The Beekeeper (2024 film)

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The Beekeeper
Release poster
Directed byDavid Ayer
Written byKurt Wimmer
Produced by
Starring
CinematographyGabriel Beristain
Edited byGeoffrey O'Brien
Music by
Production
companies
  • Miramax
  • Cedar Park Entertainment
  • Punch Palace Productions
Distributed byMetro-Goldwyn-Mayer (through Amazon MGM Studios)
Release date
  • January 12, 2024 (2024-01-12)
Running time
105 minutes[1]
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Box office$133.9 million[2][3]

The Beekeeper is a 2024 American action thriller film directed by David Ayer and written by Kurt Wimmer. The film stars Jason Statham, Emmy Raver-Lampman, Josh Hutcherson, Bobby Naderi, Phylicia Rashad and Jeremy Irons. When his good-hearted landlady commits suicide after losing her charity's funds to a phishing scam, former "Beekeeper" operative Adam Clay sets out on a brutal campaign for revenge upon those responsible.

The Beekeeper was released in the United States by Amazon MGM Studios under the Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures label on January 12, 2024. The film received mixed reviews and has grossed $133 million worldwide, becoming the highest-grossing film of 2024.

Plot

Retired schoolteacher Eloise Parker lives by herself in Massachusetts, but she has a tenant in her barn, Adam Clay, living a quiet life as a beekeeper. One day, Eloise falls for a phishing scam and is robbed of over $2 million, the majority of which belongs to a charity organization she manages. Devastated, she shoots herself dead. Clay finds her body and is immediately arrested by FBI agent Verona Parker, Eloise's daughter. After Eloise's death is ruled a suicide, Clay is released. Verona tells him the group that robbed Eloise has been on the FBI's radar for a while but is difficult to track. Wanting justice for Eloise, Clay contacts the Beekeepers, a mysterious group, to find the scammers responsible.

Clay receives an address for the scammers: a call center run by Mickey Garnett. Clay scares off the employees and destroys the building. Garnett informs his boss, technology executive Derek Danforth, who sends Garnett to kill Clay. A violent confrontation ensues where Clay kills Garnett's men and severs Garnett's fingers. Garnett calls Danforth while stopped at a bridge, informing him that Clay is a Beekeeper. Having followed Garnett, Clay drags him off the bridge with a truck to his death and warns Danforth that he is coming after him.

Danforth informs former CIA director Wallace Westwyld, who is currently running security for Danforth Enterprises at the request of Derek's mother Jessica, about Clay. Concerned, Wallace contacts the current CIA director in hopes of stopping Clay. The director contacts the Beekeepers and learns that Clay has retired from the organization. The Beekeepers subsequently declare neutrality after Clay kills the current Beekeeper Anisette Landress sent to kill him. Meanwhile, Verona and her partner, Matt Wiley, anticipate that Clay will deliver an assault on the Nine Star United Center in Boston, which oversees all of Derek's global scam call centers. After informing FBI Deputy Director Prigg that Clay is a Beekeeper, they receive all the support they ask for.

Wallace coordinates a group of ex-special forces personnel, revealing to them that the Beekeepers are a highly skilled and dangerous clandestine organization tasked with protecting the United States, operating above and beyond governmental jurisdiction. To have a chance at stopping Clay, Wallace orders the group to secure the inside of the Nine Star Building, while the FBI places their own SWAT team around the perimeter. Danforth's decision to not evacuate the employees enables Clay to quickly defeat the FBI SWAT team and infiltrate the building, taking down the manager, who reveals to Clay and the FBI that Danforth is his boss.

Verona informs FBI Deputy Director Prigg that Danforth runs both companies, which several US government agencies use. Verona also brings up the point that not only will Clay attempt to kill Derek, but he may also kill Jessica, the president of the United States, due to her association with the scam. As Clay eludes capture, Wallace advises Derek to stay with his mother under Secret Service protection.

At the president's beachside mansion, Wallace hires a group of mercenaries, one of whom previously had an encounter with a Beekeeper and lost his leg. Clay infiltrates the mansion, while Jessica learns the truth from Prigg about Derek's exploitation of a CIA program during her presidential campaign. Jessica decides that when Clay approaches, she will tell him and the world the truth about Derek's use of the program. Enraged, Derek kills Prigg and takes his mother hostage. Clay fights his way to the president's office, killing the mercenaries in the process. Wallace talks to Clay to persuade him to turn away at the last moment but fails. Clay eventually reaches her office, being quickly joined by Verona, Matt, and the rest of the FBI agents.

Verona tries to dissuade Clay from killing Jessica and Derek. Derek attempts to kill his mother, but Clay kills him first and escapes through a nearby window and onto the beach. Despite Verona having a clear shot, she decides not to shoot Clay. He flees with the aid of the scuba gear he had hidden on the beach.

Cast

Production

Development

In August 2021, it was announced that Jason Statham would star in the film for Miramax, and would also serve as a producer.[6] David Ayer signed on to direct in May 2022.[7]

Filming

Principal photography began in September 2022 in the United Kingdom.[8] In October, Statham shot scenes at Tyringham Hall in Tyringham.[9] Filming wrapped that December.[10]

Release

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) acquired the film's distribution rights in the United States in August 2022.[8] In February 2023, Sky Cinema acquired the rights in the United Kingdom.[5] It was released by Amazon MGM Studios on January 12, 2024.[11][4]

Amazon MGM Studios released The Beekeeper on VOD and digital platforms on January 30th, 2024.

Reception

Box office

As of February 11, 2024, The Beekeeper has grossed $54.7 million in the United States and Canada, and $79.2 million in other territories, for a worldwide total of $133.9 million.[2][3]

In the United States and Canada, The Beekeeper was released alongside Mean Girls and The Book of Clarence, and was projected to gross $17–19 million from 3,303 theaters in its opening weekend.[12] It made $6.7 million on its first day, including $2.4 million from Thursday night previews. It went on to debut to $16.6 million, finishing second behind Mean Girls.[13] The film made $8.5 million in its second weekend and $6.7 million in its third weekend, remaining in second at the box office.[14][15]

Critical response

On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 70% of 164 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 5.8/10. The website's consensus reads: "Cheerfully undemanding and enjoyably retrograde, The Beekeeper proves that when it comes to dispensing action-thriller justice, Statham hasn't lost his sting."[16] Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 54 out of 100, based on 37 critics, indicating "mixed or average" reviews.[17] Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "B+" on an A+ to F scale, while those polled by PostTrak gave it an 84% overall positive score, with 63% saying they would definitely recommend the film.[13]

A review in The Guardian says the non-shooting scenes are rushed and both Rashad and Driver are underused, and describes it as "a solid, low-stakes, medium-reward new year's effort".[18] RogerEbert.com's Matt Zoller Seitz praised various aspects of the film, including its range of villains, but regretted: "It's a real shame that 'The Beekeeper' isn't the righteous trash masterpiece that it keeps threatening to turn into."[19]

References

  1. ^ "The Beekeeper (15)". BBFC. December 15, 2023. Archived from the original on December 15, 2023. Retrieved December 15, 2023.
  2. ^ a b "The Beekeeper (2024)". Box Office Mojo. Archived from the original on January 31, 2024. Retrieved February 11, 2024.
  3. ^ a b "The Beekeeper — Financial Information". The Numbers. Archived from the original on January 29, 2024. Retrieved February 11, 2024.
  4. ^ a b c d White, James (April 10, 2023). "Jason Statham Proves Vengeance Stings In The Beekeeper Trailer". Empire. Archived from the original on October 10, 2023. Retrieved October 4, 2023.
  5. ^ a b c d Wiseman, Andreas (February 20, 2023). "Jason Statham-David Ayer Action Film 'The Beekeeper' Sells To UK". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on February 20, 2023. Retrieved February 27, 2023.
  6. ^ D'Alessandro, Alexander (August 27, 2021). "Jason Statham To Star In Miramax's 'The Bee Keeper'". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on May 21, 2023. Retrieved May 21, 2023.
  7. ^ Wiseman, Andreas (May 5, 2022). "'Suicide Squad' Filmmaker David Ayer To Direct Jason Statham In Miramax's Action Pic 'The Beekeeper' — Cannes Market Hot Package". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on November 18, 2022. Retrieved May 21, 2023.
  8. ^ a b Wiseman, Andreas (August 31, 2022). "Jason Statham-David Ayer Action Pic 'The Beekeeper' Pre-Bought By MGM For U.S. & Some Of International". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on September 9, 2022. Retrieved September 9, 2022.
  9. ^ Morton, Dennis (October 21, 2023). "Video shows Jason Statham filming blockbuster movie in small Milton Keynes village". Edinburgh News. Archived from the original on March 14, 2023. Retrieved March 13, 2023.
  10. ^ "2022 film and high-end TV productions shooting in the UK: latest updates". Screen Daily. December 6, 2022. Archived from the original on November 7, 2022. Retrieved March 14, 2023.
  11. ^ Hipes, Patrick (October 4, 2023). "The Beekeeper Trailer: Jason Statham And David Ayer Action Movie Flying Toward January Release". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on October 11, 2023. Retrieved October 4, 2023.
  12. ^ Rubin, Rebecca (January 10, 2024). "Box Office: Mean Girls Aims for Grool $30 Million Over Holiday Weekend". Variety. Archived from the original on January 10, 2024. Retrieved January 10, 2024.
  13. ^ a b D'Alessandro, Anthony (January 14, 2024). "Winter Storm Gerri Doesn't Cramp 'Mean Girls' Style As Musical Heads For $32M Opening – Sunday Update". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on January 12, 2024. Retrieved January 14, 2024.
  14. ^ D'Alessandro, Anthony (January 20, 2024). "'Mean Girls' Has Edge During First Weak Weekend Of 2024 – Saturday Box Office". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on January 30, 2024. Retrieved January 21, 2024.
  15. ^ D'Alessandro, Anthony (January 29, 2024). "'Mean Girls' Smacks Down 'Beekeeper' After Fierce Battle During Weak Weekend – Monday Box Office Update". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on January 27, 2024. Retrieved January 29, 2024.
  16. ^ "The Beekeeper". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved February 2, 2024. Edit this at Wikidata
  17. ^ "The Beekeeper". Metacritic. Fandom, Inc. Retrieved January 13, 2024.
  18. ^ Lee, Benjamin (January 11, 2024). "The Beekeeper review – Jason Statham's John Wick is serviceable schlock". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Archived from the original on January 18, 2024. Retrieved January 18, 2024.
  19. ^ Seitz, Matt Zoller (January 11, 2024). "The Beekeeper movie review & film summary (2024)". RogerEbert.com. Archived from the original on January 18, 2024. Retrieved January 18, 2024.

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