The unique, and much derided, Dune sandworm popcorn bucket is now being parodied by none other than Saturday Night Live, shedding further light on the amusing ‘mischoosing’ of the said product design.
Revealed in the lead-up to the release of Denis Villeneuve’s sci-fi epic, Dune: Part Two, the popcorn bucket has generated quite the buzz online, with its resemblance to an adult toy being the focal point of many jokes and comments.
In a hilarious musical sketch on SNL, the controversial collectible becomes the object of affection for Marcello Hernandez and The Bear’s Ayo Edebiri as they plan their date night. As the song progresses, the plot takes an unexpected yet humorous twist when Hernandez’s character expresses his peculiar intentions towards the sandworm bucket — an occurrence that invites more absurdity and playfully obscene gestures of adoration from other characters too.
Dune: Part Two Will be Denis Villeneuve’s Penultimate Dune Movie
On a more serious note, Dune: Part Two promises to carry forward the story narrated in last year’s film. However, whether or not director Villeneuve will be able to complete his trilogy based on Frank Herbert’s work will largely depend on the success of this sequel. Although Dune’s $400 million box office receipts may seem significant, it did not cover the considerable production cost of $165 million and marketing expenses, thereby failing to break even. Similar financial constraints face Dune: Part Two, and there are valid concerns that Warner Bros. may abandon Villeneuve’s vision for a final Dune film if the sequel does not perform well.
“Messiah is being written right now, the screenplay is almost finished but it is not ‘finished’ it will take a little time. I don’t know exactly when I will go back to Arrakis – but my dream would be go a last time on this planet that I love.” Villeneuve commented about his plans for the trilogy.
Everything unfolds next month when Dune: Part Two, accompanied by its notorious popcorn bucket, hits theaters on March 1st.
Wrapping up
Only time will tell if Dune: Part Two will be able to surpass its predecessor’s box office performance and give director Denis Villeneuve the opportunity to complete his dream Dune trilogy. Whatever the outcome, one thing is for certain—it will be a cinematic event not to be missed. For more on filmmaking and the latest news on your favourite movies, head over to the HitPlay app.
