See more Daily Mail on Google - save us as a Preferred SourceBy JOSHUA HAINING, NEWS REPORTER Published: 00:11 BST, 26 June 2026 | Updated: 00:54 BST, 26 June 2026
A man has faced furious backlash after clearing two cinemas of all their limited-edition Toy Story 5 popcorn buckets to sell on for double the profit.Alex Ursell filmed himself purchasing the Buzz Lightyear buckets from Cineworld in Leeds and Wakefield on June 19 - leaving a child behind him 'devastated.'In a video shared on the Reselles Paradise social media channels, Mr Ursell explained that he could buy the buckets for £40 and could resell them for double the profit at £80. But the limited-edition popcorn bucket which is modelled on Buzz Lightyear's spacesuit are on sale for as much as £150 on eBay.This reselling method is known as scalping - a tactic where people purchase items with the sole intention of selling them at a higher price than they were bought for.In one video captioned 'POV - peak unemployment', Mr Ursell entered the Cineworld in Wakefield and asked an employee how many popcorn buckets he was allowed to buy. The staff member said 'there isn't a limit' before Mr Ursell decided to buy 'whatever there is' - including those on display.He then filled large carrier bags with the buckets, as well as the popcorn and fruit-shoots that came with the purchase. The buckets, modelled on Buzz Lightyear's spacesuit, were bought for £40 but are up for sale on eBay for up to £150 Two children waiting behind M Ursell in the queue looked glum as he bought all of the popcorn buckets Alex Ursell, pictured, cleared two Cineworld cinemas of all their Buzz Lightyear popcorn buckets As he waited for staff members to bring him the remainder of the boxes, Mr Ursell turned around and asked two children if they wanted free popcorn.One child with a glum look on his face waiting in the queue declined the offer while the other accepted. In a second video, Mr Ursell went to the Cineworld in Leeds where he again purchased all of the popcorn buckets.After driving away he joked that he made £400 in profit by giving the popcorn away to a homeless man.The reseller has since faced significant backlash online for videoing himself buying all of the buckets.Cineworld was also blasted online for not having a one bucket per person policy in place to stop people from clearing out their stock.One user on X said: 'These videos are absolutely diabolical and disgusting so many people who genuinely wanted one missed out because you just let resellers clear the shelf'.The user continued: 'That poor child behind him in the queue looks devastated. How was there not a limit on these buckets?' Another viewer said: 'Honestly quite despicable. My sister wanted one of them and she couldn’t get one because they’re all sold out.' While a third commented: 'Disgusting. You should make more of these, cheaper, and not limited edition. Or at least limit how many can be bought. Common sense that the greedy will snap them up otherwise.'A fellow reseller who condemned the video said: 'Taking their stock from actual kids going to see a movie and being excited to get hold of one is not it.'One disgruntled mother said that she had to go to the cinema a day early just to buy a bucket for her four-year-old because of 'people like you'.Mr Ursell co-founded Resellers Paradise which claims to be the UK's largest and number one reselling group.The community boasts having thousands of members who have made more than £1.5million from reselling.It costs £25 to join the group as a 'premium member' which gives resellers' access to website monitors and trading guides. Mr Ursell also posts shoe and Pokémon card reselling videos across the group's social media channels.On the Reseller Paradise website, his biography says he has made more than £2million in one year through reselling. A Cineworld spokesperson said: 'Our Buzz Lightyear popcorn buckets have officially gone to infinity and beyond and are now sold out.'But Toy Story fans can still get their hands on our Toy Story drinks cups and character toppers.'We also have new collectible ranges for Minions, Moana and Spider-Man arriving in cinemas soon, with plenty of Cineworld merchandise available for fans to take home this summer.'We’re delighted by how popular our collectible merchandise has been with guests. Creating extraordinary experiences is at the heart of what we do, and our merchandise is another way for fans to celebrate the stories they love.'Resellers Paradise have been approached for comment.
