A wave of new Disney and Pixar popcorn buckets is showing up at movie theaters this month, and none of them require a park ticket. AMC rolled out an exclusive red cup and a Lightning McQueen-shaped bucket for Cars’ 20th anniversary starting September 3, Cinemark and Regal are readying a light-up Nano Gauntlet and Iron Man helmet ahead of Avengers: Endgame Encore’s September 25 return, and Swan Drive-In Theatre in Blue Ridge, Georgia still has discounted Toy Story 5, Star Wars: The Mandalorian and Grogu, and Moana Live Action buckets available by mail order for anyone who missed them the first time around.
Serious collectors are used to treating Disney Parks popcorn buckets as the real prize, the kind of thing worth a special trip to Walt Disney World or Disneyland and a line at the concession stand before a design sells out. That instinct makes sense given how fast park-exclusive buckets have sold out in recent years. But a lot of the buckets fans are chasing right now don’t require a park ticket at all. Between anniversary tie-ins and overstock from earlier releases, your local AMC, Cinemark, Regal, or Marcus is sitting on real Disney and Pixar collectibles, and in some cases the same design that once required a park visit.
Cars 20th Anniversary Buckets Arrive at AMC, Cinemark, Regal, and Marcus
Cars turns 20 this year, and the anniversary re-release is hitting screens the weekend of September 3 through 5, with concession collections dropping at multiple chains the same week. AMC’s lineup includes a Lightning McQueen Popcorn Collectible shaped like the No. 95 race car and a Piston Cup Sipper built like the film’s championship trophy, complete with handles, a straw, and a fountain drink. The standout is AMC’s own exclusive: a bright red cup carrying the Cars 20th anniversary logo, topped with miniature Lightning McQueen and Mater figures, also sold with a fountain drink included.
Cinemark and Regal are carrying their own version of the Lightning McQueen race car bucket along with a Piston Cup Sipper. Regal’s online shop lists the bucket at $49.99 and a matching Piston Cup tumbler at $28.99. Cinemark also had a second bucket pairing McQueen with Mater, though that one has already sold out online. Marcus Theatres rounds out the lineup with its own 85oz Lightning McQueen bucket plus a more traditional tin bucket carrying the anniversary logo and character toppers on the lid.
The interesting wrinkle here is that the Lightning McQueen race car bucket now showing up at Cinemark and Regal is nearly identical to a bucket that was previously a Disney Parks exclusive. For anyone who missed it at Walt Disney World or Disneyland, this is a rare case of a park-only design becoming available at a regular movie theater instead.
The Avengers Buckets Are From Endgame Encore
Worth clearing up before anyone heads to the theater: the new Gauntlet and helmet buckets are tied to Avengers: Endgame Encore, the extended theatrical re-release landing September 25, not Infinity War. Cinemark and Regal will start selling both pieces on September 24, a day ahead of the film’s return.
The Nano Gauntlet Popcorn Container runs about 16 inches, finished in red and metallic tones, with all six Infinity Stones lighting up in their signature colors and an opening on the front for popcorn. The yellow Mind Stone on the back folds out to create extra popcorn space. The Iron Man Mark 85 Helmet Popcorn Bucket is a full-size helmet in red, gold, and silver that opens at the top for popcorn, with eyes that light up and a mode that projects “I Love You 3000,” a callback to Tony and Morgan Stark’s final scene together. Early listings from theater merch trackers put both buckets somewhere between $39.99 and $49.99 depending on the location, and Regal is also offering a bundle that pairs one movie ticket with a choice of either bucket. A third piece, an Arc Reactor tin, has been mentioned but isn’t confirmed with pricing yet. The Encore cut also includes a sneak peek at Avengers: Doomsday, which FLN has been tracking since AMC’s Doctor Doom Mask Light debuted ahead of the film’s December 18 release.
Toy Story 5 Popcorn Buckets Are Still Around, and Cheaper Than Ever
Toy Story 5’s theatrical run has moved on, but its popcorn buckets haven’t disappeared. FLN covered the full chain-by-chain Toy Story 5 lineup when it launched, and Swan Drive-In Theatre’s Toy Story 5 shop page still has that same lineup marked down between 20 and 50 percent. The Embossed Hexagon Popcorn Tin Bucket has dropped from $19.99 to $9.99, both designs of the Topper Popcorn Tin Bucket with all five character toppers have fallen from $39.99 to $19.99, and the Woody’s Hat Popcorn Bucket is down from $39.99 to $14.99. Smaller pieces like the character topper cups, the collectible metal figurine set, and the dome cup have all been discounted as well.
Mandalorian and Grogu Buckets Are 20 to 50 Percent Off Right Now
The same overstock pattern is playing out with Star Wars: The Mandalorian and Grogu merchandise, a lineup FLN tracked chain by chain earlier this year. Swan Drive-In’s Mandalorian and Grogu shop page has the AT-AT Popcorn Bucket down from $79.99 to $49.99, both Square Tin Popcorn Buckets (one with a Grogu keychain, one with a Mandalorian keychain) cut from $34.99 to $14.99, and the Hero Round Popcorn Tin Bucket in gold reduced from $19.99 to $9.99. The Grogu plush, the metal figurine set, the helmet tumbler, and the topper cup sets are all marked down too.
Moana Live Action Buckets Got the Same Treatment
Moana’s live-action buckets are following the identical path FLN first documented at release. Swan Drive-In’s Moana Live Action shop page has both versions of the 130oz Pua and Hei Hei tin bucket down from $16.99 to $7.99, the Outrigger LED Popcorn Bucket cut from $28.99 to $9.99, and the Ripple Popcorn Bucket reduced from $22.99 to $9.99. The tumblers, the molded water ripple cup, the topper cup set, and even the small Moana rubber duck have all been discounted as well.
Our Take
If you asked me what to actually do with this news, it’s simple: don’t sleep on Swan Drive-In. FLN has flagged this before, but it bears repeating. A small Georgia drive-in ends up with extra theater chain inventory, sells it by mail once the initial rush dies down, and the discounts are real, not the fake “sale” pricing some retailers use. Toy Story 5, Mandalorian and Grogu, and Moana buckets are already down to half price, and if the Cars and Avengers buckets follow the same pattern, expect them to show up marked down on that same site in a few months. For the AMC Cars cup specifically, I wouldn’t wait. Anniversary exclusives tied to one chain tend to sell out at the concession stand fast, and once they’re gone, resale prices climb quickly.
None of this requires a trip to Walt Disney World, Disneyland, or Disney Springs. That’s the part worth remembering. Your local AMC, Cinemark, Regal, or Marcus is carrying real Disney and Pixar collectibles right now, and some of the best deals in this roundup are sitting in an online cart in Georgia rather than behind a park turnstile.
