{"id":12339,"date":"2025-07-15T19:20:05","date_gmt":"2025-07-15T19:20:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/12339\/"},"modified":"2025-07-15T19:20:05","modified_gmt":"2025-07-15T19:20:05","slug":"reviewing-regal-cinemas-superman-popcorn-buckets","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/12339\/","title":{"rendered":"Reviewing Regal Cinemas\u2019 \u2018Superman\u2019 Popcorn Buckets"},"content":{"rendered":"

Bucket or Chuck It?<\/a> is a series in which staff writer Rebecca Alter reviews the latest promotional popcorn buckets. You can watch her full hands-on demo on TikTok<\/a>. For a breakdown of her score, read on.<\/p>\n

Faster than a speeding bucket, able to leap over tall buildings in a single pop. It\u2019s a bird, it\u2019s a plane, it\u2019s \u2026 Superman-themed concession vessels! Movie theaters are going all out with merch for James Gunn\u2019s summer superhero blockbuster<\/a>, and the popcorn buckets, as always, are the main attraction. AMC\u2019s bucket is a Daily Planet newspaper box<\/a>. Cinemark\u2019s is an adorable re-creation<\/a> of Krypto, Superman\u2019s dog<\/a>. We got our paws on two of Regal\u2019s offerings: a popcorn-machine heat-ray bucket and another Krypto. Between the two, one is definitely superer than the other.<\/p>\n

Assessing the appearance of the bucket based on creativity, attention to detail, and how willing a person would be to put their hand inside it.<\/p>\n

The heat-ray bucket is a marvel despite being DC. It\u2019s a whimsical concept, a meta-commentary on the means of production of the very popcorn within it. A mini-model of a popcorn machine, it shows kernels getting cooked by Superman shooting laser beams through the \u201cglass.\u201d It\u2019s like an image straight out of a Silver Age Supe comic, and I like that the bucket design finds a way to incorporate his powers into the popcorn world. All in all, a very dynamic and playful design.<\/p>\n

The puppy attached to the Krypto bucket has felt \u201cfur,\u201d but thankfully it doesn\u2019t extend to his paws, which are plastic and extend into the bucket like he\u2019s hanging off the edge. He\u2019s pretty weighty and can stand independently on a display shelf, but I take issue with how plain the bucket is and how Funko Pop\u2013ish Krypto looks. (Compare with Cinemark\u2019s offering<\/a>, which is a gorgeously detailed Krypto.)<\/p>\n

Heat-ray score: 5 out of 5
Krypto score: 3 out of 5<\/p>\n

Testing the effectiveness and durability of the bucket\u2019s movable features and determining how easily popcorn can be accessed while you\u2019re seated in the theater.<\/p>\n

The heat-ray bucket has a latch door in the back that makes for easy popcorn filling and eating. I like that it\u2019s clear so you can peer in at your popcorn, and I like the width of the latch door. I could pour popcorn and dip my hand in there with no problem. Meanwhile, the Krypto bucket is as normal a bucket as buckets come: You reach your hand in, get popcorn, etc. But the fear of getting greasy yellow butter topping on Krypto\u2019s white felt makes this, to me, less functional as a popcorn bucket.<\/p>\n

Heat-ray score: 4 out of 5
Krypto score: 3 out of 5<\/p>\n

How much popcorn fits in the bucket?<\/p>\n

Both of these buckets hold a very generous amount of popcorn. During testing, the heat-ray bucket held a large eight-ounce bag of popcorn with some room at the top for a touch more, and the Krypto bucket also fit the whole bag.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Both score: 5 out of 5<\/p>\n

Judging whether the creativity, quality, and keepsake potential of the bucket align with its price tag.<\/p>\n

At $49.95, the heat-ray bucket is expensive, but as I always caution, I judge buckets\u2019 value with collectors in mind who already drop this sort of money on merch for their favorite fandoms. The Superman figurine is doing an awesome little pose, and this piece can double as a display case if you so choose. Worth it.<\/p>\n

The Krypto bucket, at $39.95, comes with quite a hefty Krypto that doubles as its own toy, and the bucket is useful and versatile because it\u2019s a cheap, round, normal bucket. But it\u2019s expensive if you\u2019re buying this for a kid, which is who the design seems geared for.<\/p>\n

Heat-ray score: 4 out of 5
Krypto score: 3 out of 5<\/p>\n

Heat-ray final score: 18 out of 20
Krypto final score: 14 out of 20<\/p>\n

While the Krypto bucket technically gets a passing Bucket or Chuck It? grade, not only is this not the strongest Superman bucket at Regal, it\u2019s not the strongest Krypto on the market. I\u2019m sure it will have lots of appeal to people who like their merch a little chibi, though. Based on the above criteria, we have a clear winner in Regal\u2019s Superman-bucket showdown, and it\u2019s the heat-ray bucket. I really can\u2019t get over how much I like that it\u2019s a popcorn bucket doing a spin on the whole industrial apparatus of movie-theater popcorn. Who thinks of this stuff?!<\/p>\n