AMC Unveils Double Sandworm and Working Thumper Popcorn Buckets for Dune Part Three

AMC Theatres just revealed its next round of sandworm popcorn buckets for Dune: Part Three, and the designs pick up right where the last one left off. One version features two sandworm mouths rising from a sandy lid so two people can reach in at once. Another extends a single longer worm higher above the container and adds a small working thumper that moves up and down while the popcorn disappears. Both come filled with a large serving and will sit on counters at AMC locations across the United States plus Odeon theaters in Europe.

Hank Green, AMC’s senior vice president of food and beverage, stated that the original sandworm bucket from Part 2 was a total phenomenon, and instead of simply riding the wave, they wanted to go above and beyond for Part 2. The designs are directly inspired by the film, and this double version was specifically intended for sharing purposes. The thumper version corresponds to how the fremen use it to summon the worms across the desert; it’s a great little touch. They haven’t said how much they’ll cost yet, but specialty buckets often range between $25 and $50. The Part 2 version cost $25 at the theater and later sold for significantly more on secondary markets.

Collectors are probably already aware of the history, but for those who aren’t, the first bucket sparked a flurry of memes and jokes on the internet, with even Saturday Nite Live joining in the fun. They even had a character break out in song about losing his virginity to the sandworm mouth; who gets an SNL sketch out of a movie bucket? AMC certainly understood what they had and ran with it throughout these follow-ups. We have drinkware, mystery keychains, a sandworm plush toy, and even a cup that resembles the Guild Navigator’s containment tank, a strange cup, but hey.

Other theater chains also got in on the fun, with Cinemark releasing a copper mural-style bucket with a worm on top, and Regal releasing a smaller version of the same fish tank. Dune Part 3 enters theaters on December 18, 2026, with early IMAX showing beginning on December 14. This one is based on Dune Messiah, 17 years after the first two films, and Timothee Chalamet returns as Paul Atreides. Advance ticket sales have already broken records at several of the larger IMAX screens. Theater chains have discovered that these limited edition containers are a big moneymaker, so don’t anticipate the new sandworm designs to be a one-hit wonder when they hit the shelves next month.