Cocaine Bear is having a tremendous opening weekend at the domestic box office and is poised to set a 2023 record. The action-comedy, which follows the violent mayhem that ensues when a bear ingests a bunch of cocaine that was dropped in the American woods by a panicked drug smuggler, is the third directorial feature from actor Elizabeth Banks, who previously helmed Pitch Perfect 2 and 2019's Charlie's Angels. The ensemble cast of the project includes Keri Russell, O'Shea Jackson Jr., Alden Ehrenreich, Brooklynn Prince, Isiah Whitlock Jr., Margo Martindale, and the late Ray Liotta in one of his final film roles.
Per Deadline, the viral sensation Cocaine Bear is poised to outperform its already high expectations and rake in an opening weekend total of $21.2 million. Not only is that a solid opening that will place it at No. 2 for the weekend just behind Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, it will be the best opening weekend for an R-rated film so far in 2023. It is pacing just ahead of Knock at the Cabin's $14 million and far outstrips Plane ($10.3 million), Magic Mike's Last Dance ($8.3 million), and House Party ($3.9 million).
Are There Any Upcoming R-Rated Films That Can Compete With Cocaine Bear?
Cocaine Bear's strong box office performance is even comparable to January's viral horror hit, Blumhouse's killer doll film M3GAN. While that film made $30.4 million in its opening weekend, it was rated PG-13 and thus had a much broader swath of audience it was capable of bringing in. Both films are showing that genre films, which had a strong box office presence throughout 2022, are still capable of raking in the box office bucks.
While Cocaine Bear had a record opening for a 2023 R-rated film, there is still plenty of time left for some new title to overtake that record before the end of the year. While the box office in the pandemic era has been notoriously unpredictable, especially for more adult-oriented fare, there are quite a few films that have the chance to knock Cocaine Bear down to size. In fact, it could very well happen sooner than later with the slasher sequel Scream 6, which is projected to open stronger than any other film in the long-running franchise with $31 million.
However, that all remains to be seen when the Scream sequel premieres on March 10. Other films that will likely buffet the record held by Cocaine Bear are also entries in major franchises. This includes John Wick: Chapter 4 and Evil Dead Rise, as well as other films slated later in the year that have not yet received official ratings.
Source: Deadline