Every once in a while, a product comes along with a design that makes you wonder, "What in the hell were they thinking?" Such is the case with the infamous Dune Popcorn Bucket that went viral recently. It’s been a little over three weeks since the collective Internet attempted to stifle their laughter like school children who just heard their teacher say a naughty word. Such buzz has now prompted the Dune: Part Two cast to finally speak out about their thoughts on the NSFW popcorn tin. (Spoiler Alert: If your product involves someone suggesting that people should "just stick their hand in there!," it might be time to reconsider design choices.)
The stars of the highly anticipated sci-fi sequel join Ryan Reynolds, who hilariously nodded at the sandworm popcorn bucket while promoting Deadpool & Wolverine. The cast participated in a bit of a round-robin, sharing their thoughts in a video posted to Entertainment Tonight’s official Instagram. Josh Brolin could barely hold back laughter as he described what he’ll do if he sees anyone with the cursed bucket when he enters the theater. He explained:
If I see a bunch of people with one of those freaking buckets in their hand, I’m gonna be like, ‘Okay, you’re an idiot.’ I’m not gonna stick my hand in there. Like, I’m good. I'll starve. Unless I’m getting a Milkdud out of it, forget it.
There's a chance the marketing team behind the flick cringed at hearing the Thanos star say that but, honestly, it's pretty funny. Of course, Zendaya shared more practical popcorn-eating concerns. She said:
Just from a purely, like, [mime’s putting her hand in the bucket] eating popcorn standpoint, it’s -- you can’t get anything out of it. Like it pulls the popcorn out of your hand. Like, one kernel at a time before you get it out. You know, you go in and get a handful, and then by the time you get in, there ain't nothing in your hand.
When Dave Bautista heard how his fellow Marvel alum, Josh Brolin, reacted to the bucket, the Guardians of the Galaxy veteran hilariously had a very different reaction. In his words:
I was the exact opposite, I was like… [pretends to stick his hand vigorously into the bucket] We’ve had the conversation, did nobody realize? And I think that they all realized and said, ‘Yeah, they're gonna–this is gonna create a stir, everybody's going to want one.’
Zendaya, again with the best reaction, didn't seem to think the design is all that unintentional. According to her theory, this may be the reaction marketing hoped for. She continued:
From a marketing perspective, I guess it's genius.
The whole interaction between the cast regarding the bucket is honestly so funny and easily as praiseworthy as the movie's first ten minutes. You can see the entire video embedded below.
If the marketing team did want this reaction, then they are indeed geniuses. We are all talking about it, and even Saturday Night Live made a hilarious ballad parodying the bucket (which you can watch on YouTube). Mission accomplished, marketing. Mission. Accomplished.
Make sure you grab one of those sandworm buckets when Dune: Part 2 hits the 2024 movie schedule on Friday, March 1, because they’ll probably be collectible. Then again, if they’re a huge hit, I imagine marketing will be thinking up something similarly noteworthy if and when Dune 3 happens, which director Denis Villeneuve has some thoughts on.
Until then, catch up with the first movie in the franchise, which is now streaming to anyone with a Max subscription or a Netflix subscription.
