Bucket or Chuck It? is a series in which staff writer Rebecca Alter reviews the latest promotional popcorn buckets. You can watch her full hands-on demo on TikTok. For a breakdown of her score, read on.
There’s a box-office battle brewing this Fourth of July weekend, and it’s not about which movie will come out on top. It’s about which movie-theater chain has the superior Jurassic World: Rebirth collectible popcorn bucket. Yes, this week’s popcorn bucket review is a dino battle: Regal vs. Cinemark. Which one is worthy of a Jonathan Bailey clarinet solo, and which will be sent to the boneyard?
Design
Assessing the appearance of the bucket based on creativity, attention to detail, and how willing a person would be to put their hand inside.
Regal’s scientists have been working in the lab concocting radical experiments on bucket technology, and their resulting prototype is the Jurassic World: Rebirth Incubator Dual Vessel. Inside the incubator — which glows with battery-operated lights, by the way — is a test-tube dino in the fetal position, which is just the right kind of ugly-cute. But this isn’t only an innovative design in terms of taking a specific from the movie and rendering it real; it’s also a practically clever design, because the end of the incubator is actually a detachable drink cup that clicks into place and releases with a button. This bucket is a work of art.
Cinemark unleashed a Jurassic World: Rebirth bucket in the shape of a T. rex head, and I’ll admit, this design just can’t compete with the wacky ambition of Regal’s incubator. It has yellow eyes, a toothy smile, and bumpy avocado-like skin. It’s not a biblically accurate dinosaur, but it’s accurate to the visual language of the Jurassic franchise. But there are no identifying markings or logos, not even on the bottom, indicating that this is a Jurassic dino and not, say, an expensive American Museum of Natural History souvenir. The popcorn goes in a little door in her back, which feels like an afterthought; it would be more fun to integrate the opening into the design, like making it look like she’s roaring and putting it in there, or giving her tiny T. rex arms holding an attached bucket. It’s nicely textured and detailed, but the designers could have gone more creative or conceptual with it, particularly against such fierce competition.
Regal score: 5 out of 5
Cinemark score: 2 out of 5
Functionality
Testing the effectiveness and durability of how the bucket’s movable features work, and determining how easily popcorn can be accessed while seated in the theater.
Regal’s popcorn-bucket scientists are so preoccupied with whether or not they could, they didn’t stop to think if they should. The way that the cup snaps into place and the popcorn lid latches shut on this bucket make it very functional for carrying all of your concessions in one. The issue arrives once you actually sit down to eat the damn popcorn. And that’s because the dinosaur fetus smells awful; along with the cup and straw, the fetus has an intense plastic stench, or maybe it’s more of a rubber scent? Either way, it’s so bad that I’m reluctant to eat whatever has touched it. It’s also hard to reach around inside the incubator. The dino fetus is detachable, but then you run the risk of losing it, and it sort of defeats the purpose if there’s no dino in there.
Click here to preview your posts with PRO themes ››
The Cinemark bucket fares better in the functionality test, but it also has its flaws. The little door where the popcorn goes in is nearly flush with the flat bottom of the T. rex bust, so the way you fill it from the top down and twist your wrist to get the popcorn further up is awkward. Or you can hold it upside down, but even then, it’s a pretty small opening for your hand to go in.
Regal score: 3 out of 5
Cinemark score: 2 out of 5
Volume
How much popcorn fits in the bucket?
Both buckets hold a small popcorn and change — around 10 cups for the Regal bucket and 14 cups for Cinemark — but to fill them all the way, you have to maneuver them in ways that feel counterintuitive.
Regal score: 3 out of 5
Cinemark score: 4 out of 5
Value
Judging whether the creativity, quality, and keepsake potential of the bucket align with its price tag.
Despite its failings, the Regal incubator achieves greatness as a cool toy/doodad. I think the perfect post-movie afterlife for this bucket is as a novelty lamp in someone’s home. It costs $49.99, which is expensive, but again, so are all of these buckets, as their average price point creeps above $40. In that context, it’s great value given its unique design.
The Cinemark bucket, at $44.95, I guess makes sense as a purchase if, say, your child is obsessed with dinosaurs and you have a ton of expendable income. Otherwise, I’d rather go on the Cinemark website and get something like its Nosferatu coffin for $5 less.
Regal score: 5 out of 5
Cinemark score: 1 out of 5
Verdict
Regal final score: 16 out of 20
Cinemark final score: 9 out of 20
Taking all of these categories into account, Regal’s fetal dino topples Cinemark’s T. rex. Cinemark’s entry, with its nice T. rex details and greater popcorn capacity, falls short when you consider that there is no Jurassic World branding anywhere to be found on it, making it awfully expensive for a generic dinosaur. And, sure, Regal’s incubator wasn’t a joy to eat popcorn out of, but these buckets are collectibles first, and the incubator is just so collectible-able. Imagine all of the even tinier collectibles you can put inside it! You can detach the dino and stick a Labubu in there!
