Godzilla Joins the Battle for Popcorn Bucket Supremacy

Highlights

• Event: Godzilla Day is celebrated on November 3, marking the iconic character’s 71st birthday.
• Merchandise: A limited edition Godzilla popcorn bucket will be available for pre-order, limited to 6,000 units.
• Additional Items: Alongside the popcorn bucket, fans can also purchase a Mothra Winged Mug and other themed merchandise.
• Screenings: Alamo Drafthouse will screen the 1984 film The Return of Godzilla on Godzilla Day.

It’s news so exciting, the teaser image seemingly only dares to show the outline of what’s to come—but there’s no mistaking Godzilla’s giant spiky noggin. Alamo Drafthouse and Toho International are gearing up for another wave of themed merch to mark Godzilla Day—November 3, Godzilla’s 71st birthday!—and at the top of the list is the Big G’s very first popcorn bucket.

Now, obviously, Godzilla is timeless and need not follow trends to get the kids excited. But a popcorn bucket is a certain status symbol these days, and the King of All Kaiju’s snack-ready head would display quite nicely alongside the toothy Jaws bucket Alamo Drafthouse released this summer.

In a press release that describes the bucket as “a wildly anticipated first for Godzilla collectors,” the theater chain trumpets the character’s “very first popcorn bucket created in partnership with Toho International and based around the ‘Showa Era’ of Godzilla. Designed by Alamo Drafthouse’s Scott Sugiuchi, it’s the first of a line of popcorn buckets planned to continue into 2026 and beyond. Each Showa Godzilla Popcorn Bucket will be numbered in a limited run of 6,000 and will come in a custom collector’s box.”

The bucket—available for pre-order starting October 27 at Alamo Mart—is just one of several new items arriving to celebrate Godzilla’s birthday, including an exclusive t-shirt, hoodie, hat, and set of pins.

Our second pick after the popcorn bucket, however, is this nifty Mothra Winged Mug, also designed by Sugiuchi:

Imagine sipping your morning tea out of that gorgeous vessel! The mug, limited to just 5,000, is also available for pre-order starting October 27 at Alamo Mart.

And in case you were worried Godzilla Day was merely a merch blitz, on November 3 Alamo Drafthouse will also be hosting screenings of 1984’s The Return of Godzilla (released in re-edited form as Godzilla 1985 in the U.S.); more info here. If you live near the massive, Godzilla-bedecked Alamo Drafthouse at the Westfield Valley Fair in Santa Clara, CA, you can enjoy a “Mystery Marathon” of TBD kaiju classics (more details here).

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