Horror movie popcorn buckets have become unlikely companions. Whether it’s eating kernel-y goodness from Nosferatu’s coffin bucket or getting popcorn served in The Monkey’s wind-up toy, you have to give these theaters credit for whipping up some original popcorn buckets. The new 2025 horror movie M3GAN 2.0 may have surprised us with its box office flop, but I’m more surprised the horror-comedy flick has two popcorn buckets that I can’t decide should go on my shelf.
The first M3GAN movie blew past box office expectations of an estimated $17-$20 million range. The campy horror movie ended up debuting at $30.4 million and finished in second place behind Avatar: The Way of Water. With that kind of box office success and director Gerald Johnstone’s way to “evolve” the conversation surrounding AI, M3GAN 2.0 officially happened. Unfortunately, it was left in the dust by its heavy summer competitor, F1, debuting at only a third of the first movie’s weekend opening and finishing in fifth place.
It’s totally surprising that the sequel to one of the best scary doll movies bombed at the box office. But, another surprise that’s made its way is that M3GAN 2.0 has fashioned itself with not one but two popcorn buckets, making me very indecisive about which one I’d get.
The first one comes from Cinemark Shop, which resembles M3GAN’s cyberpunk look. Take a look at Cinemark’s Instagram video of the sequel’s stars, Allison Williams and Violet McGraw, being introduced to the futuristic-looking popcorn bucket:
That Cyberpunk Popcorn Bucket does look really cool. It basically is having your own M3GAN doll accompany you to the anticipated sequel. As popcorn is supplied from the bottom portion of the doll, there’s nothing creepy going on here. After all, the purpose of the humanoid robot is to provide its owners with what they need. Now, I’m in deep need of some buttery goodness.
Just when I’m thinking this would be a good popcorn bucket to occupy shelf space, I’m introduced to AlamoMart’s popcorn bucket. If you want a bizarre companion to see M3GAN 2.0, this would be the popcorn bucket for you. The classic M3GAN doll’s face actually opens mid-way to reveal the freshly-popped movie snack inside. It’s creepy, clever, and a good twist on how else the android can feed you your salty snack.
M3GAN 2.0 may not have performed well at the box office, but perhaps its unique popcorn buckets will draw people to give the sequel a try. After major pondering, my choice of bucket would have to be the cyberpunk one, as I can picture AlamoMart’s bucket sending popcorn flying all over the place as soon as you open up the head. Whichever popcorn bucket you choose, don’t forget to bring it with you when you see the 2025 movie release in theaters now.
