By Mark Seavy  

As movie theaters work to increase revenue in the face of ongoing competition with streaming services, concession stands are becoming a crucial element of drawing in consumers.   

The focus is not so much the sales of the candy, popcorn, and soda themselves, but rather the licensed containers they come in. And while these containers aren’t new to licensed properties, their increasingly creative—and often viral—designs have made them, in many cases, collectibles.   

Within the concessions industry, executives point to Disney and AMC Theatre’s collaboration on the R2-D2 popcorn bucket that accompanied the 2019 release of Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker as the starting point for this growing focus on new designs.    

What has followed are designs like Zinc Group’s promotional popcorn bucket at AMC Theaters that accompanied 2024’s Dune: Part Two. The bucket created as much buzz as the movie itself in weeks before the film’s debut. The sandworm-shaped bucket let theatergoers reach into the worm’s maw for a handful of popcorn, a feature that became a sensation on social media.   

Snap Creative’s soda and popcorn containers for 2024’s Deadpool & Wolverine featured character figures as toppers, which are now selling for as much as $99 on eBay. Snap Creative’s “Grippr” design was also featured on Cinemark’s 120-ounce soda container, which was released in February with Captain America: Brave New World.   

The licensing agreements for this merchandise typically carries 10% to 14% royalties and are split equally between multi-year and several month deals, depending on the studio and film, according to industry executives. Licensed containers that account for both soda and popcorn, for example, can range from $10 to $50, with the bulk of the business in the $30 range.   

“The theaters now all want to have their own unique items and want a full collection across the board and have their teeth sunk into this business now,” said Andrew Clarke of Snap Creative, which is shipping products for the recent Karate Kid: Legends and the upcoming M3GAN 2.0 (June 27) and Superman (July 11). “They are all after a way to stand out. It is about how do you curate some offerings that are relevant and provide value. While you can’t control the attendance at a movie, you can offer something that might enhance the experience.”     

This push in container designs continues to grow as theater chains seek to reinvent themselves in the wake of the global pandemic. Theater closures during that period boosted the growth of streaming services and caused studios to shorten theatrical release windows to, in many cases, 45 days. Some releases have been as little as 17 days, down significantly from the traditional 90 days.   

The result has been fewer people coming through the box office. Regal Cinema parent Cineworld, ArcLight Cinemas parent Pacific Theatres, Alamo Drafthouse, and others filed for bankruptcy. Some of the chains reemerged after bankruptcy but some closed forever.   

As a result, North America has 5,691 fewer screens compared with the pre-pandemic era. Studios and exhibitors estimate that between 15% and 20% of theater goers stopped going to the movies after the pandemic-related shutdowns ended, which left them seeking new means for luring consumers back.   

Licensed popcorn and drink containers are being sold through the concession stands, with a focus on either gondola displays or peg racks, industry executives said. Their success is welcome, especially after several attempts by theater chains to establish in-theater stores to sell merchandise tied to new films. Canada’s Cineplex chain, for example, launched an in-theater store near concession stands in 2017.   

“In-theater stores are a different beast and have taken off in some cases, but you get burned once in a while and it’s hard to move stuff if a movie isn’t resonating with a consumer,” said Clarke, who previously worked for Cineplex. “As long as you keep your assortment tight and leaned into a couple of key items, you generally could do quite well.”