‘The Monkey’ is getting a bonkers popcorn bucket — here’s how to grab one
The only thing scarier than a cursed monkey is an equally-as-cursed popcorn bucket.
I know, I know. We’ve all been waiting on the edge of our seats to see what our favorite movie theater chains have cooked up in the popcorn bucket department ahead of the release of Osgood Perkins’ ultra-gory killfest, The Monkey. And thankfully, they delivered.
I’m not the first person to comment on how, ahem, bananas the popcorn bucket industry has become over the years. I blame you, Dune: Part Two, and your weird, plasticky Sandworm hole. From full-on Roman helmets à la Gladiator 2 to the Despicable Me 4 baby carrier, popcorn vessels have evolved into something unpredictable—and I kind of love it, ridiculous as some of these bucket designs are.
Regrettably, tie-in popcorn buckets are an extremely lucrative business, especially in a time where movie theaters are still struggling to recapture pre-pandemic ticket sales. Profits are more important than ever if cinemas want to keep their doors open. So in tandem with release of Longlegs director Oz Perkins’ next horror outing, The Monkey, it was only a matter of time until cinemas dropped their absolutely apes*** popcorn buckets.
Cinemark, AMC, and Alamo Drafthouse reveal The Monkey popcorn buckets
In honor of The Monkey‘s February 21 release, movie theater chains have debuted their themed popcorn buckets, and oh boy, are some of these a doozy. It’s pretty rare for an indie horror like The Monkey to receive the over-the-top popcorn bucket treatment, so either this is some really good marketing on the film’s behalf, or this is simply the new precedent for any and all horror movies.
Starting off, Cinemark went for a more understated design, which sees a 130 oz. popcorn tin wrapped with the murderous children’s toy, as well as some tasteful blood splatters and the film’s title in big block letters. Playing it safe, I see. For only $15, it’s one of the more economical deals out there.
On the other end of the spectrum, AMC Theaters went all-out with their The Monkey popcorn buckets. Well, I’d be remiss to call these “buckets,” as really, it’s just a replica of the eponymous toy, beating a drum that’s covered in what appears to be blood. Charming! And it’ll only run you $48.95.
Meanwhile, Alamo Drafthouse dropped some collectible pint glasses in lieu of a The Monkey-themed popcorn bucket. The glass containers, which are a joint collaboration between the cinema and distributor NEON, features a design by Mutant’s Matt Taylor, showing the monkey himself beating his toy drum with, predictably enough, blood-soaked drumsticks. They’re currently available to purchase for $20 each.
So far, critics have had mostly positive things to say about The Monkey, which audiences are describing as a funny, campy horror. Given that the movie is based on the Stephen King short story of the same name and stars Theo James, it’s safe to say that it’ll be seated, popcorn bucket in hand.
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