Ever wanted to eat your popcorn directly out of Galactus’ head? Well, if you plan on seeing The Fantastic Four: First Steps in theaters, you’ll be able to do just that. The Galactus popcorn bucket for the upcoming film has been revealed — and needless to say, it’s probably going to be a major collectors item.
The “Giant Galactus Popcorn Vessel,” as it's being called by AMC Theatres, stands a whopping 17 inches tall and features the film’s antagonist, who will be played by The Witch and Nosferatu's Ralph Ineson, from the neck up. The bucket is a replica of the character’s head, which dons bright blue eyes, and helmet, which is finished in a shimmery purple hue. The popcorn itself is eaten out of the open top of Galactus’ helmet and, according to the chain, a large popcorn comes with each limited edition bucket.
AMC is also selling a three-in-one snack holder pegged to First Steps as well, one that replicates the H.E.R.B.I.E. robot from the movie. The chain is calling it the “H.E.R.B.I.E. Concessions Vessel” and it includes a large popcorn, large drink, and candy — plus a bunch of compartments on H.E.R.B.I.E. himself to store them all.
The cinema chain is making all kinds of big moves lately, between its outlandish popcorn buckets and, oh, you know, the addition of even more ads before the movie. Something we all wanted, obviously.
The brand has officially agreed to host more pre-show advertising as part of a partnership with National CineMedia, according to The Hollywood Reporter. AMC will run what it calls a “platinum spot” with commercials that play alongside the traditional movie trailers that are already part of the typical pre-show experience beginning July 1. And naturally — because this is about money, don’t forget that — both companies will share the revenue of this new endeavor.
AMC released a statement about the decision, which highlights its initial skepticism — but also its intent to double down for the sake of the bottom line. “While AMC was initially reluctant to bring this to our theaters, our competitors have fully participated for more than five years without any direct impact to their attendance,” the company told THR. “This is a strong indication that this NCM pre-show initiative does not negatively influence moviegoing habits.”
This week, Marvel released a new The Fantastic Four: First Steps trailer that shows baby Franklin Richards for the first time and finally sees THAT line fans have been waiting for.
Much of the trailer, designed to promote the release of ticket sales for the upcoming MCU movie, we’ve seen before. But we do get a shot of Reed Richards / Mister Fantastic and Sue Storm / Invisible Woman lying in bed with baby Franklin Richards in what is our first look at the character.
Also this week, director Matt Shakman commented on whether Robert Downey Jr's Doctor Doom would make an appearance, seemingly confirming the character will be absent. However, fans still strongly suspect Doctor Doom will show up in the movie, perhaps in a post-credits scene.
The Fantastic Four: First Steps arrives in theaters on July 25, 2025.
Lex Briscuso is a film and television critic and a freelance entertainment writer for IGN. You can follow her on Twitter at @nikonamerica.
