Everything about the moviegoing experience is merchandisable, and long has been. But the rising trend of increasingly complex and elaborate collectible popcorn buckets might have finally reached the apex with Dune: Part Two, which invites you to place your hand in a very different kind of Gom Jabbar test
Tie-in popcorn buckets, and bucket holders, are nothing newāAMC in particular has made a big to-do over them for highly anticipated movies, like holders in the shape of Ant-Manās helmet, and, of course, the Barbie Corvette bucket holder. But a new promotion for Dune: Part Two has us… well, a little concerned.
First spotted by YouTube movie critic Cris Parker, the new bucket itself is relatively plain, just featuring the filmās logo and a few emblems of the various factions at play in Duneās religiopolitical landscape. But it features a special topper, designed in the shape of one of Arrakisā ginormous sandworms bursting from the surface, inviting you to plunge your hand within its… presumably soft teeth. I mean, just look at it
I kid you notā¦ these are the #Dune2 popcorn buckets š³š pic.twitter.com/hfDrBHJnbw
— Cris Parker (@3CFilmss) January 25, 2024
Itās a textural and visual nightmare, even before you get to the lewd imagery that is invokedāwhether you want it to be or notāof having thrust your hand into the sandwormās gaping maw. And the teeth. The teeth! Itās so much. No amount of artificial butter-soaked goodness can be worth this sensation, surely. The Bene Gesserit have a new way to test if you can control your instincts, I imagine.
Itās currently unknown just which chain is running the Dune promotion, but whichever it is, their social media teams probably woke up today both ecstatic and horrified by the attention.
This story originally appeared on io9. Want more io9 news? Check out when to expect the latest Marvel, Star Wars, and Star Trek releases, whatās next for the DC Universe on film and TV, and everything you need to know about the future of Doctor Who
