In the “Dune” movies, an enormous sandworm can rise from the desert and devour soldiers and military vehicles in its open mouth. In real life, people watching movies devour popcorn. These two ideas were combined to create the “Dune” popcorn bucket, a sandworm-shaped bathtub wherein to experience a cultural moment. The bucket arrives hot on the heels of other recent popcorn collections corresponding to 16 Inch Barbie Corvette Snack Holder. But is there more to those ships than meets the attention?
Lindsay Moyer is enthusiastic about popcorn. She is a senior dietitian on the Center for Science within the Public Interest, a nonprofit consumer advocacy organization focused on food systems and healthy eating. She sat down with The New York Times to debate what she sees when she thinks about “Dune: The Popcorn Bucket.” This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.
Have you seen the “Dune” popcorn bucket?
I even have seen the photos. I have never seen this in real life.
First impressions?
It looks quite wild. It looks like it could actually decelerate the eating. It doesn’t seem ideally designed for serving yourself popcorn.
Because it’s shaped like a worm’s mouth?
Yes, because of all of the things protruding of it.
Do you want popcorn?
Yes, and I actually frolicked searching through movie show popcorn, dietary information, and menus. Through this lens I can see that there may be a particularly large bucket and the portion is unreal.
Is it flawed?
Popcorn itself is a healthy, whole grain food. It has a big volume and, before adding the oil, is sort of low in calories.
A filling snack.
However, many individuals don’t realize that popcorn, much like the one you’ll be able to get on the cinema, along with having an enormous bucket, can be soaked in oil. Then, in case you add that buttery topping, you normally add more oil on top of it.
How big is the Dune bucket?
Good query. I mean, there are rather a lot of unknowns here. Even though I spend a lot of my skilled time reviewing menus and dietary information, popcorn is commonly essentially the most complicated in terms of information provided by movie chains.
If you go to the cinema, calories are listed on the menu. However, there are some exceptions to this menu labeling law. One of them concerns time-limited options which are on the menu for lower than 60 days.
An AMC spokesperson told me that the “Dune” bucket, which will be purchased for $24.99, is “a little smaller” than the big 130-ounce bucket. (The bucket, which comes without popcorn, “is sold with a separate, large popcorn for the guest to enjoy in case they do not want to eat the popcorn from their bucket,” he added in an email). free refills. What did you discover?
My friend and I called several AMC locations this morning and so they all told us that the “Dune” bucket is like getting a big popcorn, but varies by location. We talked to their employees and asked what number of calories were on the menu, and a big one has 980 calories. My understanding is that this may be before adding the buttercream frosting yourself, in case you select so as to add it.
Ah, so there is a surprise ending to the popcorn narrative.
Yes. There are just a few surprises. At AMC you get a big serving, which is about 980 calories before you add anything to it. Then there may be the query of whether it’s added to rapeseed or coconut oil – this isn’t clear. Coconut oil has the next saturated fat content. Are you getting butter or butter icing that may not actually butter?
Wait, buttercream frosting is not butter?
In most movie theaters, the buttercream frosting doesn’t contain butter. When I called the local AMC movie show, the worker was very nice. He listed the ingredients for his or her buttery topping: highly refined soybean oil, natural and artificial butter flavor, and beta-carotene, which will be added for color or vitamin A content. He also managed to read me the dietary information for the buttery addition on the packaging. One tablespoon has 120 calories.
In previous articles our organization has published over time about movie show popcorn, we estimated that two tablespoons could possibly be added to a big bucket. But for some people it could be more; all of it will depend on what number of push-ups you give him.
I’m not saying people shouldn’t rejoice. I just want people to know what they’re getting.
Where is that this ultimately going?
If you add two tablespoons, you’ll get about 1,220 calories. It’s like eating the calories of two Big Macs; A Big Mac has about 600 calories.
But the movie is sort of long, right?
Yes, it’s possible you’ll need soda and sweets too.
