Another blockbuster movie is on the horizon, and with it a new collectible popcorn bucket for movie theaters to sell. This time around it’s for Dan Tratchenberg’s upcoming film Predator: Badlands, the latest film in the sci-fi action franchise and the first to release in theaters since Shane Black’s The Predator in 2018. To commemorate the occasion and the announcement of ticket sales, the Badlands popcorn bucket has been revealed, and it looks to channel the futuristic and sci-fi elements of the latest film, while also still being a practical bucket that you can actually eat popcorn out of!
As revealed by the Regal Movies X account, the Predator: Badlands popcorn bucket is a replica of the Predator Dek’s ship. Called the “Predator Ship Popcorn Container,” this bucket isn’t as complicated as more recent releases (such as the Tron: Ares bucket), but uses the ship design to its advantage to make it a more conventional bucket that still has a very cool design. The top of the ship opens up to allow for popcorn, and from the tweet it looks impressively spacious. There is also the detail in the design of the ship: the best part of it is that it includes a small Predator that is to scale with the bucket.
For now, it seems like Regal Theaters is one of the only theaters with a Predator-themed popcorn bucket, but that could change before the film’s release. It’s a fun design that also reinforces how different Trachtenberg’s latest entry is from the rest of the mainline films, especially since it is making the titular alien hunter the protagonist of the film, rather than the terrifying opposing force it usually plays in each movie. Taking place on a planet other than Earth (the first live-action Predator film to do so since 2010s Predators), the creature’s return to the big screen is shaping up to be a unique entry in the franchise yet.
‘Predator: Badlands’ Is Getting a Big Theatrical Push
Cinemark is releasing the same bucket, a rare occasion since these competing theater chains usually have different designs to incentivize trips to their specific theater. At the time of this writing, AMC hasn’t revealed whether they will have a popcorn bucket design of their own. The Alamo Drafthouse is offering a collectible pint glass featuring original art on it with the purchase of tickets to Predator: Badlands, making the theater stand out among the competition who usually only sell specialty buckets. Overall, it’s a good time to be a Predator fan.
Predator: Badlands is receiving treatment that feels like the stark opposite of the last live-action film Prey, which was relegated to streaming upon its initial release. In contrast, Badlands is not only going to be playing in theaters, but in premium formats as well. IMAX, 3D, ScreenX, and other specialty format posters were released to commemorate ticket sales beginning for the movie, further proof that 20th Century Studios has faith in the IP, which is unsurprising given the success of Prey on streaming as well as other similar titles such as the Alien franchise finding new life in movies and television.