AMC’s Popcorn Bucket Business Is Now Worth $100 Million — Here’s How It Became a Blockbuster

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Seven years ago, nobody was talking about popcorn buckets as a business. Now AMC says they’ll bring in $100 million this year alone, nearly double what the theater chain made in 2023, the New York Times reports.

Limited-edition, movie-themed buckets are the stars here, not the buttery popcorn. They can sell for as much as $70. Bill Howard’s company, Snap Creative, made two of this summer’s hottest popcorn buckets for Christopher Nolan’s “The Odyssey”: a $50 IMAX camera replica and a $70 Trojan horse. IMAX CEO Rich Gelfond was skeptical at first. He ordered just 2,500 units. They sold out almost instantly, and a second batch of 2,500 sold out in seven minutes.

Only three companies dominate this niche: Snap, Golden Link (Disney’s partner) and Australia’s Zinc. Each licenses studio IP to make their buckets. Boffo sales aren’t guaranteed, though. “Supergirl” and “Masters of the Universe” both flopped, and so did their buckets.