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Eat Your Movie Popcorn Out of Jaws' Head, but the $45 Price Will Chomp Your Wallet

Come for the collectible, shark-mouth-shaped popcorn bucket, stay for the movie.

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Headshot of Macy Meyer
Macy Meyer Writer II
Macy is a writer on the AI Team. She covers how AI is changing daily life and how to make the most of it. This includes writing about consumer AI products and their real-world impact, from breakthrough tools reshaping daily life to the intimate ways people interact with AI technology day-to-day. Macy is a North Carolina native who graduated from UNC-Chapel Hill with a BA in English and a second BA in Journalism. You can reach her at mmeyer@cnet.com.
Expertise Macy covers consumer AI products and their real-world impact Credentials
  • Macy has been working for CNET for coming on 2 years. Prior to CNET, Macy received a North Carolina College Media Association award in sports writing.
Macy Meyer
2 min read
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You're gonna need a bigger bank account -- the Jaws popcorn bucket costs $45.

 Alamo Drafthouse

Movie theaters have been elevating their snacking experiences with collectible popcorn buckets for several years now, but one of the summer offerings will take a bloody bite out of your budget. Theater chain Alamo Drafthouse is celebrating the 50th anniversary of Jaws with a limited-edition shark-shaped popcorn bucket, measuring 11 inches and costing a whopping $45. 

The Jaws bucket is currently sold out online, but interested buyers with a lot of cash can sign up to be notified when its restocked. It's one of the better buckets in recent years, featuring Jaws' famed Bruce the great white shark with his, uh, jaws, wide open, and a place for popcorn right where the little Kintner boy ends up in the film. Spoiler if you haven't seen a movie from 1975, I guess.

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dune popcorn bucket
AMC Theatres

Specialty popcorn buckets began in 2019 and soon proved to be big business. Not only do these speciality merch items serve as tangible memories of beloved films and events, but they are proving to be crucial for revenue. AMC Entertainment racked in just about $65 million in revenue last year thanks to novelty popcorn buckets, drink sippers and T-shirts. 

You may remember the Taylor Swift-themed popcorn buckets available during the 2023 theatrical release of The Eras Tour movie, or the viral Sandworm Popcorn Vessel in honor of 2024's Dune: Part Two. Now, studios and theaters are eager to keep the trend going with upcoming summer blockbusters. 

This summer, be on the lookout for several more collection-worthy popcorn buckets. Marvel's newest release, Thunderbolts, is playing in theaters - and it arrived with three new collectible popcorn buckets. (My favorite being the red Guardian Helmet bucket.)

In addition, new buckets were recently unveiled for the June 13 release of How to Train Your Dragon which is in the shape of the adorable Toothless dragon. And the popcorn bucket for the May 23 premiere of Mission: Impossible — The Final Reckoning comes with two keys to unlock it.

As far as the Jaws 50th anniversary goes, Alamo Drafthouse is also hosting special screenings, including Jaws on the Water events in Austin, Tex., home to the theater chain, and Martha's Vineyard, Mass., where Jaws was originally shot. 

Similarly, Universal Studios, the studio behind Jaws, is marking the milestone with exclusive merchandise, such as shark-themed drinking cups and apparel, available at their parks. Jaws will be streaming on Peacock starting June 15 and will return to theaters nationwide from Aug. 29-Sept. 4.