Justin Bieber: Never Say Never | |
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![]() Theatrical release poster | |
Directed by | Jon M. Chu |
Produced by |
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Starring | Justin Bieber |
Cinematography | Reed Smoot |
Edited by |
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Music by | Deborah Lurie |
Production companies |
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Distributed by | Paramount Pictures |
Release date |
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Running time | 106 minutes |
Country | United States |
Language | English |
Budget | $13 million [1] |
Box office | $99 million [2] |
Justin Bieber: Never Say Never is a 2011 American 3-D concert film centering on Canadian singer Justin Bieber. It received generally positive reviews from critics. It was released in the United States on February 11, 2011 and grossed $99 million worldwide, against a $13 million production budget. A sequel was released on December 25, 2013, entitled Justin Bieber's Believe .
Its total worldwide sales reached $99,033,954 and was a box office success. In the United States, it held the former record for the highest grossing music concert movie since 1984, and the third-highest grossing documentary since 1982. It is the first (and only) film from MTV Films to receive a G rating.
The film follows the pop star Justin Bieber during 10 days counting down to what is considered his biggest performance, that of August 31, 2010 in Madison Square Garden, which sold out in 22 minutes. It shows footage of the performances during this period from his My World Tour. It shows excited female fans, and several instances of the "One Less Lonely Girl" routine of inviting a girl on stage for him to serenade and give flowers to, and of surprising random girls with free tickets to his concerts. The main people around Bieber, being like family and good friends to him, are interviewed, but Bieber himself is not. Various instances of praying together before a show are shown.
The film also includes a visit Bieber made to his hometown while being in Canada for the tour. He is scolded for having damaged his voice while having fun with his old friends. Reluctantly he accepts the postponement of a performance in Syracuse. He is not allowed to speak for some days, and thus recovers enough to do the next performance, at MSG.
Also included are some stories and old videos of Bieber's childhood. He was raised by his mother but also had a very special bond with his maternal step-grandfather. The latter still gets emotional about the time that Bieber and his mother moved to Atlanta.
On August 2, 2010, Deadline Hollywood reported that Paramount Pictures was prepping a film featuring the singer. [3] The website also reported that the film, described as a "feature biopic" would be directed by the Academy Award-winning An Inconvenient Truth 's director Davis Guggenheim. [3] The untitled film was said to also include performances from Bieber's My World Tour throughout. Bieber's manager Scooter Braun and Island Def Jam president L.A. Reid were tapped to produce, and the film was tentatively given a Valentine's Day 2011 release date. [3] After the report was published by Deadline, Bieber confirmed the news on his official Twitter account, and verified that it would be released around February 11, 2011. [3] In a following tweet, Bieber stated that the performances for the film would be those set to take place at Madison Square Garden on the tour. [3] On August 4, 2010, Deadline reported that Guggenheim had dropped out of the directing position for the film, in order to concentrate on promotion for Waiting for "Superman" . [4]
After the future of the film was up in the air for a few days, on August 13, 2010, it was reported that Step Up 3D director Jon Chu was recruited to direct the film. [5] On directing the film, Chu stated that he "jumped at the opportunity to tell a story with honesty and heart", as most people did not know that Bieber had a "true underdog story." [5] Chu went on to say that he hoped to tell his story in a "compelling, genuine way, using all source materials available to convey his tale of becoming an icon for this digital age." [3]
In another interview, Chu said that the movie was for fans and non-fans alike, commenting, "we're gonna tell the underdog story of where he came from." [6] He later explained that it was fascinating due to Bieber's story had much to do with the modern "digital lifestyle", such as using YouTube, and how it is "a pretty cool story for our time." [6] On the type of film, Chu said "There's not going to be acted-out scenes and I can't talk about the rest. [6] It's not your typical concert film and it's not going to be a biopic, but it is about his life." [6]
"We had this sort of hyperlink idea through the film, which is what makes it really an interesting movie; it's not like the other concert films where you are onstage and then go backstage and then onstage and go backstage. It's not just the concert ... this is a musical movie, when words aren't enough in telling the stories of his life, [we use music]."
—Jon Chu on the "hyperlink" plot idea of Never Say Never. [7]
On August 24, 2010, on Twitter, Bieber and Chu announced that fans could enter a contest to be a part of the movie by sending a home video singing Bieber's "That Should Be Me", or they should "Show us how 'U Smile' " by sending in a photo or video. [8] The contest lasted for twenty-four hours. [8] On August 31, 2010, filming took place at his concert at Madison Square Garden for scenes for the film, and Bieber donned white and purple attire, his tour colors. [9] Bieber performed his set list, and in addition to opening acts the Sean Kingston and Jessica Jarrell, Iyaz, Boyz II Men, Usher, Miley Cyrus, Ludacris and Jaden Smith appeared and performed songs with the singer. [9] In a review, Jocelyn Vena of MTV News said "Any signs that Bieber had fallen ill only two days before weren't remotely evident. He turned his swag on ... for the cameras filming the show for his upcoming film. [6]
In explaining the film's plot, Chu said that the film's plot was like a "hyperlink", unlike other concert films which only saw music and backstage action, but told the story of the rise of his career, and "stories of his life", using music. [7] The director further explained, "You know, if he's talking about his youth and talking about his magnetic smile, you start to hear 'U Smile' start to creep in the background and the underscore ... you see images from his life, and at the end of that song, the spotlight from the number connects with the spotlight of his tour bus and he goes back into his bed." [7] On the film's direction toward his haters and naysayers, the director commented that the top thing they wanted in the film was "honesty", explaining "People have a very preconceived notion of Justin Bieber and people can think whatever they want, but we wanted to show the honest other side of Justin." [7]
On October 13, 2010, Chu tweeted to send Bieber's fans on an Internet scavenger hunt to solve the puzzle of the movie poster, which would in turn reveal the title of the film. [10] Pieces of the puzzle were revealed by celebrities such as Usher, Ellen DeGeneres, and Ryan Seacrest, and Bieber's manager Scooter Braun. [10] The final piece was revealed two days later, tweeted by USA Today , and it revealed the movie's title, Justin Bieber: Never Say Never. [11]
The first trailer for the film debuted on October 26, 2010, consisting of home and behind-the-scenes footage chronicling his rise to fame, and interviews with people such as Usher and Scooter Braun. [12] Matt Elias of MTV News said it contains "eye-popping visuals" and "sweeping camera moves" to give an "epic" feeling. [13] Elias also stated that the trailer shows that the movie was more than a concert film, and "takes you beyond the stage and shows his everyday life", while making a focus on his fans. [13] On the day of the trailer's release, Bieber surprised the audience at the Los Angeles date of his My World Tour by unveiling the trailer. [13] On November 22, 2010, it was revealed that the movie would be screened early on February 9, 2011 for select viewers. [14] Fans were able to purchase tickets for it beginning November 29, 2010, and could also receive official movie merchandise like a souvenir VIP lanyard, a glow stick, a bracelet and purple 3-D glasses for the film. [14] The second official trailer was released on November 22, 2010. [15] It emphasized the 3-D aspect, starting with Bieber throwing popcorn and silly string as the words "This Valentine's Day, See Bieber ... Like Never Before" portrayed across the screen. [15] Shown are montages of home footage, behind the scenes footage, and tour clips, including Bieber throwing his shirt into the crowd. [15] The end of the trailer shows Bieber learning about the cameras used to shoot the 3-D film, as well as trying out the film's trademark purple 3-D glasses. [15]
The news for the film came through July 2010. Production began that summer, leading up to his concert at Madison Square Garden. The film, whose name was not released until October 2010, was directed by Jon Chu. Chu says the film is a documentary, without any "acted-out scenes." [16]
On Rotten Tomatoes, the film has an approval rating of 65% based on reviews from 106 critics, with an average rating of 5.79/10. The site's critical consensus reads, "As a tour documentary, it's rather uninspired -- but as a 3D glimpse of a building pop culture phenomenon, Never Say Never is undeniably entertaining." [17] On Metacritic, the film holds a 52/100 score based on 22 critic reviews. [18]
It topped the Friday box office by an estimated grossing of $12.4 million on its opening day from 3,105 theaters. [19] It grossed $29,514,054 for the weekend, [20] and was narrowly beaten by the romantic comedy Just Go With It , which grossed $31 million. [21] Never Say Never is said to have exceeded industry expectations, nearly matching the $31.1 million grossed by Miley Cyrus's 2008 3-D concert film, Hannah Montana & Miley Cyrus: Best of Both Worlds Concert , which holds the record for the top debut for a music-documentary. [22] Furthermore, it grossed higher first weekend totals than the 2009 concert film, Michael Jackson's This Is It , which is the highest grossing documentary/concert film of all time, and at least two-times more than fellow teen act Jonas Brothers' 2009 3D concert film, Jonas Brothers: The 3D Concert Experience , [23] which it made more in two days than the Jonas Brothers concert did in its entire run.
Its total worldwide sales reached $98,441,954. [2] In the United States, it is the highest grossing music concert movie since 1984 [24] and the third-highest grossing documentary since 1982. [25] It was surpassed by Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour in 2023 as the most profitable concert film in history. [26]
According to Paramount's exit data, the audience during the weekend of February 11–13, 2011, was revealed to be 84% female. [27] Of the same audience, 67% of viewers were under 25 years of age. [28]
The film was re-released limitedly in an extended version entitled Justin Bieber: Never Say Never - Director's Fan Cut on February 25, 2011 in 3-D theaters in the United States and Canada. This version has 40 minutes of new footage, while 30 minutes of the original have been removed, so the running time is 115 minutes - 10 minutes longer than the original version. [29] The screenings are preceded by a short film of The Legion of Extraordinary Dancers , another award-winning project by director Jon M. Chu.
Paramount Home Entertainment released the film on DVD and Blu-ray on May 13, 2011 in the United States. To promote the release of the film to home video formats, Paramount Home Entertainment also released Never Say Never Weekend (#NSNweekend) using Bieber's official Facebook and Twitter accounts to seed party favors leading up to the release date of Never Say Never on DVD and Blu-ray. [30]
Rumors of a sequel to Never Say Never began surfacing the media around May 2012, when Bieber himself hinted a possible sequel for some time. [31] It wasn't until January 2013 when the project was confirmed by Bieber himself tweeting about it. Concert footage was filmed during Justin's Believe Tour on January 26–27, 2013 at Miami's American Airlines Arena. [32] Two months later, in March 2013, a $15 million budget was appointed for the production of the sequel. [1] On October 11, 2013, it was confirmed that Jon M. Chu reprised his role as director for the biopic and will be screened in 3D at the Toronto International Film Festival later in the month. [33] Meanwhile, Justin Bieber released a teaser trailer on his kidrauhl YouTube channel for the sequel to Never Say Never with the tagline "There's more to his story" and the hashtag #BelieveMovie confirming the sequel title as "Believe", to be released on Christmas Day in 3D. [34] The official trailer was released on Yahoo! Movies on November 15, 2013. [35] The day after the trailer was released, director Jon Chu posted a photo on his Instagram account, noting on the caption that Believe would not be released in 3D as the teaser trailer and rumors previously suggested. [36] [37] The film's premiere was held in Los Angeles, California on December 18, 2013.
Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping (2016) is seen as a parody of music documentaries such as Never Say Never. It features Martin Sheen, Adam Levine, Mariah Carey, Snoop Dogg, Usher, Seal, Pink, "Weird Al" Yankovic, Ringo Starr and Justin Timberlake, among others. [38] [39]
Jackass 3D is a 2010 American 3D reality comedy film directed by Jeff Tremaine. It is the third installment in the Jackass film series, and the sequel to Jackass Number Two (2006). The film stars the regular Jackass cast of Johnny Knoxville, Bam Margera, Ryan Dunn, Steve-O, "Danger Ehren" McGhehey, Dave England, Preston Lacy, Wee Man, and Chris Pontius. This is the last Jackass film to feature Dunn before his death in 2011 and Margera as a primary cast member before his departure in 2020. This is also the last Jackass film to feature a guest appearance by Rip Taylor, who died in October 2019.
"Never Let You Go" is a song recorded by Canadian singer Justin Bieber for his debut album, My World 2.0 (2010). The track was written by Bieber and was co-written and produced by production duo Johntá Austin and Bryan-Michael Cox. It was released as a promotional single from the album on March 2, 2010 by Island Records. The song charted within the top twenty in Canada and New Zealand, twenty-one in the United States, and in the lower regions of the charts in Australia and the United Kingdom, respectively. The accompanying music video features Bieber and Paige Hurd at the Atlantis Resort in The Bahamas, including scenes at the resort, an aquarium, and on the coast. Bieber performed the song a number of times, including on BET's SOS: Saving Ourselves - Help for Haiti Telethon, which benefited victims of the 2010 Haiti earthquake.
The My World Tour was the debut concert tour by Canadian singer Justin Bieber. It is Bieber's first concert tour which supports his two-part debut EP and debut studio album My World (2009) and My World 2.0 (2010). The tour was officially announced on March 16, 2010, a week before My World 2.0 was released. The tour has multiple legs with the supporting acts of Mindless Behavior, Sean Kingston and Jessica Jarrell on North American dates and pop girl group The Stunners also joined the tour for the first twenty dates. Jasmine Villegas joined the tour as the opening act for the second leg. The first leg of the tour is estimated to have grossed $35.6 million post inflation. The tour grossed over $53 million worldwide according to Jeetendr Sehdev of The Guardian.
"U Smile" is a song performed by Canadian singer Justin Bieber. It was written by Jerry Duplessis, Arden Altino, and Dan August Rigo, and produced by Duplessis and Altino. The song was released as the second digital-only single from the latter half of Bieber's first album on March 16, 2010. It was released to mainstream radio in Canada on August 9, 2010, followed by a mainstream and rhythmic release on August 24, 2010, in the United States as the album's third single there.
"Somebody to Love" is a song by Canadian singer Justin Bieber featuring American singer Usher. The song served as the second single from Bieber's first studio album My World 2.0. It was written by Heather Bright and The Stereotypes, and produced by the latter. The song was originally recorded as a demo by Usher, who was Bieber's mentor, for his sixth studio album, Raymond v. Raymond (2010). After things went stale with Usher's label, The Stereotypes were encouraged to give the song to Bieber, who recorded it, with Usher performing background vocals. The song is an upbeat pop song, which also derives from R&B genre, while making use of Eurodisco influences. It impacted US mainstream and rhythmic radio on April 20, 2010. The remix of the song featuring Usher was featured on Bieber's first compilation album My Worlds: The Collection and his second remix album Never Say Never: The Remixes.
"Never Say Never" is a song by Canadian singer Justin Bieber. The song is used as the theme song for the 2010 film The Karate Kid, and features a rap verse from its star, Jaden Smith. Originally a risque demo with sexual lyrics performed by Travis Garland, it was written and produced by The Messengers, and Omarr Rambert. However, Bieber was tapped to record the song for the film. He re-wrote the song with the original artists along with Smith and his vocal producer Kuk Harrell, to feature inspirational lyrics to foil the film's theme.
My Worlds Acoustic is the debut remix album by Canadian singer Justin Bieber. It was released on November 26, 2010 and was initially sold exclusively at Walmart retail stores and Sam's Club. The album features nine acoustic versions of songs from his debut extended play, My World (2009), and first album My World 2.0 (2010), as well as a new song "Pray". The new versions of the songs were produced by Bieber's music director, Dan Kanter, his vocal producer Kuk Harrell, and also producer Rob Wells. Internationally, the set is included as a part of the compilation album, My Worlds: The Collection (2010), which included songs from the previous two releases. My Worlds Acoustic was released to iTunes, on February 8, 2011.
"Pray" is a song performed by Canadian singer Justin Bieber. The song was written by Bieber along with Omar Martinez, and Adam Messinger and Nasri of The Messengers, with the latter duo producing the track. The song is taken as a single in several European countries from his first compilation album, My Worlds: The Collection. In the United States and Canada, the song is included on My Worlds Acoustic. According to Bieber, he was inspired by Michael Jackson's "Man in the Mirror" (1988) when writing the song. The song is a contemporary Christian song, using a world music backdrop. It primarily features acoustic instruments, but it does make minor usage of electronic sounds.
My Worlds: The Collection is the first compilation album released by Canadian singer Justin Bieber. As the international alternative to the Walmart and Sam's Club exclusive My Worlds Acoustic (2010), My Worlds: The Collection was released in numerous European countries on November 19, 2010. The album consists of two discs; the first is a slightly altered version of My Worlds Acoustic, and the second is My Worlds, a compilation itself made up of Bieber's first EP My World (2009) and his first studio album, My World 2.0 (2010). In addition, the compilation also features a new song, an inspirational ballad entitled "Pray", an acoustic version of Bieber's collaboration with Jaden Smith, "Never Say Never", and remixes of his single "Somebody to Love". The new versions of the songs were produced by Bieber's music director, Dan Kanter, his vocal producer Kuk Harrell, and also record producer Rob Wells. While most professional reviewers complimented the set, several thought that its release was unneeded. The album charted moderately in Europe, reaching the top half of several countries' album charts.
Never Say Never: The Remixes is the second remix album by Canadian singer Justin Bieber. Released on February 14, 2011, the album accompanies the release of Bieber's first film, Justin Bieber: Never Say Never (2011). The album mostly includes remixes of songs from Bieber's first studio album, My World 2.0 (2010), featuring guest appearances from Jaden Smith, Rascal Flatts, Usher, Chris Brown, Kanye West, Raekwon and Miley Cyrus. In addition, a brand-new track is also included. The Jaden Smith-assisted "Never Say Never", originally released as the theme song for the film The Karate Kid (2010), was included on the tracklist and re-released as the album's lead and only single on January 25, 2011.
"That Should Be Me" is a song by Canadian singer Justin Bieber, included as the tenth and final track on his first studio album, My World 2.0, released on March 19, 2010. The song was written by Bieber alongside Luke Boyd and Nasri Atweh and Adam Messinger of The Messengers, the production team who produced the track. "That Should Be Me" is an orchestral ballad in which Bieber sings about losing his love, and according to Monica Herrera of Billboard, plays the "scorned ex." Most music critics positively received the song, and it debuted at number ninety-two on the Billboard Hot 100 following the release of My World 2.0.
"Next to You" is a song by American singer Chris Brown, featuring Canadian singer Justin Bieber included as a track on the former's fourth studio album, F.A.M.E., released on June 21, 2011. Brown co-wrote the song with frequent collaborator Sevyn Streeter of American girl group RichGirl. The track is one of the four tracks Brown and Bieber worked together on, the others being a remix of Bieber's "Up" (2011), "Ladies Love Me" contained in Brown's mixtape Boy in Detention (2011), and "Don't Check on Me" from Brown's 2019 album Indigo.
"Boyfriend" is a song by Canadian singer Justin Bieber, taken from his third studio album, Believe (2012). Bieber explained that the track would surprise people in different ways, since it is a musical departure from his previous material. A snippet of "Boyfriend" was previewed on The Ellen DeGeneres Show on March 1, 2012, Bieber's 18th birthday. The song was announced as a single on the same day, and was released on March 26, 2012. The cover art was revealed on March 19, 2012.
Katy Perry: Part of Me is a 2012 American 3D autobiographical documentary concert film about Katy Perry. It was directed by Dan Cutforth and Jane Lipsitz and released in the United States, Canada, the UK and Ireland on July 5, 2012. The film follows Perry through her California Dreams Tour while providing an insight into the singer's journey through stardom and detailing various aspects of her professional and personal life. It is interspersed with various moments of emotional weight and deep significance to Perry.
"All Around the World" is a song by Canadian singer Justin Bieber from his third studio album, Believe (2012). It was written by Bieber, Sir Nolan and Nasri of The Messengers in collaboration with Ludacris, who guest features. This was the second collaboration between Bieber and Ludacris, having previously collaborated on "Baby" (2010). It was first released on June 4, 2012, as a promotional single from the album. The song was released as the fourth international single, and the fifth and final US single on February 26, 2013. The Eurodance track features a similar instrumentation to songs by Britney Spears, Chris Brown and Usher. Lyrically, it features Bieber singing to his love interest that "all around the world, people want to be loved". "All Around the World" received critical acclaim from music critics, who welcomed the song's Eurodance style. The song had moderate success worldwide, reaching the top ten in several countries, such as Belgium, Canada and Norway. Bieber promoted the song through live performances and a music video.
American singer Usher has released six video albums and appeared in forty-one music videos, eleven films, nine television programs, and four commercials. Usher released his debut single, "Call Me a Mack" in 1993 from the soundtrack Poetic Justice. Directed by Bille Woodruff, Usher appeared in the video for "You Make Me Wanna...", the lead single from his break-through album My Way (1997). The video shows Usher flanked by four dancers, to which the scene is then replaced by five clones of Usher performing dance routines around chairs. The latter song was sung by the singer on the sitcom Moesha, where he made his television debut. Usher appeared in four episodes for the show, portraying his character, Jeremy Davis. Live (1999) was released to keep Usher's fans satisfied during his four-year break between My Way and 8701 (2001). The video album version was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), denoting shipments of 50,000 units. During his musical break, he made his film debut in the 1998 science fiction horror film The Faculty, which received mixed reviews, but was a box office success. Following this, he starred in three films: She's All That (1999), Light It Up (1999) and Texas Rangers (2000).
One Direction: This Is Us is a 2013 3-D documentary concert film about British-Irish boy band One Direction. It opened in the United Kingdom on 29 August 2013. It also opened a day later in the United States. The film follows the group on their Take Me Home Tour. It was a commercial success and grossed $68 million worldwide.
Justin Bieber's Believe is a 2013 American concert film and the sequel to Justin Bieber: Never Say Never (2011), both centering on Canadian singer Justin Bieber. It was distributed through Open Road Films in the United States and Canada, premiering on December 18, 2013 and being officially released to theaters on December 25, 2013. The film received generally negative reviews from critics and grossed $32.2 million at the worldwide box office.
American singer, songwriter, and actress Miley Cyrus has appeared in music videos, films, television series and video games. From 2006 to 2011, Cyrus starred in the television series Hannah Montana as Miley Stewart and her alter ego, Hannah Montana. In 2009, Cyrus starred in the feature film Hannah Montana: The Movie, whose soundtrack included her lead single "The Climb". Her other films included voicing the role of Penny in the animated film Bolt in 2008, The Last Song with Liam Hemsworth in 2010, and LOL with Demi Moore in 2012. Her song "When I Look at You" was part of The Last Song soundtrack with the music video directed by the film's producer, Adam Shankman. She has released 39 music videos and appeared on 12 music videos.
Canadian singer Justin Bieber has starred in 111 music videos, 13 films, and has made 24 appearances in several television series. For his debut extended play My World (2009), Bieber released music videos for the singles "One Time", "One Less Lonely Girl", and "Love Me". Bieber released his debut studio-album, My World 2.0 (2010), which produced the hit single "Baby" featuring Ludacris. It broke the Guinness World Record for being the most popular video of any kind online and propelled Bieber to global stardom. As of August 2023, it has accumulated over 3 billion views and 24 million likes on YouTube. Both albums were featured in Bieber's first concert film, Justin Bieber: Never Say Never, which became the highest-grossing concert/performance film of all-time at the global box office, with nearly $100 million in earnings. Based on initial tracking, it became the highest-grossing concert movie in the United States since 1984 and the third-highest-grossing documentary since 1982.