These days, movie theater owners will do nearly anything to lure fans back to the big screen—and elaborately themed popcorn buckets have become an important part of that strategy. Marvel’s Deadpool & Wolverine excitedly revealed its bucket in May, and while it’s sufficiently lurid, it’s still not quite as startlingly provocative as the one that came out with Dune: Part Two.
Perhaps that’s because the Dune bucket, which io9 has affectionately referred to as “Shai-Hulussy” and “Wormussy” for obvious reasons, appeared without any fanfare or, incredibly, any awareness that fans would view its sandworm-mouth entry point with prurient amusement. Naturally, viral notoriety immediately followed.
Nobody with a sense of humor can complain, though; Dune: Part Two was an even bigger hit than its predecessor, earning critical raves for the film as well as a place in cultural history for what’s still the ultimate novelty popcorn bucket tie-in. Sorry, Deadpool & Wolverine, but even Villeneuve knows he’s still the champ here. Check out this cheeky red-carpet interview he did earlier in June with eTalkCTV:
“They are tremendously jealous of our bucket,” he joked while looking at a photo of the Deadpool & Wolverine release. “They are doing their best to try and bring something horrific to the world. But the Dune bucket is unmatchable.” He quickly adds that’s no slight against Marvel’s bucket; it’s simply the fact that “the Dune bucket was one of a kind.”
Deadpool & Wolverine hits theaters July 26; Dune: Part Two is streaming on Max.
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