Movie theater popcorn buckets have officially reached the point where absolutely nothing should surprise me anymore. We’ve had NSFW sandworms, superhero heads and even a disgusting organ transplant bag thanks to Zack Cregger's Resident Evil. And yet, somehow, Tom Cruise’s upcoming Digger found a way to get me again. Let's just say those eager to see the movie may get a kick out of this theater souvenir.
Naturally, Digger's popcorn bucket is an actual, gloriously impractical boot-shaped container just waiting to be filled with popcorn, and I have only one reasonable response. Can I get a yeehaw? You can check it out for yourself in the Instagram post from the movie's official account below:
Warner Bros. revealed the boot bucket (which resembles the footwear Cruise's titular protagonist wears) ahead of the movie’s release on the 2026 movie schedule, and it’s honestly kind of perfect. The rust-colored container comes complete with black flame-like detailing running up the sides and the movie’s title worked into the front. Warner Bros. has so far only said the collectible is “coming soon,” without announcing a price, capacity or exactly which theaters will carry it.
But come on. Look at that thing. Part of the reason it works so well is that Digger already appears to be operating on a wonderfully bizarre wavelength.
The new film comes from Oscar-winning writer/director Alejandro G. Iñárritu and stars Cruise as Digger Rockwell, a hugely powerful man scrambling to convince the world he can save humanity from a catastrophe he helped create. WB is calling the movie “a comedy of catastrophic proportions,” which feels increasingly appropriate every time we get another look at Cruise’s transformation.
So far, trailers have shown Cruise with a deeply committed Southern accent and enough swagger to make that cowboy boot feel considerably less random than it probably sounds on paper. Honestly, I appreciate that the marketing team committed to the bit.
Tom Cruise's Digger Co-Star Says He Went Full Method, And The Jokes About It Were Flying On Set
Movie-themed popcorn buckets have become their own miniature arms race over the last few years, particularly after that infamous Dune: Part Two sandworm container went viral in 2024. Since then, studios and theater chains have seemingly been trying to figure out increasingly elaborate ways for us to consume approximately $9 worth of popcorn from objects that have no business holding food and are priced higher and higher.
Honestly, a cowboy boot filled with popcorn feels like the natural next evolutionary stage. Apparently, it may not even be the only Digger collectible headed our way. Yet another licensed container has surfaced: a more traditional popcorn tin decorated with Digger artwork, paired with a tiny shovel-shaped scoop. Because if you’re making a movie about a guy named Digger, you apparently leave no concession-stand pun behind.
Still, if I'm buying either of them, I'm taking the boot.
There is something deeply funny about imagining somebody walking into an IMAX screening carrying what appears to be a single piece of Western footwear, then reaching elbow-deep into the ankle for a handful of buttery popcorn. Yet I certainly won't judge anyone who chooses to get one of those eclectic trinkets.
Tom Cruise is joined in Digger by Riz Ahmed, Sandra Hüller, John Goodman, Michael Stuhlbarg and Jesse Plemons, with Iñárritu directing from a screenplay he co-wrote. The movie was shot entirely in VistaVision and will arrive in theaters and IMAX on October 2.
