The Beekeeper Passes $100 Million At The Box Office, Becomes 2024's First Big Hit
It has been nothing shy of an abysmal start at the box office this year. The first chunk of 2024 has been left largely devoid of big new releases (in no small part thanks to the strikes last year) and, as a result, ticket sales are down significantly. But director David Ayer and professional ass-kicker Jason Statham have stepped up to do their part as "The Beekeeper" has become the year's first true breakout hit. To that end, the action flicked passed the $100 million mark over the weekend, becoming the first new release of the year to do so.
"The Beekeeper" ended up topping the charts over the weekend with a $7.4 million haul, per Box Office Mojo. That is more of a commentary on the state of things as there were no new releases to entice audiences. So, we're left with a movie in its third weekend taking the top spot with a sub-$10 million total. That said, it's good news for Ayer's latest as it actually climbed over "Mean Girls" to take the number one spot, signaling solid word of mouth for the film. You can read /Film's 6.5 out of 10 review of the film here. To date, the action pic has earned $42.2 million domestically to go with $61.9 million internationally for a grand total of $104.1 million.
The film, which is being distributed by MGM, centers on a man's quest for vengeance. While he initially seems like your average beekeeper, he is actually a former special operative of a powerful organization known as "Beekeepers." The cast also includes Emmy Raver-Lampman ("The Umbrella Academy"), Josh Hutcherson ("Five Nights at Freddy's"), Bobby Naderi ("Bright"), Minnie Driver ("Good Will Hunting"), Phylicia Rashad ("Creed"), and Jeremy Irons ("House of Gucci").
David Ayer and Jason Statham making hits
It still has yet to be revealed what the studio spent on the film which, as always, is a huge factor in determining success. That said, it's firmly in the mid-budget realm, and safe to assume it was somewhere in the $40 million range. That puts it well on track to turn a profit in its theatrical run, given that the film still seems to have gas in the tank. Amazon now owns MGM, so, in many cases, these movies don't have the pressure of delivering profit in theaters as the endgame is to release them on Prime Video. But profit is always the name of the game. Whether or not it's enough to warrant a sequel? We shall see.
If nothing else, it's a blessing that Amazon put this movie in theaters instead of releasing it directly to Prime Video. Without it, the state of the box office would be insanely bleak — especially since the new "Mean Girls" movie was also supposed to go directly to Paramount+ before the studio decided to pivot. Even with those films, ticket sales in 2024 are pacing 10% behind this same point in 2023, with very little help on the horizon. Unless "Argylle" or "Madame Web" breakout much bigger than expected, we don't have a surefire, blockbuster hit on the way until "Dune: Part Two" on March 1. For now, we can take solace in the fact that Ayer and Statham are doing their parts.
"The Beekeeper" is in theaters now.