Here's How To Watch Cocaine Bear At Home
Say what you will about "Cocaine Bear," but with a title like that, you can't accuse Universal and director Elizabeth Banks of false advertising. The 1980s-set horror action-comedy, which is very loosely based on real events, pits a batch of hapless humans against a drug-fueled black bear in a battle of man versus coked-up nature (itself now an entire sub-genre because it's 2023 and we really shouldn't be remotely surprised by this). However, as much as Banks' movie lends itself to fanciful gore and hoot-worthy escapades in the tradition of Sam Raimi's "Evil Dead" trilogy, it also doubles as a send-up of Reagan-era drug policies and the U.S. government's failed, racist, "War on Drugs."
"Cocaine Bear," which Chris Evangelista reviewed for /Film, has done pretty decent business at the box office, taking in $65.7 million against a reported $35 million budget. It's still ranking in the top five in the U.S. just under three weeks into its theatrical release, too, so we may yet end up getting "Cocaine Bear Goes to Space" after all. With that being said, those who've been waiting to watch the bear indulge in nose candy from the comfort of their own homes now have the option of doing just that.
Cocaine Bear is available on PVOD
"Cocaine Bear" is now officially available on Premium Video On Demand (PVOD) through retailers like Amazon Prime Video and Vudu, in accordance with Universal's agreement to give its films a minimum 17-day theatrical exclusive window. Per usual, the movie will cost $19.99 to rent and $24.99 to buy through online retailers, with prices dropping in the weeks to come after Elizabeth Banks' animal exploitation throwback begins streaming. Those who purchase a digital copy will likewise only have access so long as they maintain their account with the retailer they bought it from.
As mentioned earlier, though, "Cocaine Bear" continues to fare well enough at the box office, so there's still time to catch it on the big screen if you would like to. With "Shazam! Fury of the Gods," "John Wick: Chapter 4," and "Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves" all charging into theaters over the latter half of March, it's probably best to do so before Pablo Escobear (yes, that is the real-life bear's actual nickname) gets muscled out of the way by the competition.
What about Blu-ray and streaming?
Universal will be sending "Cocaine Bear" to Peacock starting on April 14, 2023. It follows the studio's trend of sending all their movies to their parent company's streaming service after an exclusive theatrical window. However, it sounds like the eventual Blu-ray/DVD release will be what "Cocaine Bear" fans want the most.
"Cocaine Bear is getting "Maximum Rampage Edition" that's loaded with behind-the-scenes extras including an alternate ending, deleted scenes and gag reel. You can get it starting on April 18, and it will also be available to own digitally on April 14, the same day it hits streaming. Here are all the special features included on the home video release:
- Alternate Ending
- Deleted & Extended Scenes
- Gag Reel
- All Roads Lead to Cokey: The Making of "Cocaine Bear" – Meet the hilarious ensemble brought together to bring the movie of what is soon to be the world's most famous bear to life.
- UnBEARable Bloodbath: Dissecting the Kills – From rigging to special effects makeup, to some of the actors doing their own stunts, we'll get a bears-eye view into some of COCAINE BEAR's hilarious and gory kill scenes.
- Doing Lines – Cast and filmmakers read lines from the script to "Cocaine Bear," which was a work of art unto itself.
- Feature Commentary with Director/Producer Elizabeth Banks and Producer Max Handelman
Here's the official synopsis for "Cocaine Bear":
Inspired by the 1985 true story of a drug runner's plane crash, missing cocaine, and the black bear that ate it, this wild dark comedy finds an oddball group of cops, criminals, tourists, and teens converging in a Georgia forest where a 500- pound apex predator has ingested a staggering amount of cocaine and gone on a coke-fueled rampage for more blow ... and blood.