Pixar is looking at its most significant hit in years after Inside Out 2 posted $13M at the box office in Thursday preview screenings. Viewings for the legendary animation studio’s latest animated marvel began at 3 p.m. on Thursday, with fans flocking to social media to praise the movie. Inside Out 2 shows the best 2024 preview numbers, beating Dune: Part Two’s $12M debut by $1 million. The emotionally charged sequel has a 93% Certified Fresh score on Rotten Tomatoes, with the chance to achieve a $100M opening weekend. If the film holds, it could decimate the predicted $135M opening analysis.
Inside Out 2 is already a hit with audiences after the world-famous animation studio’s string of box office disappointments. To give you some perspective, 2015’s Inside Out opened with $3.7M in previews and a $90.4M weekend gross. If the numbers hold for Inside Out2, the sequel could quickly overtake the original to become one of the studio’s most talked-about features in ages. Inside Out 2 screens in 4,400 theaters, with PLFs, Dbox, Dolby, Imax, and more hosting the sequel.
In Pixar’s Inside Out 2, a teenage Riley (Kaitlyn Dias) attempts to make new friends while navigating a foreign environment and social pressures. Her emotions, Joy (Amy Poehler), Sadness (Phyllis Smith), Anger (Lewis Black), Fear (Tony Hale), and Disgust (Liza Lapira) return to aid Riley in her mission to fit in. However, with fresh experiences come new emotions, and Anxiety (Maya Hawke), Envy (Ayo Edebiri), Ennui (Adèle Exarchopoulos), and Embarrassment (Paul Walter Hauser) are moving into Riley’s head. As Riley’s brain becomes crowded with possibilities, unknowns, and what-ifs, she spirals out of control while trying to make sense of her hormones, mood swings, and fight-or-flight intuition.
Many things can trigger these volatile emotions in the human brain, paving the way for other complications. I trust Riley can navigate the storm, though I believe we’re in for nasty weather before she sorts her feelings.
Another film poised to kick ass and take names at the box office this weekend is Bad Boys: Ride or Die. The Bad Boys franchise is crossing the $1 billion global mark today after adding $4.48M in Thursday earnings. While both films might not be enough to save the summer box office, today’s totals are a welcomed change in pace after underwhelming openings for Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga, John Krasinski’s IF, and The Fall Guy.
PLOT: The story of Roman Compte, Cuban exile and general manager of the Mutiny Hotel, the glamorous epicenter of the Miami cocaine scene of the late ‘70s and early ‘80s. The Mutiny Hotel was Casablanca on cocaine; a glitzy nightclub, restaurant, and hotel frequented by Florida businessmen and politicians, international narcos, CIA and FBI agents, models, sports stars, and musicians. At the center of it all was Compte, who was doing his best to keep it all going and fulfill his own American Dream.
REVIEW: The 1970s were one hell of a decade for cocaine. The white powder that fueled the 1980s began its reign at the tail end of the age of disco and has been the focus of countless films and television series ranging from Scarface to Griselda. The new series Hotel Cocaine chronicles how the illegal drug trade from Cuba to Miami impacted two brothers, one a businessman trying to run a hotel that runs on users and addicts. At the same time, the other is a kingpin providing the coke. Their lives become interconnected with the DEA and threaten to draw their families, friends, and employers into a violent and deadly confrontation. Plus, Hotel Cocaine is chock full of celebrities who add fun to the mix in this soapy drama that wants to do for drugs what Yellowstone did for ranching. While it has some fun with the material and boasts a capable ensemble cast, Hotel Cocaine feels like the drug in its title: it seems like it was a good idea at first and loses its appeal once you get into it.
Set in 1978, Hotel Cocaine focuses on the real Miami establishment known as the Mutiny Hotel. There, Roman Compte (Danny Pino) works as a manager in the drug-fueled establishment owned by Burton Greenberg (Mark Feuerstein). Roman escaped Cuba years earlier with his daughter, Valeria (Corina Bradley), but lost his wife tragically to Fidel Castro’s forces. Still haunted by her death, Roman is in a relationship with teacher Marisol (Tania Watson) and living as well as he can until DEA agent Zulio (Michael Chiklis) shows up and blackmails him into connecting with drug kingpin Nestor Cabal (Yul Vazquez). Unbeknownst to most, Cabal is Roman’s estranged brother. Forced to reconnect, Roman is drawn into the criminal world of cocaine trafficking, which slowly begins to change him from an upstanding man haunted by his past to one populated by lies, violence, and murder.
Over the first seven episodes of the eight-episode debut season, Hotel Cocaine develops a narrative centered on Roman balancing his loyalty to family and friends with protecting them and himself. The duplicitous nature of his allegiances to his daughter and Marisol, his dedication to working at the Mutiny, and his reconnection with his brother impact Roman’s mental state, which sees him change from a good guy early to a willing to do anything quickly. This is a series that does not shy away from showing the body count involved with drug dealing on a scale this big. Still, it also spends much time with the era’s glitz, especially with recognizable characters showing up to do lines, including Hunter S. Thompson and Rick James. While Hotel Cocaine is rooted in similar establishments that existed, this is a fictionalized tale full of ridiculous subplots and melodrama to up the dramatic tension of what was already a fascinating story.
There is nothing inherently bad about this series. Many of the performances are quite good. Danny Pino and Yul Vasquez make a nice duo playing off of each other’s allegiances to each other and opposition as well. Laura Gordon (Late Night With The Devil) is solid as the showgirl with a past who has chemistry with Roman despite his affections for others. Michael Chiklis, who has a deep resume of playing cops and authority figures, is right at home as Zilio, with only his mustache and a pork pie hat serving as distinguishing elements from his roles on The Shield and The Commish. Chiklis does not have to stretch much here, but he has much more to do in the second half of the season. On the other end of the spectrum is Mark Feuerstein as Burton. In the early episodes, Burton is a comedic element to the story, with the character ingesting every substance he can get his hands on. Feuerstein seems to be having a blast playing a character who straddles The Big Lebowski with Forrest Gump. Burton transitions to more serious material in the second half of the season but never quite escapes the jester/comic relief role he is relegated to.
Chris Brancato, who co-created Narcos and Narcos: Mexico as well as the MGM+ series Godfather of Harlem, has good depth with scripting crime/drug-centric narratives, which also pulls on his experience writing Law & Order, Hannibal, The X-Files, and more network series going back to the early 1990s. Partnering with directors Gullermo Navarro, Fernando Rovzar, and Sara Seligman, Hotel Cocaine has solid production values that evoke the late 70s while lending an authenticity via Cuban and other Latinx cast speaking in their native languages blended with English. The echoes of Castro’s reign in Cuba permeate the narrative and the drive for Roman and Nestor. However, the complex double and triple-crosses that the season relies on get progressively more and more convoluted as the episodes tick by. Because Narcos was rooted in a true story, a fascinating undercurrent of reality in the series made it a destination for viewing. Hotel Cocaine has flash and energy, but the story lacks that bite that true crime lends to tales like this by just how much dramatic license was taken to turn this into enough material for a drama series. While the music and famous faces are meant to add some realism, they don’t do enough to lift the bar on this series.
There was the potential for Hotel Cocaine to have been Narcos: Miami, but like Netflix’s Griselda, this series is more focused on the flashiness of the era and evoking the sense of drug culture in the late twentieth century than on realistic storytelling. Also, like Griselda, Hotel Cocaine feels like just another series about drugs instead of benefiting from being based on a true story. I admit that I went in with my expectations low, and by the second or third episode, I was very invested in seeing where Hotel Cocaine would go. By the end of the season, I was exhausted and underwhelmed. As far as summer viewing goes, this works as a series you can enjoy thanks to nudity, violence, and pulpy elements. I wish the story felt deeper than the tried and true plot twists we have seen many times before. Come for the performances, but don’t expect this series to be nearly as good as Narcos or Godfather of Harlem.
Although Marvel Comics was purchased by Disney in 2009, it has taken them fifteen years to start publishing comic books based on characters from classic Disney cartoons. Uncle Scrooge McDuck is leading the Disney infiltration of Marvel Comics with Uncle Scrooge and the Infinity Dime, which reaches store shelves next Wednesday, June 19th, and will see Uncle Scrooge battling a multiverse variant of himself. Then, later this year, we’ll get to see Donald Duck and other Disney characters gain the powers of Marvel superheroes in two separate issues of the What If…? comic book series. First up is What If Donald Duck Became Wolverine?, which is has a street date of July 31st. And on September 4th, Marvel will be releasing What If Donald Duck Became Thor?
What If Donald Duck Became Wolverine? is coming our way from the team of writer Luca Barbieri and artist Giada Perissinotto. Here’s the description: CELEBRATING THE 90th ANNIVERSARY OF DONALD DUCK AND THE 50th ANNIVERSARY OF… WOLVERINE? In the most unexpected mashup of our time, we travel to the near future where chaos rules as PETE-SKULL has turned DUCKBURG into a super-hero-less WASTELAND. Only OLD DUCK DONALD can turn the tide but he’s given up his battling days and prefers naps and GRANDMA’s apple pie over fighting villains. But when MICKEY-HAWKEYE comes knocking at the door with GOOFY-HULK at his side, WOLVERINE-DONALD has to make a choice! Will a trip down memory lane change his mind to save the world or will the lure of the backyard hammock and a long nap keep him from popping his claws one last time? Featuring some of DONALD-WOLVERINE’S greatest moments!
Based on a plot by Steve Behling, What If Donald Duck Became Thor? is written by Riccardo Secchi, with art by Lorenzo Pastrovicchio. In this one, DONALD DUCK chaperones his nephews HUEY, DEWEY, and LOUIE on a class trip to a Viking ruin. It is here that he stumbles across the STONE DUCKS FROM SATURN preparing for an invasion of Earth. Luckily, Donald also uncovers an enchanted cane that grants him the power of the thunder god THOR!
The covers for What If Donald Duck Became Wolverine? and What If Donald Duck Became Thor? that were created by Giada Perissinotto and Lorenzo Pastrovicchio, respectively, can be seen below. To see some Donald Duck Thor variant covers, click over to Super Hero Hype.
What do you think of Disney characters making their way into Marvel Comics with Uncle Scrooge and the Infinity Dime, What If Donald Duck Became Wolverine?, and What If Donald Duck Became Thor? Let us know by leaving a comment below.
NBA legend and former genie in a bottle Shaquille O’Neal is ready to stick bananas in tailpipes and take Beverly Hills by storm as Shaqxel Foley for Netflix‘s Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F! In a new promo for the long-gestating sequel starring Eddie Murphy in one of his most iconic roles, Shaq proclaims his love for the Beverly Hills Cop film series while auditioning to replace Murphy as the wise-cracking Detroit law enforcement officer import Axel Foley. Shaq brandishes a banana in the video while reciting lines from the upcoming action film. Shaq, known for his skills on the basketball court, is a humble giant with comedic chops. Check out his Hot Ones interview if you want to see Shaq hamming it up for laughs. It’s a classic piece of internet goodness.
Mark Molloy directs Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F from a story by Will Beall. Beall co-wrote the screenplay with Tom Gormican and Kevin Etten, based on characters created by Danilo Bach and Daniel Petrie Jr. In Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F, Detective Axel Foley (Eddie Murphy) is back on the beat in Beverly Hills. After his daughter’s life is threatened, she (Taylour Paige) and Foley team up with a new partner (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) and old pals Billy Rosewood (Judge Reinhold) and John Taggart (John Ashton) to turn up the heat and uncover a conspiracy.
Beverly Hills Cop alums Judge Reinhold, John Ashton, Paul Reiser, and Bronson Pinchot return to help Axel raise hell in Beverly Hills, with Kevin Bacon bringing heat as the film’s villain. So far, Ronny Cox is sitting this one out. Despite being eighty-four, Cox is still active, recently appearing in Aaron Sorkin’s Being the Ricardos. He also contributed a vocal performance to the animated series Star Trek: Prodigy.
Shaq’s Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F promo is a fun way to promote Murphy’s new film. Shaq waving a banana around recalls Foley’s fruit-related prank from the first film and recalls his role as the wish-granting genie in the 1996 family comedy Kazaam to poke fun at himself. I would have enjoyed a reference to his 1994 sports film Blue Chips or a throwback to his 1994 beat-em-up video game Shaq Fu. I’ll take what I can get.
Are you excited about Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F coming to Netflix on July 3, 2024? Let us know in the comments.
The latest edition of Steam Next Fest, which began in 2021 as a successor to the Steam Game Festival, kicked off earlier this week on June 10. The event, a successor to the Steam Game Festival, runs several times a year and is a way for in-development games to offer public demos. We’ve been through the latest batch…
The latest edition of Steam Next Fest, which began in 2021 as a successor to the Steam Game Festival, kicked off earlier this week on June 10. The event, a successor to the Steam Game Festival, runs several times a year and is a way for in-development games to offer public demos. We’ve been through the latest batch…
Back in 1968, George A. Romero made his feature directorial debut with one of the greatest horror movies ever made, Night of the Living Dead – and while doing so, he also introduced the world to flesh-eating ghouls that became a new definition for the world “zombie.” Romero, who passed away in 2017, went on to make several more zombie movies over the decades. Now his daughter Tina Romero is set to make her own feature directorial debut – and, fittingly, her first movie is a zombie movie. The title: Queens of the Dead.
Tina Romero told Fangoria, “My dad’s zombies were always reflecting what was going on in the world, and I almost feel a responsibility to take the torch and keep the Romero zombie alive, upholding, respecting, paying homage to it, while also introducing myself and my own voice as a filmmaker, and my own perspective. Which is different from his.” She revealed that the screenplay she wrote with novelist and comedian Erin Judge “takes place over one night, at the beginning of the dead rising. We find ourselves at a big warehouse party in Bushwick. We’ve got a party promoter for whom everything’s going wrong, and her lead act has dropped out, so she needs to call upon a friend — a retired drag queen — to resurrect his drag, to come and save the night. And it turns out to be a night of many resurrections. And our motley crew of characters find themselves holed up in a Bushwick nightclub, having to decide ‘do we get out of here or do we board the place up?’ And they’ve got to survive the night. It’s about a group of non-fighters finding the survival skills deep within.“
Romero aims to deliver “a fun ride that’s packed with some good jump scares, and some yummy gore and some pretty amusing characters” while playing by the zombie rules established by her father: “slow moving, one bite turns you, got to take out the brain, a little lingering sense of humanity.” There will be some “new flavor” to her zombies at the same time, though, and she’s going to make sure that Queens of the Dead is authentic to her own artistic sensibilities. “My perspective on the world is female, it’s queer, and it’s very dance-y. And I describe what I’m going for as a ‘glam gore zom-com.’“
Romero confirmed that she had the chance to tell her father about her zombie movie idea before he passed away, and
Queens of the Dead is scheduled to start filming this month, aiming for a 2025 release. The film is being produced by Natalie Metzger and Matt Miller.
What do you think of Tina Romero making her feature directorial debut with the glam gore zombie horror comedy Queens of the Dead? Let us know by leaving a comment below.
“Comedy is what takes us away from all the pain and all the hurt and all the turmoil that goes on in life. It takes us away from that, even if only for a brief second, a brief moment.” Maybe you wouldn’t expect this level of depth from a man who’s made a career of being silly. Something else you might not expect? Even 30 years into his comedy career, he was still possessed by a nervous energy before getting on the stage for his 2016 special. So much of what has made Martin Lawrence successful is his ability to channel that nervous energy into something great and, more importantly, something funny.
But what drives that energy? For Martin, it may be the very pain, hurt, and turmoil he’s trying to help us escape. Despite his success, Martin’s life has been marked by challenges, from a difficult childhood to high-profile controversies. Yet, it’s precisely this tumultuous journey that has fueled his creativity and informed his unique perspective. Let’s sympathize with that perspective by, as we always do, going back to the beginning where the beginning began.
He was born Martin Fitzgerald Lawrence on April 16, 1965, in Frankfurt, Germany, to a military family. The ‘Martin’ is in honor of civil rights leader Martin Luther King, Jr., and the ‘Fitzgerald’ is for John Fitzgerald Kennedy, 35th President of the United States. Though he’s been controversial at times, at least he hasn’t ruffled enough feathers to meet the shared fate of his namesakes.
Lawrence began his standup career, first in Washington D.C. and then in New York City, in the early 80s. Like all stand-ups, he bombed his first time up and was discouraged, but luckily for us returned to the stage, where he began to form his signature raw, edgy, and unapologetic style, which often focused on his experiences growing up in the inner city. He embraced the Richard Pryor and Eddie Murphy comparisons and considered it an honor to work with the latter, years later.
He got the right eyes on him when he appeared on Star Search in 1987. His performance scored him the part of Maurice Warfield on 22 episodes of What’s Happening Now! from 1987 to 1988. He took center stage in the episode “The New Employee,” where his character transformed the show’s diner into a nighttime teen club to impress a girl. After impressing in his first TV gig, he landed his feature film debut in the 1989 Spike Lee Joint Do the Right Thing. Martin Lawrence’s role as Cee is a memorable one. Cee is known for his distinctive lisp and outspoken personality, often providing comic relief with his witty one-liners and humorous interactions with other characters.
In 1990’s House Party, Martin Lawrence’s Bilal is part of the group of friends who throw a wild party while Kid’s parents are away, leading to chaos and hilarity. In 1991’s House Party 2, Bilal returns as the crew plans a party in a college dorm, causing more mayhem and laughter. In 1991’s Talkin’ Dirty After Dark, Martin Lawrence co-starred as Terry, a comedian performing at a nightclub. The film explores the comedy club scene and the lives of the performers, showcasing Lawrence’s raw talent and ability to tackle mature themes.
Martin Lawrence brought his stand-up comedy to HBO’s One Night Stand in 1991. He then made history as the first host of Def Comedy Jam in 1992, setting the tone for a show that would become a launching pad for numerous black comedians, including Dave Chappelle, Tracy Morgan, Tiffany Haddish, and Leslie Jones. Lawrence’s first time working with Eddie Murphy was on 1992’s Boomerang, which also helped launch the acting careers of Chris Rock and Halle Berry. Martin Lawrence played the role of Tyler, the outspoken and charismatic best friend to Eddie Murphy’s character, Marcus Graham. He’s convinced that everything is racist, and by the end of the movie, may have you convinced that at least Billiards is.
Solidifying 1992 as one of the most pivotal in Martin Lawrence’s career was the debut of his sitcom Martin, which aired from 1992 to 1997. It starred Martin Lawrence as the titular character, a wisecracking and eccentric DJ living in Detroit. Martin was a critical and commercial success, running for five seasons and establishing Martin Lawrence as a household name. The show’s impact on 1990s pop culture was significant, and it remains a beloved classic among fans of comedy and nostalgia.
1994’s You So Crazy is a stand-up comedy special that showcases Martin Lawrence’s unapologetic and uncompromising style. The special features Lawrence tackling tough subjects head-on, including the L.A. riots sparked by police brutality against Rodney King just a year before filming. His raw and unfiltered commentary on race, politics, and social issues was ahead of its time, and the special received an NC-17 rating from the MPAA. Martin Lawrence was allegedly banned from Saturday Night Live after hosting in 1994. His off-script opening monologue included a controversial rant about women’s hygiene, sparking audience backlash. Martin Lawrence disputes the ban, claiming he simply hasn’t received an invitation to return – and likely wouldn’t accept one anyway.
1995’s Bad Boys, spectacle specialist Michael Bay’s directorial debut, marked a significant milestone in Martin Lawrence’s career, as he starred as Detective Marcus Burnett in this high-octane action comedy. Despite studio reservations about the first-time director and lead actors, the film’s success was immense, as it grossed over $140 million worldwide and cemented Lawrence’s status as a leading man in Hollywood. Michael Bay called Lawrence a “comedic genius,” but Lawrence relished the opportunity to not just be funny but, in his words, “whoop some ass.”
Martin Lawrence, fresh from his successes in stand-up, sitcoms, and movies, was on top of the world, with his unique blend of humor and charisma making him a beloved figure in American entertainment. But, as he reached the highest of highs, his personal life began to unravel, and a series of legal troubles and controversies threatened to bring it all crashing down.
A 1996 arrest came when Lawrence ran into traffic toting a gun and shouting “fight the establishment!” which, despite Martin Lawrence basically being a part of the establishment, by this point, is still gangster as shit [or ‘authentic and unapologetic’]. That same year, he faced a misdemeanour charge for carrying a loaded gun in a suitcase at Burbank Airport.
1996 also marked a messy divorce for Martin Lawrence, with his then-wife alleging he had become unhinged and had made severe violent threats against her and their child. Amid this difficulty, Lawrence wrote, directed, and starred in A Thin Line Between Love and Hate in 1996. Though not a commercial or critical success, it represented a bold creative risk for Lawrence, showcasing his unique voice and perspective. Lawrence may have been leaning more toward the “hate” side of the thin line when he was charged with misdemeanour battery for punching someone in the face in a nightclub. He was accused of sexual harassment by Tisha Campbell, his Martin co-star in 1997, and the issue was settled out of court. Martin has since called it “bullshit” and is adamant it “didn’t happen,” though Campbell has implicitly doubled down on her claims. They since seem to have made up.
Despite his difficult late-90s from a legal perspective, Martin Lawrence’s star continued to rise both creatively and commercially. He reportedly went from being grossly underpaid $100,000/year for Martin to $6,000,000 for 1997’s Nothing to Lose, which further established his brand as the premier buddy action-comedy guy. He plays Terrance, the perfect kinetic foil to Tim Robbin’s despondent Nick Beam.
Lawrence spent three days in a coma in 1999 after collapsing from heat exhaustion while jogging in 100 degrees Fahrenheit. He was trying to lose weight for an upcoming movie role and wore heavy clothing and a plastic suit while jogging. He awoke with a new appreciation for life, life itself, not the 1999 movie Life where he was back with Eddie Murphy. I think the movie Martin Lawrence was trying to lose weight for was 1999’s Blue Streak, a forgettable buddy action comedy where he plays a thief posing as a cop because it certainly wasn’t for 2000’s Big Momma’s House, where he plays the role of FBI agent Malcolm Turner, who goes undercover as a plus-sized grandmother to solve a case. The movie resonated with audiences, grossing $174 million on a $30 million budget.
In 2001’s Black Knight, Lawrence, as theme park employee Jamal Walker, is transported back in time to medieval England. You’re watching the movie, or not watching it, because of Lawrence. If you like him and his brand of humor, you’ll like this. Martin Lawrence’s 2002 comedy special Martin Lawrence Live: Runteldat was ahead of his time, but maybe not in a good way. Lawrence was in a reflective mood for the show and leaned on his recent experiences to primarily proselytize on religion, forgiveness, and equality. The ratio of laughs to social commentary is by many accounts unfavourable, comparable to many more recent stand-up specials.
2003’s National Security features Martin Lawrence’s signature energy and physical comedy as well as a title that reflects a subject that was still top-of-mind for American audiences.
Lawrence reprised his role as Detective Marcus Burnett in 2003’s Bad Boys II. Film portrayals of drug trips are a dimebag a dozen but rarely are they performed with the excellence of Martin Lawrence as Detective Marcus Burnett after he unwittingly takes Molly. Martin Lawrence was ranked #34 on Comedy Central’s 100 Greatest Stand-Ups of All Time in 2004, though maybe he’d rank higher today, by default [Woody Allen, Bill Cosby, Ellen DeGeneres, Louis CK]. 2005’s Rebound is a tamer, more family-friendly Bad News Bears, but if you’re a fan of the formula or of Martin genuinely showcasing character growth, there’s something for you here.
2006’s Big Momma’s House 2 takes a bit more family-friendly bent than the first, to appeal to a wider audience. Lawrence went from leaning family-friendly to full-on embracing it in the 2006 animated feature Open Season opposite Ashton Kutcher. It wasn’t a huge departure for Martin Lawrence, as it’s still a buddy comedy, just one for kids, where the buddies are a grizzly bear and a deer with one antler. Also in 2006, Lawrence made a memorable appearance on Inside the Actors Studio, wherein he embodied some of his iconic characters from the Martin sitcom.
In 2007, Martin Lawrence joined the ensemble cast of Wild Hogs, a comedy that rode the star power of its seasoned leads to an impressive $250 million box office haul. Lawrence brought his signature humor to the film’s tale of middle-aged bikers, capitalizing on the chemistry and charm of its self-aware “over-the-hill but still thrill-seeking” cast.
In 2008’s Welcome Home Roscoe Jenkins, Lawrence plays a talk show host who returns to a hometown that spurned him. His performance is arguably the lone bright spot in a film that relies too much on slapstick comedy. His lone performance in a G-rated movie was in the 2008 Disney feature College Road Trip opposite Raven-Symoné. Even an overeager Donny Osmond can’t keep this movie afloat, but it does mark a point in the transition of Lawrence into more fatherly, protective roles. His mother’s 2008 passing around this time served to slow his previously prolific pace.
His comeback, for what it was, came with 2010’s Death at a Funeral, an appropriated remake of a far-superior 2007 film. His next offering, Big Mommas: Like Father, Like Son in 2011, didn’t resonate with audiences as much as the first two films in the series did. FX invested one season into Partners in 2014. The legal sitcom featuring Martin Lawrence and Kelsey Grammer was criticized for its production values and sloppy writing. Another consistent criticism was that Lawrence was underutilized, deferring to Grammer’s character too much and too often.
Martin Lawrence’s 2016 stand-up comedy special, Doin’ Time: Uncut, showcases his return to the stage following a sold-out national tour. The special features Lawrence’s signature humor, impressions and insights. Lawrence served as a host for the Netflix feature Def Comedy Jam 25, a heartwarming look back at the history of Def Comedy Jam, showcasing some of the greatest comedians to ever grace the stage and the impact they’ve had on the world of comedy.
2019’s The Beach Bum is more style than substance. If you want to see Matthew McConaughey play the guy we all already think he is and Martin Lawrence as a man who claims to be a Vietnam vet while barely looking old enough to have been born then, then take a chance on it. The 2020 threequel Bad Boys for Life was the first of the series not directed by Michael Bay. It was well-received, earning $426.5 million on a $90 million budget.
Martin Lawrence was deeply committed to his role in the 2022 crime thriller Mindcage, gaining significant weight and undergoing additional acting training for the rare departure from comedic roles. In April 2023, he received his Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, which was long overdue. They give those things out like $75,000 candy.
Fans of Martin Lawrence eagerly anticipate what’s next. Bad Boys: Ride or Die, the fourth installment in the beloved franchise, will serve as a litmus test for perceptions of Will Smith post-slap. In Sneaks, Martin lends his voice to the feature film directorial debut of storied Disney writer Rob Edwards. The upcoming television series Nehama holds a deeply personal significance for Martin, exploring the challenges of balancing a comedy career with family obligations. With his continued dedication to his work, Martin Lawrence ensures that we’ll always have a reason to smile, even in the toughest of times. His legacy is cemented, but he’s determined to “keep riding this life till the wheels fall off!”
