Not long ago, film theater merchandise was fairly straightforward. You got a themed popcorn tub, maybe a collectible cup, and went on with your day. Somewhere along the way, however, Hollywood has started to churn out merchandise that has you stop and think, “Did nobody look at this before it went into production?”
This trend arguably (but not really) started with Dune: Part Two’s infamous Arrakis sandworm popcorn bucket, which instantly became an internet sensation for reasons that had very little to do with Denis Villeneuve’s 2024 sci-fi epic. What should have been a relatively standard piece of film merch instead took on a life of its own, becoming the subject of endless memes and social media jokes jabbing at the bucket’s admittedly questionable appearance.
Since then, theaters have found themselves repeatedly at the center of accidental, or possibly not so accidental, questionable merchandise designs. The latest entry comes courtesy of Spider-Man: Brand New Day, whose newly revealed Cinemark popcorn bucket on Instagram has already caused many double-takes online.
The collectible is designed to look like Spidey’s signature web-shooting pose with a large cone-shaped web structure with a straw to serve as both a popcorn holder and drinking vessel. It’s a clever idea in theory, one must admit. In execution, many fans have started to point out that the web portion of the collectible evokes something considerably less family-friendly.
In response to Cinemark’s post, an Instagram user wrote a mellow, “We need to chill on the popcorn buckets, I think.” Others were less restrained in their commentary, with one joking, “Chum bucket remove the ‘h,’” while another added in disbelief, “No one actually thought about the cup, I see.” Possibly the most blunt (and hilarious) commenter said, “I don’t want a Spider-Man jizz tornado, thank you.”
Still, as bizarre as Spider-Man’s concession stand may be, it’s far from an isolated case. In fact, it’s not even the only superhero collectible to spark this kind of reaction this year.
A promotional “gripper” cup for James Gunn’s upcoming Supergirl went viral after fans noticed that its suited-torso design featuring Kara’s jacket from the Superman film looked suspiciously like another body part entirely. The internet immediately dubbed it the “Supergirl foreskin cup,” prompting many people to assume the images circulating online had to be AI-generated. They were not. The cup is very real, proving once again that reality continues to outperform parody when it comes to film merchandise.
At this point, the pattern is becoming difficult to ignore even if you insist your mind isn’t in the gutter. Which raises an increasingly real possibility: none of this is accidental.
Studios and theater chains have now seen firsthand what happens when a collectible goes viral. While some make their intentions clear, like the Deadpool-designed Wolverine popcorn bucket for the 2024 Deadpool & Wolverine film (there was something in the air in 2024, wow), others are harder to read. Items like the Supergirl cup and Spider-Man: Brand New Day’s combo container make it less obvious whether these designs are simply unfortunate coincidences or deliberate attempts at engineered viral marketing.
To be fair, plenty of fans genuinely like Cinemark’s batch of Brand New Day merch. The simple but classic Spidey-face water bottle and comic-printed blanket have received much warmer reception, offering something a little more understated for the non-freaky fans. Well, in all fairness, Spider-Man collectors rarely need much convincing to add any new item to their shelves.
Regardless, as the Dune bucket proved, and as the Supergirl cup and Spider-Man container now seem to be proving once more, the weirdest item at the theaters almost always becomes the story.
Spider-Man: Brand New Day doesn’t arrive until July 31, yet the buzz around the movie is well underway. Regardless of intensity, the design choices have clearly done their job of sparking conversation, going viral, and keeping the film in the spotlight. At this point, whether it’s accidental or not, it’s hard to argue with the results, and Hollywood may well find there’s no reason to not push things even further into absurdity.
