Snacks for Days

Dallas movie fans can fill their coolers with popcorn on 2 days at Cinemark

A large popcorn just won't do on National Popcorn Day at Cinemark - go for the full 400 ounces.

Photo courtesy of Cinemark

Cinemark is going all out for National Popcorn Day in 2026, offering moviegoers in Dallas and around the country the chance to BYOBucket - to bring almost any kind of container to the theater and fill it up for just $5 (plus tax) on two days in January.

And they're not joking when they say "any kind of container" - with a 400-ounce "limit" (the equivalent of two XL popcorns) on the amount you can get with the deal, that means you can bring a cooler, bucket, or other type of large vessel to indulge in popcorn gluttony.

If that's not enough popcorn for you, Plano-based Cinemark is teaming up with Lowe’s for the two-day event - yes, National Popcorn Day will take place on both January 18 and 19 - to allow anyone who brings a blue Lowe’s 5-gallon (aka 640 ounces) bucket to fill it completely up.

Food-grade bucket liners will be available upon request, and guests with the Lowe’s buckets will also receive a special coupon for future popcorn cravings valid February 1-26.

If for some reason you forget your own massive container, Cinemark will still be offering all sizes of popcorn for the same $5 price on both days.

“Last year’s Bring Your Own Bucket event for National Popcorn Day reimagined what this holiday could be for all movie-popcorn lovers, as people showed incredible creativity with their vessels and made the celebration truly unforgettable for both guests and our theater teams,” said Wanda Gierhart Fearing, Cinemark chief marketing and content officer, in a statement. “This year, we are thrilled to build on that fun by teaming up with Lowe’s to make the experience even bigger and better.”

If you're a full-on popcorn fanatic, you can also participate in an online popcorn bucket fill-up game at Cinemark.com/popcornday for the chance to win free popcorn for a year.

On January 19 only, anyone who follows Cinemark’s official Instagram account (@Cinemark) and tags three friends in the comments of the National Popcorn Day sweepstakes post will be entered to win a free large popcorn.

Additionally, the Popcorn Day bonanza will include a chance for Cinemark Movie Rewards members to enter a sweepstakes to win 10,000 points; a discount of 10 percent for all online gift card orders on both January 18 and 19; and a special offering of Butter Chardonnay throughout the entire month of January.

Full details for all deals are available at Cinemark.com/popcornday.

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Rivers wild

Ethan Hawke narrates new documentary that deep-dives into Texas rivers

Cropped still from Deep in the Heart 2: Texas Rivers

The Rio Grande is one of the stunning subjects of Deep in the Heart 2: Texas Rivers.

One Texas film icon passes the torch to another for a deep dive on Texas' river ecosystems in the upcoming documentary Deep in the Heart 2: Texas Rivers. Matthew McConaughey narrated the original 2022 film, Deep in the Heart: A Texas Wildlife Story. Now Ethan Hawke narrates the follow-up, which will be in theaters September 25.

Deep in the Heart 2 is directed by Ben Masters, a nature-obsessed Texan who was born and raised in Amarillo and has followed wildlife around the state and beyond. Working with his crew at Fin & Fur Films, Masters explores the Rio Grande, the Sabine River, and the Neches River, a press release says, coming across otters, turkeys, alligator snapping turtles, and more.

This underwater shot was taken in San Marcos.Still from Deep in the Heart 2: Texas Rivers

The original Deep in the Heart took a broad view of Texas — both its landscapes and their inhabitants — while the "sequel," as the release calls it, specifically highlights water. Conservation is an important angle, and viewers will get a chance to consider how they could connect with and protect the ecosystems on their screens.

"Most of my favorite memories are on Texas Rivers," said Masters in the release. "I grew up on the Canadian, fell in love on the Brazos, got married on the Guadalupe, found adventure on the Rio Grande, and am raising my kids on the Colorado."

The filmmaker says that spending three years filming his natural subjects gave him "a newfound appreciation" for rivers and how distinct they are from one another.

Amazing cinematography was a hallmark of the original film, and the sequel offers more beautiful shots.Still from Deep in the Heart 2: Texas Rivers

"We spent months filming mountain lions on the Pecos, snapping turtles on the Neches, otters on the Sabine, fatmuckets on the Llano, and whooping cranes in the Guadalupe's Estuary," Masters said. "Editing the majesty of Texas Rivers into 80 minutes was a huge challenge, and I'm just incredibly grateful to work with such a talented team of cinematographers, editors, producers, and musicians."

Hawke, born in Austin and raised in Fort Worth, is known for acting in the Dead Poets Society, Gattaca, the Richard Linklater films Boyhood and Blue Moon, and more. He has taken up causes in environmental advocacy for years and appeared in other ecology-focused films, including the intense fictional First Reformed (2018) and a goofy anti-littering PSA with TxDOT (2023).

Some unexpected guests in the Rio Grande.Still from Deep in the Heart 2: Texas Rivers

The film was made in association with H-E-B, a regular supporter of ecological documentaries and initiatives, and conservation organization Texan by Nature. Other collaborators include producer Josh Winkler, editor Sam Klatt, assistant editor Chet Stefan, and composer Noah Sorota. The musical score is performed by Dallas Chamber Symphony.

animals documentaries ecology ethan hawke film matthew mcconaughey movies nature texas wildlife