into seats, they needed to have something to offer people, something to incentivize them to go out instead of waiting a few months for a digital streaming release date for a film. And so, bizarre popcorn buckets began to be sold.
If you heard of one of these unique popcorn buckets, it was probably because of Dune: Part 2. Shortly before the movie was released, word spread on the internet like wildfire of the popcorn bucket would be sold with the movie, which depicted a sandworm, and how… sexually explicit it feels to eat from it. Since then, it seems like every major movie theater chain has announced a new outrageous bucket every month just to drum up social media engagement. I mean, I’m talking about it, so it has to be working on some level.
Related: When Does War of the Rohirrim Take Place on the Lord of the Rings Timeline?
I bring all of this up because, with the release of Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim, we have the popcorn bucket to end all popcorn buckets. The bucket in question isn’t just a bucket but rather a popcorn hammer. Measuring 27 inches and made of plastic, this giant bucket makes absolutely no sense and can/will detract from anyone’s experience watching the film. I can only imagine ordering this $33 (!!!) bucket and struggling to pass it to my fiance. Do I pass it to her via the long plastic base and whack her with the bucket? Do I give her the bucket and risk myself being hit by the base? Can I just pour it into her mouth and smother her in a deluge of popcorn? Even eating from this like a normal human being presents problems to anyone sitting around me that I’m both excited and dreading to experience.
But then, of course, the inevitable question comes up – why? Why make this thing? What is the point of making it? If it’s for social media attention on AMC’s behalf, then it just comes across as a cheap imitation of what made the Dune: Part 2 bucket so captivating. Plus, now that we’re 10 months removed from it, I’d like to think the appeal of owning these crazy popcorn containers has worn out their welcome. I went to my AMC on Friday night to watch Wicked, and I saw stacks of unsold weird popcorn tins for a variety of movies. If it’s for profit (which it is), then fair enough, but they’re expensive as hell, and when ticket prices are already pretty high, it seems counterintuitive to bet on an expensive hunk of plastic as the driving factor of getting people into seats.
Yet if I were to turn off my critical brain, I can’t deny that I would love a giant hammer filled with popcorn. No, it’s not a bucket reaching into Deadpool or Wolverine’s mouth, and no, it’s not like I’m eating out of the skull of a Xenomorph, or scanning a QR code for Gladiator II‘s Colosseum bucket to watch people fight. It is a literal weapon and one with a lot of goofy potential. Imagine bringing this bucket out for a Lord of the Rings marathon, or passing some over to your loved one from across the couch. It has more practical purposes than any other tie-in bucket, and as someone who was already going to see Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim, you better believe I’ll be buying one for myself on opening night just for the stupidity of it.
Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim releases December 13, 2024.
Published: Nov 30, 2024 09:00 am