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'''''The Beekeeper''''' is a 2024 American [[action film|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]], [[Jemma Redgrave]] 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''''' 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]], [[Jemma Redgrave]] 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]] label on January 12, 2024. The film received generally positive reviews and has grossed $152.7 million worldwide, making it the [[2024 in film#Highest-grossing films|tenth-highest-grossing film of 2024]].
''The Beekeeper'' was released in the United States by [[Amazon MGM Studios]] under the [[Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer]] label on January 12, 2024. The film received generally positive reviews and has grossed $152.7 million worldwide, making it the [[2024 in film#Highest-grossing films|tenth-highest-grossing film of 2024]].

Revision as of 00:18, 18 April 2024

The Beekeeper
Theatrical release poster
Directed byDavid Ayer
Written byKurt Wimmer
Produced by
Starring
CinematographyGabriel Beristain
Edited byGeoffrey O'Brien
Music by
Production
companies
Distributed byAmazon MGM Studios
Release date
  • January 12, 2024 (2024-01-12)
Running time
105 minutes[1]
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$40 million[2]
Box office$152.7 million[3][4]

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, Jemma Redgrave 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 label on January 12, 2024. The film received generally positive reviews and has grossed $152.7 million worldwide, making it the tenth-highest-grossing film of 2024.

Plot

Retired schoolteacher Eloise Parker lives by herself in Hampden, Massachusetts, but she has a tenant in her barn, Adam Clay, who lives a quiet life as a beekeeper. Adam is a retired member of a classified anti-corruption program called the Beekeepers, whose members are highly-trained. One day, Eloise falls for a phishing scam perpetrated via a phone call where she's tricked into allowing a man to access her computer remotely, and she's robbed of over $2 million, the majority of which belongs to Safe Homes Foundation, a children's charity organization whose bank account she manages. Devastated by the realization that she's been scammed so badly, Eloise shoots herself in the head.

Adam finds Eloise's body and is arrested by FBI Special Agent Verona Parker, Eloise's daughter, who accuses Adam of shooting Eloise, but then Verona learns about how Eloise was scammed. After Eloise's death is ruled a suicide, Adam is released. Verona apologizes to Adam for her accusation, and tells him that the FBI cybercrimes office has said that the scammers who victimized Eloise have been operating for two years, but the FBI hasn't been able to identify any of them. Verona vows to find the scammers, but Adam decides to hunt them down himself, and make them pay for what they did to Eloise.

Adam contacts the Beekeepers for help, and he receives an address for the scammers: United Data Group (UDG), a call center in Springfield run by Mickey Garnett. Adam scares off the employees and destroys the UDG building. Mickey informs his boss, Derek Danforth, a technology executive who runs Danforth Enterprises in Boston. Derek sends Mickey and some men to kill Adam. A violent confrontation ensues where Mickey's men destroy Adam's bee hives and honey jars, before Adam kills Mickey's men, and severs Mickey's fingers on his right hand with a bandsaw. Mickey calls Derek while stopped at a bridge, informing him that Adam is a Beekeeper. Having followed Mickey, Adam drags him off the bridge with a truck to his death, and warns Derek that he's coming after him too.

Derek informs former CIA director Wallace Westwyld, who is currently the head of security for Danforth Enterprises. Concerned, Wallace, who is not aware of Derek's scam, contacts current CIA director Janet Harward, in hopes of stopping Adam. Janet contacts the Beekeepers, and learns that Adam is retired from the organization. The Beekeepers subsequently declare neutrality after Adam kills Anisette Landress, the Beekeeper who was sent to kill him. Meanwhile, Verona and her partner, Special Agent Matt Wiley, anticipate that Adam will carry out an assault on the Nine Star United Center in Boston, which oversees all of Derek's scam call centers. After informing FBI Deputy Director Jackson Prigg that Adam is a Beekeeper, they receive all the support they request.

Wallace coordinates a group of ex-special forces personnel, led by a man named Pettis, revealing to them that the Beekeepers are a highly skilled and dangerous clandestine human intelligence organization tasked with protecting the United States, operating above and beyond governmental jurisdiction. To have a chance at stopping Adam, Wallace orders the group to secure the inside of the Nine Star Building, while the FBI places their own SWAT team around the perimeter. However, Rico Anzalone, the sleazy manager at Nine Star United, refuses to evacuate the employees, because he doesn't want to miss out on any money that the scam can bring in. Rico's refusal enables Adam to take down the FBI SWAT team without killing them, and infiltrate the building. After killing Pettis and his men, Adam proceeds to interrogate Rico by using a stapler gun until he finally gives up Derek's identity.

Verona informs FBI Deputy Director Prigg that Derek is the ringleader of the scammers, and that several U.S. government agencies use a security program made by Danforth Enterprises. Verona tells Prigg that not only will Adam attempt to kill Derek, but he may also kill Derek's mother Jessica, who is the President of the United States, the way a queen-slayer bee would kill a queen bee who produced defective male offspring. As Adam eludes capture, Wallace advises Derek to stay with Jessica, under Secret Service protection.

At Jessica's beachside mansion on the Massachusetts coast, Wallace hires a group of mercenaries led by a man named Lazarus. Lazarus previously had an encounter with a Beekeeper, and lost his leg, so he wears a prosthetic. Jessica is not aware of Derek's scam. Jessica and Derek sit in her late husband's office in the mansion with Prigg, who asks them about United Data Group. As it turns out, Derek had funded Jessica’s campaign with stolen money, and she learns about Derek's scam, and his exploitation of a CIA program during her campaign. The revelation leaves Jessica guilt-ridden, as she didn't know that the money was stolen. Jessica tells Derek that she's going to tell Adam and the entire nation the truth about Derek's activities, even if it gets her voted out of office. Verona and Wiley, plus Lazarus, find Adam outside, but Adam creates a distraction by setting off a bomb. Inside, Adam defeats Lazarus's men, and a number of Secret Service agents. Adam and Lazarus engage in a fight that ends when Adam fatally stabs Lazarus. For telling Jessica the truth, Derek fatally shoots Prigg in the chest.

As Adam approaches the door to the office, Wallace tries to distract him, but Adam breaks a couple of Wallace's fingers, and makes his way into the office. Verona and Wiley also enter, thinking that Adam plans to kill both Derek and Jessica. But it turns out that Adam has no intention of killing Jessica, because he knows that she was not aware of Derek's scam. Derek, holding a gun on Jessica, refuses to stand down, and he prepares to kill Jessica for wanting to tell the nation the truth. Before Derek can pull the trigger, Adam kills Derek with a shot to the head, saving Jessica's life.

Adam jumps through a window as the Secret Service comes to get Jessica out of the office, while she wails at the sight of Derek’s body. Verona runs to the window, and has a clear shot on Adam. But Verona doesn't pull the trigger, satisfied that justice for Eloise, and Derek's other victims, has been served. As the other agents try to find Adam, he recovers some scuba diving gear that he had left buried in a hidden area on the beach. Adam escapes into the sea, and a single bee flies overhead.

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.[7] David Ayer signed on to direct in May 2022.[8]

Filming

Principal photography began in September 2022 in the United Kingdom.[9] In October, Statham shot scenes at Tyringham Hall in Tyringham.[10] Filming wrapped that December.[11]

Release

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) acquired the film's distribution rights in the United States in August 2022.[9] In February 2023, Sky Cinema acquired the rights in the United Kingdom.[6] It was released by Amazon MGM Studios on January 12, 2024.[12][5]

The Beekeeper was released on VOD and digital platforms on January 30, 2024.[13]

Reception

Box office

As of March 24, 2024, The Beekeeper has grossed $66.2 million in the United States and Canada, and $86.5 million in other territories, for a worldwide total of $152.7 million.[3][4]

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.[14] 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.[15] 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.[16][17]

Critical response

On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 71% of 169 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 5.9/10. 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."[18] 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.[19] 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.[15]

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".[20] 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."[21]

References

  1. ^ "The Beekeeper (15)". BBFC. December 15, 2023. Archived from the original on December 15, 2023. Retrieved December 15, 2023.
  2. ^ Brueggemann, Tom (January 14, 2024). "'Mean Girls' Drives $100 Million Box Office Weekend, but It May Be the Last One Until March". IndieWire. Archived from the original on March 1, 2024. Retrieved February 12, 2024.
  3. ^ a b "The Beekeeper (2024)". Box Office Mojo. Archived from the original on January 31, 2024. Retrieved March 25, 2024.
  4. ^ a b "The Beekeeper — Financial Information". The Numbers. Archived from the original on January 29, 2024. Retrieved March 25, 2024.
  5. ^ 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.
  6. ^ 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.
  7. ^ 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.
  8. ^ 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.
  9. ^ 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.
  10. ^ 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.
  11. ^ "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.
  12. ^ 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.
  13. ^ Brueggemann, Tom (February 5, 2024). "From Migration to The Beekeeper, VOD Charts Suggest Viewers Are Willing to Wait for Lower Rental Prices". IndieWire. Archived from the original on March 2, 2024. Retrieved March 2, 2024.
  14. ^ 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.
  15. ^ 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.
  16. ^ 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.
  17. ^ 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.
  18. ^ "The Beekeeper". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved February 21, 2024. Edit this at Wikidata
  19. ^ "The Beekeeper". Metacritic. Fandom, Inc. Retrieved January 13, 2024.
  20. ^ 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.
  21. ^ 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.

External links

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=The_Beekeeper_(2024_film)&oldid=1219475524"