On May 21, 2026, Paramount Pictures and Miramax posted a teaser showing a glass-style water pipe filled with popcorn, surrounded by billowing smoke. The internet assumed it was a parody, but director Michael Tiddes confirmed it's a real promotional item dropping alongside the movie on June 5, 2026. It comes in four sizes with the tagline, "Choose the piece that fits you just right".

Let's be honest: movie theater merchandise has officially lost its mind, and we have the 2024 Dune: Part Two sandworm bucket to thank for it. Ever since that cursed piece of plastic went viral, studios have been locked in an arms race to see who can design the most unhinged, suggestive, or flat-out bizarre popcorn container.

But while Marvel and Disney have had to keep their weird designs somewhat PG, the team behind Scary Movie 6 has no such guardrails. They looked at the popcorn bucket trend and said, "What if we just made a bong?"

The design is a direct tribute to Shorty Meeks, the iconic, weed-loving character played by Marlon Wayans in the original films. It features a globe-shaped bottom vessel to hold the popcorn, a long vertical tube, and a side stem. The marketing photos even show smoke dramatically billowing out of the top. It is loud, stupid, and brilliant marketing that knows exactly who its audience is.

This is the first question your teen is going to ask (or silently wonder). The short answer is no.

While the promotional images make the bucket look like high-quality glass, the actual theater release will be made of plastic. It is a novelty container. There is no actual bowl piece for dry herb, and the internal airflow isn't set up to function as water filtration. If someone tried to actually use it as drug paraphernalia, they’d likely just melt cheap plastic and ruin their night.

That said, the design is so accurate that it is already causing legal conversations. Some states have incredibly strict drug paraphernalia laws, and police departments in conservative areas aren't exactly known for their sense of humor when it comes to teenagers driving around with bong-shaped objects in their passenger seats. Even if it only holds buttered popcorn, carrying one of these out of a theater in certain states might get your teen a very awkward conversation with local law enforcement.

The reason this bucket exists isn't just to shock people; it’s to signal that the franchise is returning to its roots. Scary Movie 6 marks the highly anticipated reunion of the Wayans brothers—Marlon, Shawn, and Keenen Ivory—who haven't worked together on the series since Scary Movie 2 back in 2001.

The new movie is taking aim at the last decade of "elevated horror" and modern hits, parodying everything from M3GAN and Smile to Longlegs, Wednesday, and Terrifier. Because the original films were heavily defined by early-2000s stoner humor, the studio is leaning all the way into cannabis culture for the marketing. Alongside the popcorn bucket, they’ve even announced an official PAX vaporizer collaboration and a stoner-themed parody series.

It’s a deliberate strategy: millennials get the nostalgia of the Wayans brothers returning, while Gen Z gets the high-concept, meme-worthy absurdity of a bong popcorn bucket on TikTok.

If your teen is talking about this, there is no need to panic or lecture them about the dangers of drug culture. Instead, use it as a masterclass in media literacy and viral marketing.

Here are a few ways to frame the conversation:

If your family decides this brand of humor isn't for you, there are plenty of other great ways to spend a movie night. You can explore our best movies for kids list for high-quality, family-friendly options, or dive into our digital guide for high schoolers to find comedies that hit the sweet spot of being clever without leaning on shock value.

Q: Is the Scary Movie 6 popcorn bucket real?

Yes, Paramount Pictures and director Michael Tiddes have officially confirmed that the bong-shaped popcorn bucket is a real promotional item. It is scheduled to launch in select theaters on June 5, 2026, alongside the film's release.

Q: Can you actually smoke out of the Scary Movie 6 popcorn bucket?

No, you cannot. Despite looking like a glass water pipe in the promotional materials, it is a non-functional plastic novelty item designed solely for holding popcorn and generating viral social media hype.

Q: What age is Scary Movie 6 appropriate for?

While the official rating is still pending, the film is expected to be a hard R. Like the original Scary Movie films, it will feature heavy drug references, crude sexual humor, and spoofed horror violence, making it best suited for older teens and adults.