WACO, Texas (KXXV) — It seems almost overnight that popcorn buckets popped into pop culture. It all started with the viral "Dune: Part 2" popcorn bucket, which was released one year ago.
Since then, it's become a sensation across all movie theaters.
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"The characters, they're bringing them out and, you know, it's hard to find anything and then they bring them out so soon that you got to get here to get it," moviegoer Sheila Bybee said.
To find out more about collecting, I stopped by the local comic book store, Bankston's, and met with the owner Brent Bankston about how popcorn buckets reached this level of popularity.
"I think in some ways it was unintentional. I think that they did not realize that the Dune the Alien or the Wolverine and the Deadpool ones. I don't think anyone anticipated that turning into what it turned into," Bankston said.
Brent has been in the business for nearly 40 years and when it comes to what's trending, the community is the deciding factor.
"Customers will always be the first harbinger of what's to come, so people get very excited about something so it might be a particular comic book or it might be a particular storyline or it might be popcorn bucket," he said.
Eventually, every trend dies down, so what will be the fate of popcorn buckets and more importantly — what's next?
"I think it's gonna get bigger. I think the kids, and as older young adults enjoy this stuff, so we're gonna pass it down," Bybee said
"You're always thinking what's new, what's next? It might be more vibrating seats or actual moving theater you know I don't know what the next marketing trend will be, but right now popcorn tins tend to be the thing," Bankston said.
Whether it's a popcorn bucket or a collectible cup, the movie theater experience continues to expand.
