A new light-up Jack Skellington popcorn bucket for Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas just went up for sale at Swan Drive-In Theatre in Blue Ridge, Georgia, priced at $35.95 ahead of Disney’s annual theatrical return of the film this fall. VIP ordering opened first, and general public ordering opens today at 3 pm EST. You can order the Jack Skellington LED popcorn bucket directly from Swan Drive-In once public sales go live. Swan Drive-In says the studio officially licenses the bucket and will ship on or before September 28, so it should land in fans’ hands well before Halloween. Santa Jack’s Head popcorn bucket holds 85 oz.
Updated 4:45 PM est Sept 18, 2026 – Originally priced at $39.99, Swan Drive-in was able to figure a way to save guests an extra $5.00 and the new price reflects that change. For anyone who ordered earlier today, a $5 credit will be issued!
This is the kind of early drop we watch closely. Swan Drive-In has a habit of getting exclusive or first-look merchandise out the door before the major chains reveal their own lineups, and it was the same story yesterday when we rounded up the Street Fighter popcorn buckets coming to AMC, Regal, and Cinemark. A Jack Skellington bucket showing up at Swan Drive-In now is a good early signal that AMC, Regal, and Cinemark could have their own Nightmare Before Christmas merchandise closer to the film’s return.
As for that return, Disney re-releases The Nightmare Before Christmas in theaters most years around Halloween, and the exact date has moved around. It came back October 11 in 2024 and October 17 in 2025. As of publication, we have not found a confirmed nationwide 2026 date from AMC, Regal, or Cinemark, so treat any specific October date you see going around, including October 11, as unconfirmed for this year until one of the major chains or Disney itself locks it in.
What’s this? What’s this?? There’s popcorn everywhere!Relive the night Jack Skellington made Christmas his own with this sculpted popcorn bucket, modeled after the Pumpkin King himself, adorned with his iconic Sandy Claws hat. Pull back the hat to reveal your favorite movie snack… before the creatures of Halloween Town fill it with their own brand of holiday cheer!Turn on the LED function, and watch Jack’s mischievous grin glow so bright it can guide your movie night tonight.
Our take: a $39.95 light-up bucket from a single drive-in is a small purchase, but it is exactly the kind of tell that tells us where to look next. If you collect theater merchandise, this is a low-risk way to get an exclusive before the bigger chains catch up, and it is worth ordering the moment public sales open at 3 pm EST if you want to guarantee shipping by the 28th.
