A TikTok reseller has sparked fury after filming himself buying dozens of limited-edition Toy Story 5 popcorn buckets from Cineworld to resell at a huge profit, leaving children in tears.
Reseller brags about £400 profit
In a clip shared on TikTok, a man boasted about making £400 from Buzz Lightyear-themed popcorn buckets, which are given away with any large popcorn or soft drink purchase for £39.99. The reseller is shown entering Cineworld's Wakefield multiplex and buying dozens of drinks and snacks to secure as many of the special gifts as possible. A child is seen behind him in the queue looking devastated as the schemer piles the Toy Story-themed gifts into a sports bag.
The man then gives away all the popcorn to homeless people before advertising the gifts online for a profit. Another clip shows what appears to be the same man raiding another cinema, where he is given a visual demonstration of the Buzz Lightyear container, which comes in three parts with fold-out wings and battery-operated lights.
Toys sold online for huge markups
The toys are now being sold on sites including Vinted and eBay for as much as $222 each. Cineworld confirmed its internal teams are looking into the incident after an online user complained that the reseller had been sold so many items.
Viewers expressed disgust at the practice, which prevented genuine fans from getting the items at their original price. One wrote: 'Honestly quite dispicable [sic] still my sister wanted one of them and couldn't get one because they're all sold out.' Another commented: 'Buying out kids' movie merch to flip it is such loser behaviour. Cineworld really watched the villain origin story happen at the till.'
Cineworld investigates
Cineworld has promoted the new Toy Story 5 movie with specially themed character drinks cups and popcorn containers given away with certain food purchases. But some people took advantage of the Disney film to make a killing out of the exclusive tie-in products. Metro has contacted Cineworld for comment.
