‘Weapons’ Hot Dog Scene May Be Sweet Tribute to Late Comedian

There are many unforgettable food scenes in film, and Weapons may have added its title to the growing list. 

Weapons, released on Friday, Aug. 8, directed by Zach Cregger, is a horror film about a classroom of 17 school children who mysteriously run away at the same time, presumed to have been taken by a supernatural force. 

The scene that has the internet making a new collection of memes involves a food tray that had a questionable number of items. In the scene, the school’s principal, Marcus (played by Benedict Wong), is shown having lunch at home with his husband, Terry. All seems fine until the camera pans to the food that Terry prepared for the two of them. 

The doting husband brings out a lunch tray filled with potato chips, a cup of baby carrots accompanied by a bowl of ranch dressing, four cookies, and a whopping seven hot dogs drizzled with mustard. 

The odd number of hot dogs sparked debate on the internet. One comment on Reddit read, “Why did bro need so many hot dogs??” However, others in the thread considered the number of hot dogs understandable, writing, “I was literally thinking that my wife and I would need at least 2 more dogs on that tray.” Another added, “Have you ever heard anyone ever say, ‘d— we got too many hot dogs ready to eat?” F— no.”

There are already memes about the hot dogs tray circulating, primed for t-shirt sales, and even Letterboxd joined in on the fun by sharing a screengrab of the scene on their official Twitter/X account. 

However, amid the unprecedented debates — “You don’t see a movie opening weekend and by Monday morning people are talking about the hot dogs in it,” a Twitter/X user posted — avid comedy lovers noticed there may be a deeper meaning to the ominous plated hot dogs. 

A few online sleuths theorized that the “seven hot dogs” is a callback to a 2009 sketch from the since-disbanded sketch comedy group, Whitest Kids U’Know, which Cregger was a member. The sketch stars the late comedian, Trevor Moore, who plays a doctor discovering that his patient, named Timmy, eats an average of seven dogs in a given week. 

Moore died on Aug. 7, 2021, due to blunt force head trauma after falling from the upstairs balcony of his Los Angeles home. He is survived by his wife, Aimee, and their son.  

Cregger and the third member of their troupe, Sam Brown, released individual statements at the time of his death on social media and a joint statement on the website for their 2024 animated sci-fi movie, Mars. 

“There isn’t really anything I can say that will cover the place he had in my life. He was a one of a kind. A brilliant and kind man. I’ll miss you forever buddy. @itrevormoore,” Cregger wrote on Twitter/X at the time. Brown posted on his own Twitter/X account: “Making @itrevormoore really laugh always gave me a sense of accomplishment. I’m so lucky i got to spend the last 20 years trying to get good at that.”  

The joint statement, in part, read, “We are heartbroken and our grief pales in comparison to the loss felt by his wife and son. On behalf of WKUK, we ask for privacy during our time of profound grief, and strength for his family who are dealing with the impossible thought of living life without him. Our hope is that friends, fellow artists, and fans that loved him will not focus on his death, but will remember the countless moments of laughter he gave them.”