Marvel is releasing a wave of new collectibles for the highly anticipated event film, but the popcorn buckets completely miss the mark. Fortunately, the upcoming RealD 3D Fan Event offers a much better reason to open your wallet.
I’m so glad I don’t like these new popcorn buckets. Marvel has been dropping some incredible merchandise lately, and I already have way too much of it cluttering my home. So when I heard Avengers: Doomsday was getting its own line of collectibles, I was genuinely worried, because my wallet can’t handle much more. Fortunately, I don’t care for this lineup at all, and I want to give you my honest take on why.
Merch Breakdown
Here’s the quick breakdown: the Doctor Doom statue bucket is at all five chains, Regal, AMC, Cinemark, Harkins, and Marcus. While Doom’s Throne is a Regal exclusive and the Sentinel items vary per theater chain.
Doctor Doom Statue
First up is the Doctor Doom statue. It’s a bust of Doom with his arms crossed and glowing green eyes, with popcorn going inside the back of his hood. It’s a cool concept in theory, but it’s not something I want sitting on my desk, and the overall aesthetic just isn’t working for me.
Doom’s Throne
The second option is Doom’s Throne. This Regal exclusive popcorn container shows Doctor Doom seated on his throne at the top of a stepped, hexagonal base, with green light glowing from the edges of each tier. It intrigues me a bit more than the statue, but it still looks like a cheap toy. When I look at these releases, I keep thinking about the Nano Gauntlet popcorn container from the Avengers: Endgame Encore re-release, with all six glowing Infinity Stones and a Mind Stone that folds out to create the popcorn bucket. I was expecting something epic at that premium scale, and these just fell completely flat.
Sentinel Variants Across Theater Chains
Finally, there are the Sentinel items. Regal’s Sentinel is a collectible drink vessel shaped like a Sentinel head in pale gray, with a glowing green visor. AMC’s Sentinel Head is a separate, AMC-only popcorn bucket in purple with green eyes, and it holds popcorn, not a drink. The AMC one just isn’t it for me. The facial design looks completely off to me. Hopefully that’s just a merch design decision, not what the final Sentinel designs will look like in the movie. I feel bad knocking these products completely, but I promised you unfiltered honesty.
The RealD 3D Fan Event Upgrade
Aside from the disappointing buckets and cups, Marvel is running some cool promotions leading up to the release. One major highlight is the RealD 3D Fan Event. The event is Sunday, December 20 at 4:00 PM. If you’re okay with watching a movie in 3D, this is the screening to book. I’ve already locked in my tickets for that day, and it’ll actually be my second time watching the film.
Here’s the best part. Every guest receives a pair of collectible 3D glasses featuring one of five mystery logos: The Avengers, Black Panther, X-Men, Fantastic Four, or Dr. Doom. I’m really wondering which pair I’ll end up with, and I’ll definitely showcase them on video when I pick them up.
What Do You Think Of The Merch?
I hope I wasn’t too harsh on the merchandise. I really wanted to like it, but I’m not going to lie, I’m kind of relieved I didn’t like it. There’s way too much merch out there right now. A lot of it is really cool, but saving a bit of money is a massive win too. Regal, AMC, and Harkins start selling their items on December 17, the day before the film opens on December 18, while supplies last. Pricing has not been confirmed for these items. Check your local theater for availability, because AMC’s lineup also includes a Bottle of Doom drink bottle, shaped like Doom’s hooded head, and Team Icon collectibles.
Let me know if you found a bucket you actually like in the comments below. Maybe they’ll look cooler in person.