Taco Bell gets Naked, McDonald’s adds Red Bull, and ticket presales have lost the plot

Hello! Welcome to the Aug. 22, 2026, edition of the Saturday Wrap. Here’s everything you might of missed from The Omnicosm.

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Red Bull gives you wings. And now McNuggets.

WELCOME TO THIS SNACKOLOGY REVIEW OF A TRIO OF NEW DRINKS AT McDONALD’S.

Sorry.

That was just the caffeine from the new Reduced Sugar Red Bull Dragonberry Energizer coursing through my veins. Yes, you can now buy a Red Bull at McDonald’s thanks to the restaurant’s latest addition to its lineup of crafted drinks. (Read more)

The Naked Chicken Chalupa sends us back in time to 2016

The year 2016 was a momentous one. I got married in 2016. My wife and I went to Maui on our honeymoon in 2016. Moana and Arrival hit theaters in 2016. Some people even say that 2016 was the year when the Chicago Cubs winning the World Series sent our world into a bizarro alternative reality. (Things definitely took an unexpected turn after that championship in early November.)

But 2016 was also the year when Taco Bell released iconic menu items like the Naked Chicken Chalupa, Beefy Crunch Burrito, Meximelt and Caramel Apple Empanada. And now a decade later — how has it been a decade?! — Taco Bell is bringing these items back for a limited time as part of its Decades Menu. (Read more)

Will you fall for seasonal Planters nuts? Will you flip for Dunkin’ Flipz?

It’s the middle of August, but that’s no reason not to start dreaming of the (relatively) cooler days of fall. Snackology has a trio of incoming autumnal snacks today, looking at the release of Planters Apple Cider Donut Cashews, Planters Maple Brown Sugar Almonds and Flipz Pumpkin Spice Donut-Flavored Covered Pretzels. (Read more)

It’s madness! Pumpkin Spice Madness Bagels!

When I reviewed a trio of Dave’s Killer Bread bagels back in May, I had no idea how that moment would change my life. The company’s bagels — especially the Plain Awesome and Cinnamon Raisin Remix flavors — have become my go-to breakfast item. Snackology really can change lives.

And now for the fall season, I get to add Dave’s Killer Bread Pumpkin Spice Madness Bagels to our fridge. (Read more)

Food Finds: I hope you love cookies, since I found a bunch of cookies

I’m still working through the package of Chips Ahoy! Mystery Cookies that I have at home, occasionally returning to eat another one in hopes that their secret identity will finally click for me. (Read more)

Have movie ticket presales spiraled out of control?

I love that in 2026, I can buy advance tickets on my phone for an upcoming movie. I don’t have to wait in line. I don’t have to make the mad dash for the back row. I don’t have to worry about getting stuck at the front of the theater.

But can we please stop launching this process four months, five months — or even a year! — before a movie is set to premiere? (Read more)

Spider-Man: Brand New Day swings past $2B worldwide

For the third straight weekend, the box office was dominated by Spider-Man: Brand New Day. The latest Spidey film has made quick work of the record book, with a $70 million third-weekend haul bringing director Destin Daniel Cretton’s movie up to $785.8 million in North America. As long as that estimate holds, Brand New Day will bump the original Avatar ($785.2 million) out of the No. 4 spot on the all-time domestic chart. (Read more)

The Omnicosm is written and produced by Bill Kuchman.
Copyediting by Tim Kuchman.

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