Before the movie, Cocaine Bear, was released in February 2023, there was huge curiosity surrounding the movie as details about the cast, story, and the whereabouts of a trailer were kept to a minimum. The Universal movie follows an American black bear on an adventure after consuming a duffel bag full of cocaine, and the film has already generated a huge emotional response. Cocaine Bear has gone viral and built excitement on social media networks like TikTok, but it has also been criticized for being nothing more than low-hanging shock value (via The Atlantic), and that’s all before the movie was even released.
The film has gotten way more attention than a mid-budget comedy-horror generally would as R-rated Funko Pops of Cocaine Bear have been revealed. Similar to the likes of Sharknado franchise, Cocaine Bear also has the potential to get its own film series depending on how it is received by the public and whether it could be a huge box office success.
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Cocaine Bear Latest News
Reviews for the 2023 movie have been released, and while there weren’t necessarily any high expectations for the shock-value horror movie, it’s off to a great start, as Cocaine Bear has strong reviews from critics. The movie has been called “an entertaining piece of popcorn cinema that will be best watched in a crowded theatre” (via Screen Hub). However, others have criticized the movie, stating it doesn’t go any deeper than a gag about a bear being addicted to cocaine and being outrageously violent. Daniel Bayer noted, “one joke isn’t enough to sustain a feature film, no matter how funny it is” (via Awards Watch).
Cocaine Bear Release Date
Although filming for the movie began in 2021, Ireland, Cocaine Bear didn’t make it to theaters until February 24, 2023. While there were quite a few delays due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the sheer social media presence of Cocaine Bear helped to keep excitement and momentum going. The release of Cocaine Bear continues a bizarre February trend, as the month contains not one but two killer bear movies, with the first being the Winnie the Pooh slasher, Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey.
Cocaine Bear Cast
Although the titular bear might be the star of the show, the character is completely CGI. However, the movie has a great supporting cast that’s almost as entertaining as the bear itself. Cocaine Bear has an ensemble cast that’s led by Keri Russell, who is best known for the J.J. Abrams-created drama series Felicity and played Zorii Bliss in Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker. Russell plays Sari, a nurse and mother to Dee Dee, who finds one of the bear’s bricks of cocaine. Matthew Rhys also stars, playing the one real-life character, Andrew C. Thornton II – a drug smuggler to whom the cocaine belonged.
While Cocaine Bear has become a TikTok sensation thanks to its unique concept, it has also become a talking point due to being one of the final on-screen performances of Ray Liotta, who passed away in 2022. The actor is best known for playing Henry Hill in Goodfellas and made a name for himself by playing intense characters, (although he has a more comedic role in Cocaine Bear). The film also stars O’Shea Jackson Jr. and Alden Ehrenreich, playing Daveed and Eddie, who both have strange altercations with the bear.
Cocaine Bear Director
Cocaine Bear is directed by Banks, who is best known as an actor and has appeared in countless TV shows, such as Modern Family and Curb Your Enthusiasm, and movies such as The 40-Year-Old Virgin and Magic Mike XXL. However, the actor has also become a great filmmaker, having previously directed Pitch Perfect 2 and the 2019 Charlie’s Angels reboot. But while Pitch Perfect 2 was a huge financial success, those films were far from critical hits, and Charlie’s Angels was a box office bomb (via Box Office Mojo).
However, Banks has carved out a niche in Hollywood for making mid-budget audience pleasers, and Cocaine Bear is the best example of that. The 2023 release is her highest-rated movie as a director yet. Although Banks commonly directs female-led popcorn flicks, making the 2023 horror comedy has made her rethink her MO. Following working on Cocaine Bear,Banks wants to do another animal-on-drugs movie, as the idea of Cocaine Shark has gone viral. The actor commented, “Jaws with cocaine, I don’t see how that loses.” While the film was almost directed by Tyler Gillett (via Slash Film), Banks was the perfect choice to helm the movie.
Cocaine Bear Story Details
Cocaine Bear is based on the true event that occurred in 1985, as a bear was found dead along with several empty bags of cocaine. The bear found the cocaine after it was thrown out of an airplane by Andrew C. Thornton II when he was carrying too heavy of a load. The bear was found three months after that and had overdosed. However, though Cocaine Bear is a true story, almost everything in the movie about the bear is entirely fictional. While Cocaine Bear in the movie kills people, there’s no evidence that the real-life cocaine bear killed anyone, on cocaine or otherwise (via NY Times).
Cocaine Bear Trailer
The Cocaine Bear trailer reveals just how violent the movie is, and it leans into the comedy violence more than its horror elements. A few seconds of the plane incident is revealed, followed by the titular bear swallowing a brick of cocaine whole. The bear then goes on a killing spree in an attempt to find more cocaine. Most of the bear’s victims are shown, including the brutal aftermath of a couple of them. Severed limbs fill the trailer, along with characters being dragged deep into the woods as they try to claw onto the floor with their scraping fingernails, and it perfectly reflects exactly what viewers are in for.