Superfly (2018 film)

Last updated

Superfly
SuperFly.png
Theatrical release poster
Directed by Director X
Screenplay by Alex Tse
Based on Super Fly
by Phillip Fenty
Produced by
Starring
Cinematography Amir Mokri
Edited byJoel Negron
Music byJosh Atchley
Production
companies
Distributed by Sony Pictures Releasing
Release date
  • June 13, 2018 (2018-06-13)
Running time
116 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$16–29 million [1]
Box office$20.8 million [2]

Superfly is a 2018 American action crime thriller film and a remake of the 1972 blaxploitation film Super Fly . The film was directed by Director X, written by Alex Tse and stars Trevor Jackson, Jason Mitchell, Michael K. Williams, Lex Scott Davis, and Jennifer Morrison. Rapper Future produced alongside Joel Silver, as well as writing the film's original songs.

Contents

Superfly was released in the United States on June 13, 2018, by Sony Pictures Releasing. It received mixed reviews from critics, who praised the style but ultimately found film lacking substance. The movie was a box office disappointment, only grossing $20.8 million on a budget of $16–29 million.

Plot

Youngblood Priest is a young cocaine kingpin from Atlanta, Georgia, working the streets since he was brought in by his mentor Scatter at age eleven. He lives with his two girlfriends, Georgia and Cynthia.

Juju, a member of rival gang Snow Patrol, hits on Cynthia and, shooting at Priest, accidentally hits a bystander. The Snow Patrol members leave while Priest gives the victim money and directs them to the trauma center.

Priest confides in his second-in-command Eddie that he wants out of drug-dealing, and has a plan. Eddie has his back but Scatter refuses to help. Juju suspects Priest of a hit on Snow Patrol and plans to retaliate. Snow Patrol deduces that Priest's colleague, Fat Freddie, was one of the assailants. Deciding to set Priest up, Eddie contacts two corrupt police officers to start their long plan to destroy Snow Patrol.

Fat Freddie is pulled over by corrupt cops Franklin and Mason. They discover cocaine and find Eddie in Freddie's contacts. With Mason's gun at Freddie's head, his girlfriend Rochelle reveals his criminal history and Priest's identity. Franklin shoots and kills them both.

Mason threatens to expose Priest's dealing if he does not work with her. Fighting over recriminations about Freddie's death, Priest starts strangling Eddie but leaves him unconscious. Franklin and Mason show up at Fat Freddie’s funeral demanding their upfront payment of $1 million.

Then Scatter surprises Priest there, ordering him to meet with his supplier Adalberto, after finding out he'd cut a secret deal for more product. Adalberto kills Scatter, having realized he had been stealing from him. He then threatens Priest, telling him that he can never get out of the game.

Snow Patrol members led by Juju shoot up Priest's mansion. During the shootout, Cynthia shoots back but is killed, and Priest and Georgia set fire to the mansion. Juju runs through the fire and out of the mansion to get in a car chase with Priest, Georgia and now Q.

Chasing Priest, Juju is injured and Q is killed in car crashes. Eddie feigns allegiance with Snow Patrol, and tricks them into an ambush where they are killed by Mason and other cops alerted by Priest.

Priest thanks Eddie for his help and prepares to leave the country with Georgia. He blackmails the mayor with a sex tape in exchange for a certain file of a convicted drug kingpin and promises he'll win in the upcoming election.

Adalberto is disowned by his mother, when she obtains the file from Priest about her son setting up his other brother into prison and executed at her order after she discloses the proof that he framed his brother for a crime. As she walks away her men dispose of Adalberto's men who was also executed.Then instead of paying off Mason, Priest tips off the police and she is arrested for cocaine possession.

Priest meets Franklin and beats him to a pulp to avenge Freddie's murder. Having settled his business obligations, and with his enemies either dead or in custody, Priest and Georgia relax on a cruise in Montenegro. When Georgia asks Priest how he feels. He replys "Free".

Cast

Production

Production began in December 2017, with Future announcing the project and confirming Director X as director. [3] Principal photography started in Atlanta, Georgia in January 2018. [4] Filming wrapped in March 2018, a process that Deadline Hollywood called an "unprecedented turnaround". [5]

While Sony and other publications reported the film was made on a net production budget of $16 million, Deadline stated their sources insisted the actual cost was "well north of $20 [million], near $30 [million]". The site compared the situation to Proud Mary , a film released in January 2018 that Sony reported cost $14 million to make but other sources listed at as high as $30 million. [1]

Soundtrack

The soundtrack for the film was curated by American rapper Future, who also acted as a producer on the film. It features 13 new and previously released songs, as well as guest appearances from Miguel, Lil Wayne, Khalid, Ty Dolla Sign, Young Thug, PartyNextDoor, H.E.R., Gunna, Sleepy Brown, and Yung Bans, among others. [6]

Release

Superfly was initially scheduled to be released on June 15, 2018. Three weeks prior, it was moved up two days to June 13, 2018, in order to avoid direct competition with Incredibles 2 . [7]

The film was released on digital and iTunes on August 28, 2018 from Sony Pictures Home Entertainment. It was released on Blu-Ray and DVD on 11 September 2018. [8]

Reception

Box office

In the United States and Canada, Superfly was projected to gross $7–12 million from 2,200 theaters over its five-day opening weekend. [5] The film made $1.2 million on its first day, [9] $938,583 on its second and $1.8 million on its third. It ended up grossing $6.9 million in its opening weekend (a five-day total of $9 million), finishing sixth at the box office. [1] It dropped to $3.4 million in its second weekend, finishing eighth, and after being pulled from 1,064 theaters in its third week made $1.3 million, finishing 12th. [10] [11]

Critical response

On review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 51% based on 102 reviews, and an average rating of 5.3/10. The website's critical consensus reads, "Superfly updates the blaxploitation original with a stylish remake that's exciting and visually arresting enough to offer its own slickly staged action rewards, but disappointingly short on social subtext." [12] On Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating to reviews, the film has a weighted average score of 52 out of 100, based on 30 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews". [13] Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "B+" on an A+ to F scale, while PostTrak reported filmgoers gave it a 68% overall positive score. [1]

Variety 's Owen Gleiberman wrote: "Shot in a functional, slammed-together manner that's less sensually stylish than you'd expect from a music-video auteur, the film is a competent yet glossy and hermetic street-hustle drug thriller, less a new urban myth than a lavishly concocted episode. It holds your attention yet leaves you with nothing." [14]

See also

Related Research Articles

<i>Super Fly</i> (1972 film) 1972 film by Gordon Parks Jr.

Super Fly is a 1972 American blaxploitation crime drama film directed by Gordon Parks Jr. and starring Ron O'Neal as Youngblood Priest, an African American cocaine dealer who is trying to quit the underworld drug business. The film is well known for its soundtrack, written and produced by soul musician Curtis Mayfield. It was released on August 4, 1972.

<i>American Made</i> (film) 2017 action comedy film by Doug Liman

American Made is a 2017 American action comedy film directed by Doug Liman, written by Gary Spinelli, and starring Tom Cruise, Domhnall Gleeson, Sarah Wright, Alejandro Edda, Mauricio Mejía, Caleb Landry Jones, and Jesse Plemons. It is inspired by the life of Barry Seal, a former TWA pilot who became a drug smuggler for the Medellín Cartel in the 1980s and then, in order to avoid jail time, became an informant for the DEA.

<i>The Equalizer 2</i> 2018 American action crime drama film directed by Antoine Fuqua

The Equalizer 2 is a 2018 American vigilante action-thriller film directed by Antoine Fuqua. It is the sequel to the 2014 film The Equalizer, which was based on the TV series of the same name, as well as the second installment of The Equalizer trilogy. The film stars Denzel Washington in the lead role, Pedro Pascal, Ashton Sanders, Melissa Leo, Bill Pullman, and Orson Bean in his final film role. It follows Marine Corps veteran and retired DIA officer Robert McCall as he sets out on a path of revenge after one of his friends is murdered. The film is the fourth collaboration between Washington and Fuqua, following Training Day (2001), The Equalizer (2014), and The Magnificent Seven (2016), and marks the first time Washington has starred in a sequel to one of his films.

<i>Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle</i> 2017 film directed by Jake Kasdan

Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle is a 2017 American fantasy adventure comedy film directed by Jake Kasdan from a screenplay by the writing teams of Chris McKenna and Erik Sommers, and Scott Rosenberg and Jeff Pinkner, based on a story conceived by McKenna. The film is the third installment in the Jumanji film series and a sequel to Jumanji (1995). It stars Dwayne Johnson, Jack Black, Kevin Hart, Karen Gillan, Nick Jonas, Rhys Darby and Bobby Cannavale. The story focuses on a group of teenagers who come across Jumanji, now transformed into a video game twenty-two years after the events of the 1995 film. They find themselves trapped inside the game as a set of adult avatars, seeking to complete a treacherous quest alongside another player who has been trapped since 1996.

<i>Bushwick</i> (film) 2017 American film

Bushwick is a 2017 American action thriller film directed by Jonathan Milott and Cary Murnion and written by Nick Damici and Graham Reznick. The film is about a former United States Navy Hospital Corpsman and a young graduate student who form an unlikely alliance during the invasion of their city by a mysterious, heavily armed militia. After both are injured during the fighting, they have to work together to rescue family members and escape to the United States Army's extraction point for civilians.

<i>Peter Rabbit</i> (film) 2018 film by Will Gluck

Peter Rabbit is a 2018 comedy film based upon the character of the same name created by Beatrix Potter, co-produced by Columbia Pictures, Sony Pictures Animation, Olive Bridge Entertainment, Animal Logic, 2.0 Entertainment, and Screen Australia, and distributed by Sony Pictures Releasing. It was directed by Will Gluck, who also produced the film with Zareh Nalbandian, from a screenplay and story written by Gluck and Rob Lieber. James Corden stars as the voice of the title character, with Rose Byrne, Domhnall Gleeson, Sam Neill, and Marianne Jean-Baptiste in live-action roles, as well as the voices of Daisy Ridley, Elizabeth Debicki, and Margot Robbie. The film's story focuses on Peter Rabbit as he deals with new problems when the late Mr. McGregor's great nephew arrives and discovers the trouble Peter's family can get into.

<i>Mollys Game</i> 2017 film by Aaron Sorkin

Molly's Game is a 2017 American biographical film written and directed by Aaron Sorkin, based on the 2014 memoir by Molly Bloom. It stars Jessica Chastain, Idris Elba, Kevin Costner, Michael Cera, Jeremy Strong, Chris O'Dowd, Joe Keery, Brian D'Arcy James, and Bill Camp.

<i>Game Night</i> (film) 2018 film by John Francis Daley and Jonathan Goldstein

Game Night is a 2018 American black action comedy film directed by John Francis Daley and Jonathan Goldstein and written by Mark Perez. It stars Jason Bateman and Rachel McAdams and follows a group of friends whose game night turns into a real-life mystery after one of them is kidnapped. The film's supporting cast includes Billy Magnussen, Sharon Horgan, Lamorne Morris, Kylie Bunbury, Jesse Plemons, Michael C. Hall, and Kyle Chandler.

<i>Skyscraper</i> (2018 film) 2018 film by Rawson Marshall Thurber

Skyscraper is a 2018 American action thriller film written, co-produced, and directed by Rawson Marshall Thurber. The film stars Dwayne Johnson in the lead role, with Neve Campbell, Chin Han, Roland Møller, Noah Taylor, Byron Mann, Pablo Schreiber, and Hannah Quinlivan in supporting roles. In the film, Will Sawyer, a former FBI agent, must rescue his family from a newly built Hong Kong skyscraper, the tallest in the world, after terrorists set the building on fire in an attempt to extort the property developer. The first non-comedy of Thurber's career, it also marks his second collaboration with Johnson, following Central Intelligence (2016).

<i>Sicario: Day of the Soldado</i> 2018 film by Stefano Sollima

Sicario: Day of the Soldado is a 2018 American crime thriller film directed by Stefano Sollima and written by Taylor Sheridan. A sequel to 2015's Sicario, the film features Benicio del Toro, Josh Brolin, Jeffrey Donovan, and Raoul Trujillo reprising their roles, with Isabela Moner, Manuel Garcia-Rulfo, and Catherine Keener joining the cast. The story relates to human trafficking at the U.S.-Mexico border and an attempt by the United States government to incite increased conflict among the cartels.

<i>White Boy Rick</i> 2018 film by Yann Demange

White Boy Rick is a 2018 American crime drama film directed by Yann Demange and written by Andy Weiss, Logan Miller, and Noah Miller. The film stars Matthew McConaughey, Richie Merritt in his film debut, Bel Powley, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Brian Tyree Henry, Rory Cochrane, RJ Cyler, Jonathan Majors, Eddie Marsan, Bruce Dern, and Piper Laurie in her final film role. The film is loosely based on the story of Richard Wershe Jr., who in the 1980s became the youngest FBI informant ever at the age of 14.

<i>Slender Man</i> (film) 2018 American film

Slender Man is a 2018 American supernatural horror film directed by Sylvain White and written by David Birke, based on the character of the same name. The film stars Joey King, Julia Goldani Telles, Taylor Richardson, Jaz Sinclair, Annalise Basso, and Alex Fitzalan with Javier Botet as the title character.

<i>Breaking In</i> (2018 film) 2018 American film

Breaking In is a 2018 American action thriller film directed by James McTeigue and starring Gabrielle Union, who also produced the film alongside Will Packer, James Lopez, Craig Perry, and Sheila Taylor. The film follows a mother who must protect her children after the mansion of her recently deceased father is invaded by burglars.

<i>Venom</i> (2018 film) Superhero film by Ruben Fleischer

Venom is a 2018 American superhero film based on the Marvel Comics character of the same name. The first film in Sony's Spider-Man Universe (SSU), it was directed by Ruben Fleischer from a screenplay by Jeff Pinkner, Scott Rosenberg and Kelly Marcel, and stars Tom Hardy as Eddie Brock and Venom, alongside Michelle Williams, Riz Ahmed, Scott Haze, and Reid Scott. In the film, Eddie, a struggling journalist, gains superpowers after becoming the host of Venom, an alien symbiote whose species plans to invade Earth.

<i>Jumanji: The Next Level</i> 2019 film by Jake Kasdan

Jumanji: The Next Level is a 2019 American adventure comedy film directed by Jake Kasdan, who co-wrote the script with Jeff Pinkner and Scott Rosenberg. The film is the fourth installment in the Jumanji film series and the sequel to Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle (2017). Dwayne Johnson, Jack Black, Kevin Hart, Karen Gillan, Nick Jonas, Alex Wolff, Morgan Turner, Ser'Darius Blain and Madison Iseman reprise their roles from the previous film while Awkwafina, Danny Glover, and Danny DeVito join the cast. The film's plot takes place two years after Welcome to the Jungle, in which the same group of teenagers, along with an old friend and two unwitting additions, become trapped in Jumanji once again. There, they all find themselves facing new problems and challenges with both old and new avatars, while having to save the land from a new villain to escape.

<i>Nobodys Fool</i> (2018 film) 2018 American film

Nobody's Fool is a 2018 American romantic comedy film written and directed by Tyler Perry. It stars Tiffany Haddish, Tika Sumpter, Omari Hardwick, Mehcad Brooks, Amber Riley and Whoopi Goldberg, and follows a recently paroled woman who tries to help her sister with a man who may be catfishing her. The film marks Tyler Perry's first R-rated comedy, as well as his first film not to be distributed by Lionsgate.

<i>The Mule</i> (2018 film) 2018 film directed by Clint Eastwood

The Mule is a 2018 American crime drama film starring and directed by Clint Eastwood, and produced by Eastwood, Dan Friedkin, Jessica Meier, Tim Moore, Kristina Rivera, and Bradley Thomas. The screenplay, written by Nick Schenk, is based on the 2014 The New York Times article "The Sinaloa Cartel's 90-Year-Old Drug Mule" by Sam Dolnick, which recounts the story of Leo Sharp, a World War II veteran in his 80s who became a drug courier for the Sinaloa Cartel.

<i>Annabelle Comes Home</i> 2019 film by Gary Dauberman

Annabelle Comes Home is a 2019 American supernatural horror film written and directed by Gary Dauberman, in his directorial debut, from a story by Dauberman and James Wan, who also served as producer with Peter Safran. It serves as a sequel to 2014's Annabelle and 2017's Annabelle: Creation, and as the sixth installment in The Conjuring Universe franchise. The film stars Mckenna Grace, Madison Iseman, and Katie Sarife, along with Vera Farmiga and Patrick Wilson, who reprise their roles as Ed and Lorraine Warren.

<i>Venom: Let There Be Carnage</i> 2021 American superhero film

Venom: Let There Be Carnage is a 2021 American superhero film featuring the Marvel Comics character Venom. The sequel to Venom (2018) and the second film in Sony's Spider-Man Universe (SSU), it was directed by Andy Serkis from a screenplay by Kelly Marcel. Tom Hardy stars as Eddie Brock and Venom alongside Michelle Williams, Naomie Harris, Reid Scott, Stephen Graham, and Woody Harrelson. In the film, Eddie and the alien symbiote Venom must face serial killer Cletus Kasady (Harrelson) after he becomes the host of an offshoot of Venom named Carnage.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 D'Alessandro, Anthony (June 17, 2018). "'Incredibles 2' Record $183M Beats 'Captain America: Civil War' Opening & Lifetime Totals Of 'Cars 3', 'A Bug's Life'". Deadline Hollywood . Penske Business Media . Retrieved June 17, 2018.
  2. ↑ "Superfly (2018)". Box Office Mojo . Retrieved October 1, 2018.
  3. ↑ Penrose, Nerisha (January 16, 2018). "Future to Co-Produce Director X-Helmed 'Superfly' Remake". Billboard . Billboard Music. Retrieved June 14, 2018.
  4. ↑ Walljasper, Matt (January 29, 2018). "What's filming in Atlanta now? Super Fly, Miracle Workers, Black Lightning, Ozark, and Avengers". Atlanta . Retrieved June 14, 2018.
  5. 1 2 D'Alessandro, Anthony (June 12, 2018). "'Incredibles 2' Poised To Squash 'Dory's $135M All-Time Opening Record For Animated Pic". Deadline Hollywood . Penske Business Media . Retrieved June 12, 2018.
  6. ↑ Saponara, Michael (June 1, 2018). "Future Unveils 'Superfly' Soundtrack Track List". Billboard . Billboard Music. Retrieved June 3, 2018.
  7. ↑ McNary, Dave (May 25, 2018). "Film News Roundup: Sony Opening Crime Thriller 'Superfly' Two Days Earlier". Variety . Retrieved June 12, 2018.
  8. ↑ "SuperFly (2018)". DVDs Release Dates. Retrieved September 16, 2020.
  9. ↑ D'Alessandro, Anthony (June 14, 2018). "'Superfly' Buzzes To $1.2M In Wednesday Opening". Deadline Hollywood . Penske Business Media . Retrieved June 14, 2018.
  10. ↑ D'Alessandro, Anthony (June 24, 2018). "'Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom' With $150M Reps Uni's 2nd Highest Opening Ever – Sunday". Deadline Hollywood . Retrieved June 24, 2018.
  11. ↑ D'Alessandro, Anthony (July 1, 2018). "At $2.5B To Date, Summer's B.O. Is More Colossal Than Ever Imagined; Dinos Still Rule With $60M+ Second Weekend". Deadline Hollywood . Penske Business Media . Retrieved July 1, 2018.
  12. ↑ "Superfly (2018)". Rotten Tomatoes . Fandango . Retrieved October 10, 2021.
  13. ↑ "SuperFly Reviews". Metacritic . CBS Interactive . Retrieved July 2, 2018.
  14. ↑ Gleiberman, Owen (June 12, 2018). "Film Review: 'Superfly'". Variety . Penske Business Media . Retrieved June 12, 2018.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.