Cinemark Is Offering BYOB — Bring Your Own (Popcorn) Bucket — for $5

Movie theaters must really be struggling if they want us to supply the popcorn bucket.

That’s the gambit of a new promotion Cinemark locations are rolling out later this month in which the theater chain will allow fans to BYOB. That second B though isn’t “beer,” it’s for “bucket” — specifically a popcorn bucket. And for just $5, Cinemark will fill up whatever you decide to bring in.

The Bring Your Own Bucket campaign is Cinemark’s way of celebrating National Popcorn Day on Sunday, January 19. If you were checking your calendar, it is not some official federal holiday, but is the first of four promotions the National Association of Theater Owners (NATO) has dreamed up to inspire more attendance at movie theaters.

In 2022 and 2023, a division of NATO called the Cinema Foundation offered what was called “National Cinema Day,” which designated a single day in which all movie tickets nationwide were discounted for as low as $3 (it went up by a dollar the year after). Not all distributors loved this plan, even if it got more butts in seats, so NATO got creative with four new days offering various discounts and promos. National Popcorn Day is the first of those offerings.

The way Cinemark is celebrating, $5 will get you an XL popcorn at all Cinemark theaters in whatever vessel you want to bring it in. So if you do still have the Dune popcorn bucket lying around (sicko), you can bring that in and someone will fill it up, or you can bring in some other bucket or tote bag or whatever holds stuff — but leave the commercial trash cans at home.

The fine print says that whatever you bring in, they’ll only fill it up to 400 ounces (or a bit more than 3 gallons) worth, so don’t go racing to Home Depot to get the biggest Rubbermaid container you can find. Your desk garbage can will probably work — just be sure to clean it up, the concessions worker has the right to refuse serving a dirty bucket. There are no free refills, mobile ordering, or third-party delivering. And if you don’t have a bucket, the Cinemark Shop will gladly sell you one.

Cinemark is also running a social media content showing off your custom bucket for a chance to win even more free popcorn.

“National Popcorn Day is one of the best days of the year at Cinemark, and for popcorn lovers everywhere. We are thrilled to mark this year’s celebration with our first ever ‘Bring Your Own Bucket’ event, in addition to limited time sweepstakes and promotions,” said David Haywood, Cinemark SVP Food & Beverage. “Popcorn has always been the star of movie theater concessions, though popcorn vessels have become an award-worthy supporting actor. We are excited for everyone to get creative with this campaign and show off their choice of container while enjoying the iconic snack alongside a great film.”

The other upcoming “@ the Movies” days that are replacing National Cinema Day include Sneak Saturday on April 19, which will debut trailers and promo material shown at CinemaCon to those who go to the theater, as well as Date Night on August 15 and Family Day on November 9. The specific promotions for those two days haven’t been announced yet.