I’m not much of a popcorn guy, but I’ve been weirdly delighted watching the popcorn bucket arms race escalate, with major blockbusters often trying to outdo others with concession stand flexes. We’ve already seen some truly unhinged designs lately, like the $80 Galactus bucket for The Fantastic Four: First Steps and the viral NSFW Dune 2 bucket. Well, the soon-to-be-released Avatar: Fire and Ashis officially entering the chat with a popcorn bucket that comes with quite the hefty price tag.
Both AMC and Regal have unveiled the Avatar: Fire and Ash Banshee Popcorn Bucket, a limited-edition collectible that’s part snack holder and part display piece. Modeled after the luminous mountain banshees from the sci-fi epic, the bucket features a massive wing span and enough detail to make it look like it could take flight mid–movie marathon. The only thing more jaw-dropping than the design might be the price.
The Bucket Looks Cool, But The Price Is Steep
According to Regal’s product information, the bucket is inspired by Pandora’s “mountain banshees,” featuring bright blue coloring and wing details, and is positioned more like a premium collectible than an average plastic tub. It’s also not small: Regal lists it at 85 oz with dimensions of 26 x 9 x 12 inches, plus a hand-wash-only note that basically translates to: “Congrats on your new household item.” Check out a shot of it below.
The listing also notes a purchase limit of three. The part that’ll make some collectors wince is the fine print: final sale, non-refundable, with no returns and no cancellations, and it’s excluded from promotional discounts. In other words, once you commit, you’re bonded for life, like a Na’vi neural queue but with more butter. And the price? Well, it’ll set you back a cool $79.95.
Is $80 steep? Absolutely. But it’s not like the industry hasn’t been nudging buckets into “collector merch” territory lately. We’ve seen plenty of premium releases that aren’t really about practicality. They’re about fandom, shelf presence, and the simple joy of owning something delightfully unnecessary. And hey, a lot of these collectors’ buckets have come in at the same price, like the previously mentioned Galactus bucket.
Fans Are Reacting Exactly How You’d Expect
And yeah, the internet has thoughts. Here are some of the best reactions I’ve seen so far, quoted directly:
- @Brad_801: “I want it NOW! 😂”
- @urstrulyzx: “Where will you keep it that big bucket while watching, that will hamper your viewing experience no ?”
- @Grumpy__Bear__: “That’ll be $75”
- @GreatestROBever: “That popcorn going to fly away”
- @JohnnyDaMango: “Is it out?”
- @MajesticColt): “Wow that’s nice”
- @SoloDoloPyro666: “@LadiiiPyro movie date with this guy? When the avatar movie come out?”
- @DiegoRiani: “🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰”
So yes, the Banshee bucket is expensive. But it’s also the kind of big, display-ready oddity that collectors love, even when they’re grumbling through the checkout. If nothing else, it’s proof that movie merch has officially entered its “designer handbag” era. Regardless of price, it would appear a lot of potential audience members are ready to drop some dough on the collectible.
Avatar: Fire and Ash, one of the most highly anticipated upcoming action movies of the year, hits theaters on December 19th. Until then, you can revisit the previous Avatar films with a Disney+ subscription and decide whether you’re showing up opening weekend as a normal moviegoer… or as the proud owner of a very large, very pricey Banshee-shaped popcorn commitment.
