Movie merchandising has taken many forms over the years. Gone is the heyday of every major release receiving a novelization, board game, apparel, toy line, and so on. Now, with the exception of the biggest blockbusters aimed at the widest demographic possible, films are merchandised in a much more bespoke fashion — they can have any number of tie-in products or none at all, whatever the studio deems fit. This allows each piece of merchandise to feel a little bit more special, making a potential purchase feel like you’re buying a bit of the film and not just some mass-marketed tie-in product.
Yet the popcorn bucket has somehow become a new staple of movie merchandising. At first, this seemed to be because a couple of tie-in buckets (okay, I’ll just say it — the one for “Dune: Part Two”) appeared to be able to double as, ahem, a marital aid. Fortunately, that joke was all but put to rest by the meme-baiting “Deadpool & Wolverine” bucket, but that didn’t stop the popcorn bucket’s rise to power. Now, as with the especially unsettling “Terrifier 3” popcorn bucket, the tie-in items are getting a bit more creative and a lot more creepy. The latest example of this is the tie-in bucket for “The Monkey,” which is, unsurprisingly, a replica of the title character.
https://www.slashfilm.com/img/gallery/the-monkeys-popcorn-bucket-is-perfectly-creepy-and-approved-by-stephen-king-himself/there-may-be-a-very-specific-reason-why-stephen-king-loves-the-monkey-popcorn-bucket-1740089614.jpg With a ‘heavy bag,’ caution is a must. Don’t put it on your lap; when the movie’s over and the lights come up, people will think you wet your pants. Courtesy is also a must. Don’t put it on the seat beside you, or the next person is going to sit on a seat that oozes. Not cool, bro.”
Now, with his “Monkey” popcorn bucket in hand, King can pour gallons of popcorn butter substitute into his large corn without ever worrying about leaks, drips, or seepage. He can also maybe bring about the deaths of people around him at random, if this bucket is imbued with the same “Like Life” powers the movie monkey is. In any case, don’t let Stephen King have all the fun — you can buy your very own “Monkey” popcorn bucket at an AMC right now! Unless they’re all sold out, in which case, you should just hope that those keys on their back don’t actually work.
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