Gladiator II Is Escalating the Popcorn Bucket Arms Race

No modern blockbuster is complete with its very own popcorn bucket. It’s a trend that’s been happening for a few years but rose to viral levels when Dune: Part Two released one that, well, looked like a sex toy. Since then, the popcorn bucket wars have taken theatergoers on all types of adventures and now the latest one, for Ridley Scott’s Gladiator II, is adding a whole new element.

Coming exclusively to Cinemark theaters, the Gladiator II popcorn bucket isn’t just a popcorn bucket shaped like the Roman Colosseum at the center of the franchise. It also has an AR element that allows you to watch an actual battle happen inside the Colosseum itself… just hopefully not while you are still in the theater.

You can watch a little example below from the Gladiator II social media account.

Finish the popcorn, scan the code, and let the games begin. Experience your own augmented reality gladiator battle with the #GladiatorII Popcorn AR-ENA Bucket. Get yours at @Cinemark opening weekend and get tickets today. pic.twitter.com/qINBIfJhg2

— Gladiator Movie (@GladiatorMovie) October 22, 2024

So the idea here is you order the Gladiator II popcorn bucket, finish the popcorn, then after the movie scan the AR code and watch the battle. Which, we have to admit, is not a bad idea. It does promote phone use with something you can only buy through a movie theater, which isn’t great, but the idea of extending the story out of the theater is a good one. Plus, in terms of actual popcorn receptacles, the Colosseum is one of the better-shaped buckets yet. Plus it is decidedly asexual, which we can’t say about every popcorn bucket released this year.

Overall though, what the 2024 popcorn bucket wars—with such films as Dune: Part Two and Deadpool & Wolverine, but also Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire, Terrifier 3, Beetlejuice Beetlejuice, and others—have done is given people another reason to go to the movies. Not only do you get bigger screeners and better sound, but now you can get collectibles too and that’s a smart add.

One thing that might stand out in the case of Gladiator II though is the subject matter. All the other films mentioned below were sci-fi, fantasy, and blockbuster fare. Gladiator II certainly has blockbuster potential but it’s much more of an awards-bait drama than anything else. Will audiences who show up to see Gladiator II care about this popcorn bucket or even its AR evolution? Will they even know what AR is? It just seems like an odd pairing of forward-thinking with a safe sequel.

The Gladiator II popcorn bucket will be available soon. Keep an eye on Cinemark’s social media. Gladiator II is in theaters on November 22.

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