Alien: Romulus May Have Just Won The 2024 Popcorn Bucket Game, But As An Alien Fan, I’m Not Sure I Can Bring Myself To Purchase It

Throughout the 2024 movie schedule, there have been movies trying to claim the title of the year’s most ingenious popcorn bucket. Dune: Part Two got the year off to an unintended but strong start, and Deadpool & Wolverine’s obscene offering has earned a lot of favor. But after what’s been teased for Alien: Romulus’ offering in this race, I think director Fede Alvarez’s upcoming horror movie has won. And even as a fan of the Alien movies, I’m not sure I can bring myself to purchase it.

If you remember the Alien: Romulus’ teaser trailer, the Facehuggers seem to be the stars of the show in this seventh chapter to the legacy started by director Sir Ridley Scott and creature designer H.R. Giger. As if those images weren’t creepy enough, this new popcorn bucket revealed by Fandango combines the horror of that early stage in a Xenomorph’s life cycle with one of the best concessions of all time. Behold, the results of that unholy marriage:

Now, be honest with me: no matter whether it’s Jerry Goldsmith, James Horner, Elliot Goldenthal, John Frizzell, Marc Streitenfeld, or Jed Kurzel scoring the scene, how many of you would seriously want a Facehugger to guard your popcorn bucket? Yes, I know the creatures designed for the Alien movies aren’t real. (If I didn’t know that already, my Facehugger Support Group certainly helps keep that fact in mind.) But in a very practical way, this idea sounds like a recipe for disaster.

Picture this: you’re sitting down to watch Alien: Romulus on opening night. You buy the popcorn bucket, because you’re a fan who loves their merch, and it’s filled to the brim with hot buttered delight. But then, during the movie, your snacking during one of the more quiet moments leads you to accidentally brush against one of those plastic appendages. If that doesn’t cause you to yelp, yawp, or yahooey as a reaction, then maybe this item is a perfect match for you.

Come to think of it, for the shock value alone, I think there just might be some worth in this eventual collector’s item. I mean, imagine throwing a party where your Hulu subscription allows you to run an Alien movie marathon, and one of your unsuspecting guests has that same reaction? Plus, should it possess clues about whether my Alien: Romulus theory about a new Xenomorph being hidden in plain sight is correct or not, I may just begrudgingly nod in approval towards this hellish creature of calamity.

That being said, there is another awesome piece of excitement that’s been shared in honor of tickets going on sale for Alien’s latest body horror epic. Shown off on social media by 20th Century Studios President of Production Steve Asbell, there’s a little more retro ‘80s beauty in the world today. And it’s all thanks to this awesome custom VHS you can see shown below:

To recap: I’m still on the fence about buying an Alien: Romulus popcorn bucket, but I’m totally on board to try and snag that collectable VHS tape. That last claim doubly applies if the folks at marketing include the era appropriate CBS/Fox Video opening on that tape’s contents.

Alien: Romulus tickets are now on sale in anticipation of the movie’s August 16 release date. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have to go call my Facehugger Support Group sponsor, as this whole thing has set my progress back a good couple of weeks.