The U.S. movie theater industry is aggressively deploying limited-edition popcorn bucket merchandise to counter sluggish ticket sales. Character-themed popcorn containers priced in the tens of thousands of won are selling out one after another upon release, establishing themselves as a marketing tool that draws audiences to theaters rather than a mere concession product.
U.S. box office revenue in 2024 reached $8.7 billion (about 12.7 trillion won), according to the Los Angeles Times on Thursday (local time). The figure is down 3.3% from 2023 and 23.5% from 2019, the year before the COVID-19 pandemic, raising a sense of crisis in the industry to an unprecedented level.
Amid this situation, character-shaped popcorn buckets have emerged as a savior. A popcorn bucket shaped like Nintendo's game character "Yoshi" sells for about $50 (about 73,000 won). The product's highly polished design has attracted many consumers who buy it for display or collection purposes.
Ahead of the release of "Super Mario Galaxy: The Movie," a popcorn bucket in the shape of the star character "Luma," equipped with a lighting function, went on sale for $45 (about 66,000 won), with some units selling out immediately upon release. A "Mini Koopa" container that holds just five to 11 popcorn kernels is also gaining popularity among collectors.
The trend has accelerated recently. Merchandise reflecting film universes has been released in succession, including the pink convertible container from "Barbie," the Wolverine mouth-shaped container from "Deadpool & Wolverine," and the roughly $80 Galactus container from "The Fantastic Four: First Steps."
AMC, a major U.S. theater chain, entered the market in earnest in 2019 with the "Star Wars" series. After confirming rapid market growth, AMC sold merchandise tied to nine films in 2023, generating about $54 million (about 79.8 billion won) in revenue, and plans to expand its product lineup to more than 40 films by 2026.
The same enthusiasm is being detected in Korea. The Yoshi popcorn bucket (29,900 won) that CGV unveiled on the 9th to coincide with the release of "Super Mario Galaxy" sold out on its first day. Even buyers seeking to resell the product flocked to stores, depleting prepared inventory in an instant.
The industry believes that the release of popular popcorn buckets also has the effect of increasing theater attendance itself. Such merchandise drives up sales of other concession products such as popcorn and beverages, more than offsetting production costs. In fact, popular products sell out immediately after release or trade at a premium on the resale market. Many fans are willing to travel long distances or wait in online queues.
Experts point to "demand for physical experience" as the backdrop for this phenomenon. With paper tickets disappearing since digital tickets became widespread, popcorn buckets are replacing their role as souvenirs, analysts say.
Ross Melnick, a film historian and professor at UC Santa Barbara, explained that popcorn emerged as a new revenue source for movie theaters during the Great Depression in the 1930s, saving the industry. Ninety years later, popcorn buckets are now taking on the role of rescuing the struggling theater industry.
