When that collectible arrived in 2024, its unusual sandworm opening quickly became the subject of countless sexual jokes. Fans affectionately nicknamed it the “Duneussy,” and what should have been a simple movie theater promotion turned into one of the funniest viral marketing moments of the year.
It also helped kick off Hollywood’s obsession with increasingly ridiculous novelty popcorn buckets. Studios began treating these collectibles as attractions of their own, with designs getting stranger and more elaborate. Even the recent Tom Cruise movie Digger got in on the action with a popcorn bucket shaped like a cowboy boot.
Now AMC has returned to the scene of the crime with twice the sandworm action, and fans are having a field day.
One X user joked about sharing “popcorn” with a friend, while another described the double-opening design as “a different kind of challenge.”
Considering how the original bucket was received, it’s hard to imagine AMC didn’t know exactly what kind of reaction this new version would get. The company has essentially given fans twice as much material to work with, and they’re making the most of it.
As for the actual movie, director Denis Villeneuve is bringing his sci-fi saga to a close with an impressive cast that includes Timothée Chalamet, Zendaya, Robert Pattinson, Florence Pugh, and Jason Momoa. Anya Taylor-Joy, Javier Bardem, Josh Brolin, and Rebecca Ferguson are also returning for the third installment.
Dune: Part Three arrives in theaters on December 18, 2026, where it’ll face off against Marvel’s Avengers: Doomsday in one of the year’s biggest box office showdowns.
Who knows which movie will come out on top, but when it comes to questionable popcorn bucket designs, Dune already has a commanding lead.
