Theaters have found a new way to put moviegoers in the middle of the action with the latest collectible popcorn bucket for I Play Rocky. It looks ready to deliver a knockout. The upcoming Sylvester Stallone biopic gets a wearable red boxing glove popcorn bucket. And it gives fans a chance to strap on a giant fist while watching the story behind one of cinema’s most famous underdogs.
DiscussingFilm shared a first look at the design on October 23. The red glove is big enough to wear, with the popcorn held in the fist. There hasn’t been an official studio announcement with pricing or sales details yet, so that all remains up in the air.
Still, the design has obvious potential for anyone who has ever wanted to throw a punch at the person who won’t stop talking during a movie. The same goes for the phone zombies who think a dark theater is the perfect place to doomscroll through TikTok at full volume. Please keep the glove on your own side of the armrest.
I Play Rocky tells the story of Sylvester Stallone’s struggle to get Rocky made and convince the studio to let him play the title character. Anthony Ippolito stars as the young Stallone, with Peter Farrelly directing. The cast also includes Matt Dillon, AnnaSophia Robb, Toby Kebbell, Tracy Letts, and Stephan James as Carl Weathers, who played Apollo Creed in the original film.
The movie arrives as Rocky approaches its 50th anniversary. The original film debuted in 1976 and went on to win the Academy Award for Best Picture, turning Sylvester Stallone into a major star. I Play Rocky shifts the focus from the boxer who wouldn’t give up to the struggling actor who had to fight for the chance to play him.
Hollywood has shown plenty of interest in the stories behind its own biggest hits. The Paramount+ series The Offer, for example, dramatized the turbulent production of The Godfather. Now I Play Rocky is taking a similar behind-the-scenes approach to another iconic movie. If audiences keep showing up for these stories, what comes next? A Star Wars making-of drama? A Jaws production nightmare? There are certainly enough legendary Hollywood disasters and unlikely success stories to keep the idea going.
For now, the wearable boxing glove popcorn bucket is the latest bit of movie merchandise to get people talking before a film reaches theaters. How much it will cost remains to be confirmed.
