Mockery abounded on Wednesday as reports surfaced that movie theaters will hawk a limited-edition Melania Trump-themed popcorn bucket for $12.99, timed to the first lady's new documentary hitting screens Friday.
As ridicule swirled earlier this week over dismal expected sales for Amazon's expensive documentary, social media lit up again when Gizmodo reported that Melania-themed popcorn buckets will be available for purchase this weekend.
The novelty items are already flooding eBay, raising questions about where they're coming from.
The news comes as the "Melania" film is expected to tank spectacularly at the box office, with predictions of just $3 million in earnings despite Amazon MGM dropping a whopping $75 million between distribution rights and marketing.
The eye-popping investment sparked accusations that the hefty payout serves as a favor to the Trump family, especially given Amazon's lucrative government contracts.
The move led to a deluge of scorn on social media.
Matt Novak, author of the Gizmodo report, joked on Bluesky, "At $12.99 they're practically giving it away."
Philip Bump, MSNOW contributor and former Washington Post columnist, joked on Bluesky, "[gravelly MAHA voice] the butter better not be pasteurized."
Filmmaker Nate Gilbert called it "a great collectors item for the worst person you know."
Film and tv journalist Rendy Jones chided on X, "Finally a new puke bucket for when I get food poisoning."
TV writer Oriana Schwindt wrote on Bluesky, "if you're wondering 'why??': special-edition concession containers are a way for studios to get in on movie theater concession money, which traditionally theaters kept all of, through licensing fees. also trump fans are huge marks who will buy anything and the markup for theaters is HUGE."
At $12.99 they're practically giving it away.
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— Matt Novak (@paleofuture.bsky.social) January 28, 2026 at 3:33 PM
