Summary

• The Dune: Part Two popcorn bucket resembles a sandworm and led to unintended sexual comparisons.
• The creators, Marcus Gonzalez and Rod Mason, did not anticipate the viral sensation around the bucket.
• The design was not tested thoroughly for potential reactions, leading to surprised cast reactions on Jimmy Kimmel Live.

The creators of the Dune: Part Two popcorn bucket speak out on the reception of the cinema souvenir. Released on March 1 of this year, Dune: Part Two has been the film event of the year so far. The film has been a huge success both critically and at the box office, grossing $704.7 million worldwide at the time of writing. As part of the hype for the film, the Dune: Part Two team created a signature popcorn bucket that movie patrons could buy to commemorate the film.

Speaking with Polygon, Dune: Part Two popcorn bucket creators Marcus Gonzalez and Rod Mason break their silence on this iconic piece of Dune: Part Two merchandise. According to the creators, the team had no idea the extent to which the popcorn bucket would end up getting compared to inopportune things. Mason emphasizes that the memorabilia sat in the offices of Legendary and AMC for six months, and no one drew the same comparisons that many audience did. Check out the quotes from Mason and Gonzalez below:

Mason: That thing sat in our office for six months. It sat in Legendary’s office for six months, because, you know, they moved the movie. And it sat in AMC’s office for six months. There was a couple of things said, but no one equated it to what happened.

Gonzalez: You don’t know what the internet is going to latch on to and how they’re going to latch on to it.

The Craze Over the Dune Popcorn Bucket Explained

The Bucket Immediately Became A Collector's Item

The Dune: Part Two popcorn bucket is designed to look like a sandworm. To achieve this, the designers mounted a sandworm attachment that screws on to the top of the bucket. Said sandworm is replete with silicon tendrils in the mouth of the fake sandworm. Those who use the bucket for its intended purpose must reach into the mock sandworm mouth to extract popcorn from its gullet. While this unique design honored Dune’s main creature, the bucket’s erotic look was often noted by fans.

The absurdity of the Dune: Part Two popcorn bucket became somewhat of a viral sensation, even before the film’s release. The widespread nature of its sexual comparisons makes it even funnier that the design team did not anticipate this. The bucket quickly hit auction sites like eBay, selling for much higher than the initial retail price.

While the Dune: Part Two discourse luckily extended beyond purely its strange themed paraphernalia, the popcorn bucket discussion certainly took off. Jimmy Kimmel Live made the cast react to the bucket live on air, with Zendaya noting that “the jokes write themselves.” Princess Irulan actress Florence Pugh chimed in with “that’s not okay! That’s wrong!” However the cast, audience, or design team may interpret the bucket, one thing is for certain, and that is that the Dune: Part Two popcorn bucket succeeded in being a fascinating design choice.

Dune: Part 2 is available to rent or purchase on VOD.

Source: Polygon