The popcorn bucket trend has taken off in the seven years since Avengers: Endgame was first released in theaters. With the MCU blockbuster back in cinemas for Avengers: Endgame Encore, the movie is receiving its own lineup of fresh theater merchandise to make fans of the Infinity Saga finale happy. Marvel Studios is getting ready for the release of Avengers: Doomsday in December, and this new merchandise, as well as a handful of new scenes linked to the upcoming MCU film, are some of the reasons audiences are returning to theaters for Avengers: Endgame Encore.
The popcorn bucket trend has become ten times more popular in the years since Avengers: Endgame was released, and while the initial 2019 release did feature some theater merchandise for the MCU film, this 2026 re-release has cinema chains investing a lot more heavily in their exclusive offerings. There's already a lot of excitement for the new Avengers: Endgame cinema merchandise, with several pieces sold out online even before the movie's September 25th re-release.
Some of the most popular offerings have been from Marcus Theatres, which is offering a limited-edition Infinity Gauntlet LED Popcorn Bucket for $79.99. While currently sold out online, the gauntlet lights up with all the colors of the Infinity Stones within the knuckles and hand.
While not wearable, the gauntlet opens to hold 12oz of popcorn, and also looks impressive on its own as a statuette.
Another of Marcus Theatre's offerings that sold out ahead of time is the Iron Man Helmet Popcorn Bucket, which was priced at $34.99. The merchandise is a replica of the Iron Man helmet that Robert Downey Jr. wears in Avengers: Endgame Encore, with the top of the head flipping open to hold popcorn.
The bucket also features a nifty LED projection feature that illuminates Iron Man's memorable "I Love You 3000," line from the film.
While these items are sold out online at Marcus Theatre, the good news is that the Iron Man helmet and gauntlet popcorn buckets are also available at AMC, Regal, and Cinemark.
With these two new popcorn bucket offerings for Avengers: Endgame Encore, there are reports that the items are already selling out quickly in theaters. However, most cinema chains still have them available for purchase online and expect to ship them before the end of the month.
These new popcorn buckets represent two of the most iconic moments in Avengers: Endgame Encore, one being Iron Man's wearing of the Infinity Gauntlet, which wins the battle against Thanos (although it costs Tony Stark his life), and Iron Man's projector helmet, which stems from the heartfelt moment between Tony and his daughter Morgan, where she tells him she loves him 3000, a quote that's become synonymous with the MCU and Iron Man's legacy.
Popcorn buckets aren't the only merchandise theaters are offering in conjunction with the release of Avengers: Endgame Encore. Regal members received a limited-edition foil-embossed mini poster for Avengers: Endgame Encore when they saw the film in 3D or 4DX on opening night.
Regal also offered an Avengers: Endgame-themed drink special, featuring two rival alcoholic beverages for purchase. Dubbed "The Final Battle", the special includes The Final Stand, a drink containing vodka, starry, grenadine, and lime, or The Coming Reign, which comprises vodka, coconut rum, blue curacao, and pineapple yuzu finish.
Across the pond, Vue Cinemas in the UK are also getting in on the popcorn bucket trend by selling the Iron Man helmet and gauntlet buckets, but with the addition of one exclusive item.
An Avengers: Endgame Encore arc reactor tin is being sold at the theater chain, which features the Avengers: Endgame poster treatment around the tin, with a replica of Tony Stark's arc reactor heart as the lid, embossed with "Proof that Tony Stark has a heart," a reference to a running joke between Stark and Pepper Potts.
Avengers: Endgame Encore is in cinemas for a limited time from September 25th. The re-release of the 2019 MCU film includes several minutes of exclusive footage tying into Avengers: Doomsday, which releases on December 18, 2026.
Will Avengers: Endgame Encore Entice Audiences Back to Theaters?
Avengers: Endgame's 2019 release was momentous, as it reached $2.5 billion in 20 days and eventually surpassed the highest-grossing film of all time, James Cameron's Avatar. In the years since, re-releases of Avatar have led it to overtake Avengers: Endgame on the financial rankings, but the release of Avengers: Endgame Encore could tip the scales once again at the top of the box office race.
The inclusion of new material for Avengers: Doomsday, plus the release of Avengers: Endgame Encore in premium formats like IMAX and 4DX, will all be big factors in drawing audiences back to theaters, along with the chance to get popcorn bucket merchandise like the above.
Already, the film is receiving a strong turnout, with reports indicating at least $15 million in pre-sales. The movie needs around $125 million to catch up to Avatar at the box office and reclaim its crown, but with Avengers: Endgame serving as one of the most beloved films in the MCU, and one that incited many memorable moments in the cinema, there's a strong possibility that the fan love for the movie and that past experience will be enough to give the film plenty of box office momentum.
