A few days ago, over on our profile on X, we launched The 1st Annual Popped Popcorn Bucket Awards, the first of what we hope will become a legendary, annual festivity for everybody at Popped. Across 12 categories, 48 nominees, we handed the power to the Popped audience to decide which popcorn buckets truly stood out in a year where studios went bigger, stranger, and more ambitious than ever at the concession stand.
Categories
Best Bust / Head
What makes for a good head? Ever since the Dune popcorn bucket, popcorn buckets have committed to the bit, and in the case of some of our nominees, they go big!
- Skull – Frankenstein
- Red Hulk – Captain America: Brave New World
- Galactus – The Fantastic Four: First Steps
- Freddy Fazbear – Five Nights at Freddy’s 2
Winner: Galactus – The Fantastic Four: First Steps
Best Comic Book Movie Bucket
2025 was a great year for comic book movies, with DC Studios releasing its freshman film, Superman, and Marvel Studios returning to top form with Thunderbolts* and The Fantastic Four: First Steps. But were the popcorn buckets of the same quality?
- Galactus – The Fantastic Four: First Steps
- H.E.R.B.I.E. – The Fantastic Four: First Steps
- Daily Planet – Superman
- Superman – Superman
Winner: Galactus – The Fantastic Four: First Steps
Cutest Popcorn Bucket
Whilst popcorn buckets are solely meant to eat popcorn from, there’s nothing stopping studios from producing cute buckets, right? Here were our nominees:
- Pink Sheep – A Minecraft Movie
- H.E.R.B.I.E. – The Fantastic Four: First Steps
- Stitch – Lilo and Stitch
- Beaver – The Naked Gun
Winner: H.E.R.B.I.E. – The Fantastic Four: First Steps
Best Horror Bucket
Har har har har har har har.
- Black Phone – Black Phone 2
- The Monkey – The Monkey
- Freddy Fazbear Plush – Five Nights at Freddy’s 2
- Freddy Fazbear Head – Five Nights at Freddy’s 2
Winner: The Monkey – The Monkey
Most Impractical Design
Functionality was incredibly optional for studios in this category. This award celebrates the most inconvenient designs that chose ambition over usability.
- M3GAN – M3GAN 2.0
- Pickaxe – A Minecraft Movie
- Red Guardian Limo Service – Thunderbolts*
- Light Cycle – Tron: Ares
Winner: Light Cycle – Tron: Ares
Best Kids Movie Bucket
Who doesn’t love a themed bucket for a kids’ film?
- Chicken Jockey – A Minecraft Movie
- Gary – Zootopia 2
- Dog Bowl – Dog Man
- Papa Smurf – The Smurfs
Winner: Chicken Jockey – A Minecraft Movie
Most Practical Design
This category honours the most practical designs, those who thought about the practicality of the buckets as opposed to how raunchy it could look.
- Chicken Jockey – A Minecraft Movie
- H.E.R.B.I.E. – The Fantastic Four: First Steps
- Gary – Zootopia 2
- Treasure Chest – The SpongeBob Movie: Search for SquarePants
Winner: H.E.R.B.I.E. – The Fantastic Four: First Steps
Best Regular Bucket
Because who doesn’t love a “safe”, standard bucket which just does what it’s meant to do, hold popcorn with a bit of flavour.
- Woody and Buzz – Toy Story 30th Anniversary
- Superman Logo – Superman
- Snow White Bucket – Disney’s Snow White
- Fantastic Powers – The Fantastic Four: First Steps
Winner: Fantastic Powers – The Fantastic Four: First Steps
Best Re-Release Bucket
One of the best recent trends in cinema history is restoring and releasing old classics in honour of anniversary landmarks. This year, even saw studios and theatres honour the re-releases with new, original popcorn buckets for those titles.
- Michael Myers – Halloween II
- Shark – Jaws
- Woody and Buzz – Toy Story 30th Anniversary
- Darth Vader – Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith
Winner: Shark – Jaws
Scariest Bucket
Who said popcorn buckets couldn’t be scary?
- Skull – Frankenstein
- The Monkey – The Monkey
- T-Rex – Jurassic World Rebirth
- Annabelle – The Conjuring: Last Rites
Winner: The Monkey – The Monkey
Best Vehicle
Where we’re going, we don’t need popcorn buckets…
- DeLorean – Back to the Future 40th Anniversary
- Fantasticar – The Fantastic Four: First Steps
- Red Guardian Limo Service – Thunderbolts*
- Light Cycle – Tron: Ares
Winner: DeLorean – Back to the Future 40th Anniversary
Best Overall Bucket
The coveted top prize of the year, the best overall design for a popcorn bucket. The undisputed champion, the GOAT, some might say!
- Galactus – The Fantastic Four: First Steps
- H.E.R.B.I.E. – The Fantastic Four: First Steps
- Shark – Jaws
- Briefcase – Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning
Winner: Galactus – The Fantastic Four: First Steps
Honourable Mentions
The undisputed winner of this year’s awards is The Fantastic Four: First Steps, appearing in numerous categories and taking home half of the awards, including the top prize of Best Overall Design, making the Marvel Studios film the most successful film of the year in the Popcorn Bucket department.
A big shoutout to every single Popped follower who contributed to the pool of 240+ votes across the categories. Your continued support means the world.
Also, a big shoutout to Britt, who sorted all of the behind-the-scenes logistics of the awards, shortlisting over 185+ popcorn buckets across at least 45 of this year’s major releases in movie theaters.
