SNL/NBC
The 'Dune: Part Three' popcorn bucket is trying to recreate a viral moment from 2024
Underrated in the epicness of Denis Villeneuve’s Dune franchise is that the director was able to produce three of them in the span of five years — a rate of work almost unheard of in today’s Hollywood. Given that, though, even though it feels like just yesterday the Dune: Part Two popcorn went viral, we’ve already arrived at the release of a new one for Part Three.
The popcorn bucket for Dune: Part Two, whether intentional or accidental, went massively viral back in 2024 because it unmistakably resembled a dealer’s choice of sexually suggestive innuendo.
You you already know what I’m gonna be Dune 2 it
— 7/11 Truther (@DaveMcNamee3000) January 26, 2024
Getting some action through a popcorn bucket has been a staple of the movie-going experience for decades. The plan? Boost concession sales by offering a self-pleasure bucket so people who see movies alone can have fun too https://t.co/N9iazDnLZB
— Keifer (@DannyVegito) January 26, 2024
The “Duneussy” sparked a wave of popcorn bucket production, with seemingly every major release since trying to create a similar viral moment. The popcorn bucket for the recent Tom Cruise film Digger, for example, was a straight-up cowboy boot.
The popcorn bucket for Dune: Part Three has doubled down on what made the previous iteration go massively viral
When it comes to popcorn buckets, though, the one for Dune: Part Three represents the return of the king — similar to the third film in the Lord of the Rings trilogy, Dune 3 will undoubtedly be aiming for a Best Picture win — and is quite literally a doubling-down on the previous iteration: instead of one “Duneussy,” there are now two.
Straight from the sands of Arrakis. 🏜️ Take a first look at the Dune: Part Three merch, coming soon to ODEON. https://t.co/EUvHeGNMuh
— ODEON (@ODEONCinemas) October 29, 2026
An epic conclusion calls for legendary collectibles. See DUNE: PART THREE and seize control of your collection, including AMC Theatres exclusives on 12/17. Take a sneak peek now. 👀 https://t.co/XIUIke0xaZ https://t.co/h0xjF4WwWS
— AMC Theatres (@AMCTheatres) October 29, 2026
According to AMC, the “Sandworm Thumper” bucket comes with a “working Thumper design, and the “Double Sandworm” collectable features two Shai-Hulud, which makes “it easier to share.”
As the famous story goes, when he was pitching a sequel to Ridley Scott’s horror classic Alien to the studio, iconic director James Cameron put a dollar sign next to the film’s title to spell out the word ALIEN$ (the ultimate title of his sequel, of course, was Aliens). It’s fun to imagine something similar happening wherever they conceive of popcorn buckets.
Dune: Part Three opens in theaters on December 18, the same day as Avengers: Doomsday, and will star Timothee Chalamet, Zendaya, Robert Pattinson, Florence Pugh, Jason Momoa, Rebecca Ferguson, Anya Taylor-Joy, Javier Bardem, and Josh Brolin.