“The Beekeeper” focuses on one man’s brutal campaign for vengeance. Not just your average beekeeper, he is revealed to be a former operative of a powerful and clandestine 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”).
In terms of recent comparisons, it looks like this film could land in a similar range as Statham’s “Wrath of Man.” That movie opened to $8.3 million en route to $27.4 million domestically. What saved that one was a hefty $76.4 million international take, bringing its global total to $103.9 million. Directed by Guy Ritchie, the film carried a $40 million budget. As is always the case, success at the box office is relative. Without knowing the budget for “The Beekeeper” it’s difficult to say whether or not it’s set up for success with these prospective numbers. Fortunately, it doesn’t look like a tragically expensive movie.
The hope is that Ayer, whose previous credits include “Suicide Squad” and “Fury,” kept the budget at that level (or ideally lower) for this one. MGM is distributing the movie, which is key. Since MGM is now owned by Amazon, there isn’t quite as much pressure for the movie to purely profit in theaters as it will eventually make its way to Prime Video. At the same time, MGM will be encouraged to make more action flicks if this one performs well.
“The Beekeeper” hits theaters on January 12, 2024.