Why The Beekeeper Blew Everyone Away At The Box Office

Directed by David Ayer, "The Beekeeper" is the latest action vehicle for Jason Statham, star of "The Expendables" and "Hobbs and Shaw." In the film, Statham plays Adam Clay, a humble beekeeper working for Mrs. Parker, a kind old woman (Phylicia Rashad) who is scammed by a group of data miners and con artists who prey on the weak. After losing everything, Mrs. Parker takes her own life, sending Clay into a quiet rage. But when those responsible prove untouchable by authorities, Clay takes it upon himself to get justice.

After burning down the data center that scammed her, Clay decides to continue his rampage all the way to the top. He's pursued not just by the company's owner, Derek Danforth (Josh Hutcherson), but by Parker's own daughter, dedicated FBI agent Verona Parker (Emmy Raver-Lampman). What none of them realize, however, is that Clay is no ordinary man, but a highly trained killer who is a retired member of a secret intelligence organization called The Beekeepers.

Though it might seem like any other action movie, "The Beekeeper" has performed well in theaters, amassing big bucks while earning praise from audiences. But how did this movie — that on paper seems like just another in a long line of underwhelming revenge thrillers — become 2024's first bona fide box office hit? Get ready to find out, because we're going to explain why "The Beekeeper" blew everyone away at the box office.

January is often seen in the industry as the worst month to release a movie, and films rarely due well when the calendar turns over. However, that's mostly because studios have a history of using January to dump their proverbial garbage, movies they know aren't very good but need to be released anyway. Think films like "Blackhat" or "Snow Dogs." What that meant for a movie like "The Beekeeper," though, is that it had very little in the way of competition.

While it wasn't the only major movie to see release in January, "The Beekeeper" didn't really have much competition in its genre. "The Book of Clarence" dropped the same day, aimed at a more thoughtful, possibly more religious audience, while the musical remake of "Mean Girls" was never likely to attract the same audience as a Jason Statham-led thriller. 

Subsequent weeks too, left little for the film to contend with, with smaller dramas like "Founders Day" and "Miller's Girl" offering no real challenge, and sci-fi entry "I.S.S." bombing hard. And unlike past January releases, "The Beekeeper" was generally well-reviewed as a top-notch action movie. So while competition can often kill a good movie's chances at the box office, the relatively weak fare it was fighting with for viewers' attention made it an easy winner.

Like mid-budget action movies, the idea of the movie star seems to have been lost over the past decade, with branded characters and franchises being the real reason audiences go to the movies. There are few actors these days who can attract moviegoers by name alone, with the likes of Tom Cruise, Brad Pitt, and Keanu Reeves being some of the exceptions. But Jason Statham is also one of those few, and while not all of his films have been box office hits, he has the kind of track record that gives one confidence that when they pay their hard-earned money at the ticket counter they will get some serious bang for their buck.

Statham's cool, aloof swagger also stands in stark contrast to someone like Dwayne Johnson, who struts across the screen as if he owns the movie (mostly because he does). Meanwhile, Statham's everyman persona sets him apart from the likes of Tom Cruise, who even when playing ordinary men looks every bit like the superstar he is any time he strolls onscreen. Statham possesses a certain blue-collar vibe that makes him eminently relatable. He's a real draw for the average movie fan, even when playing a retired intelligence operative and elite soldier as he does in "The Beekeeper." 

Much has been made in recent years about the ever-increasing number of movies based on existing intellectual property. Whether that's a comic book movie, a video game adaptation, a remake, a reboot, or even a big-budget action movie based on a toy, there's at least some truth to the accusation that new and original ideas are becoming the exception to the rule. Movie studios worry if a movie isn't based on something that everyone has already heard of. But "The Beekeeper" breaks that mold, and audiences are here for it.

Following a year swamped with adaptations and remakes — with many of them flopping hard and losing hundreds of millions of dollars — "The Beekeeper" feels like a breath of fresh air. It's the rare hit action movie that's also an original concept. It was written by Kurt Wimmer, who is no stranger to creating original screenplays, but who's also known the folly of remakes and reboots.

In 2002, Wimmer made waves as the writer of the Christian Bale cult classic "Equilibrium," an original story of his own. He also wrote the 2010 Angelina Jolie actioner "Salt." But he's also been responsible for remakes like "Point Break" and "Total Recall," and it seems he may have learned that the original ideas are what audiences respond to best — as "The Beekeeper" is once again proving.

It's not uncommon for a big movie to come out and divide critics and audiences. After all, a critical analysis by a professional reviewer isn't always going to match up with what the average moviegoer is looking for. That's especially true for a popcorn action movie, where all some audiences want is a decent story and some good fight scenes, and might not care about elements found in more traditionally well-reviewed dramas. Yet "The Beekeeper," even as a thinly-plotted, action-heavy romp, is finding common ground between both camps — because audience scores are through the roof.

Sitting at a lofty 92% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes, "The Beekeeper" is indeed on par with some of the best action movies in recent memory. Fan reviews are highlighting not just its fast-paced action and impressive fight sequences, but its riveting tension and underdog story with a hero that's hard not to root for. Many noted how the film was exactly what they came to see, while still offering up enough surprises to keep them on the edge of their seat to the very end.

Though critical scores are often important to a movie's success, it's really what the audience thinks that matters most. By all accounts, "The Beekeeper" is making fans get up and cheer, which is exactly what a balls-to-the-wall action movie should do.

From Ethan Hunt and James Bond to John Wick and Tyler Rake, some of the biggest action heroes are special forces veterans, secret agents, or highly trained hitmen. Even when they're not, revenge thrillers often feature heroes gunning through wave after wave of baddies with an unmatched bloodlust, eager to kill anyone and everyone who gets in their way. But despite Jason Statham's titular Beekeeper being an elite killer and retired member of a highly classified intelligence program, he's not the bloodthirsty assassin we have become so accustomed to, nor the secret agent happy to take down anyone they face off with.

One unique aspect of the film, in fact, is Clay's reluctance to kill, only using guns as a last resort, and doing whatever he can to minimize casualties. He even gives scam artists a chance to repent and change their ways. Out for revenge for the death of his kind, motherly neighbor, Clay isn't just out for blood, he's out for justice — justice for the little guy, for anyone who's ever been the victim of a scam or the target of a bully. 

Ultimately, "The Beekeeper" provides much-needed catharsis for those of us unable to exact a penance on those who have wronged us, the kinds of people who the law seems unable — or unwilling — to stop. That may be why the film is resonating so strongly with audiences — it's an outlet for just about everyone's need for justice, because nobody is immune to being wronged.

"The Beekeeper" has done well in theaters, especially for a January title, but that wasn't the only place it was released. Just a few weeks after it landed in cinemas, the film also dropped on video-on-demand services like Amazon, Google Play, and Vudu. It wasn't a free watch, of course — it was a paid download for a hefty $19.99 — but it offered fans the opportunity to see it without leaving the house. The question is, could that digital download availability, so soon after its theatrical release, cut off the movie's legs?

Digital debuts were controversial during the COVID-19 pandemic, but with theaters closed due to a global health crisis, they certainly made some sense, no matter how you might have felt about it. But four years later, studios like MGM (the distributor of "The Beekeeper") are still offering releases as a paid download extremely close to a movie's release as a way of providing viewers with a choice. 

While it may seem like a good decision — one that benefits consumers — it does make us wonder if "The Beekeeper" might have done even better if audiences knew that the theater was the only way to see it for at least a few months. Waiting just three weeks, however, may not be too much of a wait for some, and they may have opted to be a little patient rather than shell out at the ticket counter, handicapping its box office totals.