‘Gladiator II’ Popcorn Bucket Goes Viral, Escalates Novelty Concession Wars

The popcorn bucket wars are heating up, and they are getting downright extreme … with “Gladiator II” now leading the buttery charge.

Here’s the kernel of truth … the elaborate popcorn bucket for the ‘Gladiator’ sequel just dropped … it’s an insane design that includes freakin’ augmented reality — and it’s leaving social media users in awe.

The impressive snack receptacle for ‘G2’ is a miniature Colosseum with a QR code … that when activated shows gladiators doing battle inside!

A source tells TMZ … the buckets will be available opening weekend at Cinemark locations worldwide — and that includes theaters in Rome … how meta!

The great popcorn bucket wars all started when the “Dune 2” bucket went viral … for all the wrong reasons … being compared to a body part.

After that … wild bucket designs were off to the races … including one for “Deadpool & Wolverine” … which, naturally, leaned into the ‘D2’ bucket infamy.

There’s been a slew of buckets since that went over huge with fans … like a “Ghostbusters” trap bucket … and as they’re limited offers, the assorted buckets can go for huge bucks on the secondary market.