The forest is a common setting for thriller movies, but traditional films star psychopaths or serial killers rather than a bear high on cocaine.
The film plays with the opportunity of introducing a romance between main characters Sari and Eddie, but instead focuses on the love between mother and daughter as well as the heartwarming relationship between man and dog; the film chooses to subvert the stereotypes of cheesy horror movie romance. “Cocaine Bear” uses excessive gore and blood to counteract the grievous concept of the murders, even while playing into its own outlandish concept. The other storyline within the film follows drug smugglers Daveed (O’Shea Jackson Jr., “Den of Thieves”) and Eddie (Alden Ehrenreich, “Fair Play”) as they travel through the forest to get back their boss Syd’s (Ray Liotta, “Black The concept of a drugged bear seems random, but director and producer Elizabeth Banks drew inspiration from the incident in 1985. Some months before, drug smuggler Andrew Thornton had dropped bags of cocaine out of his plane as it went down in a crash, trying a last ditch effort to scatter the evidence of the drugs into the Chattahoochee National Forest before the plane went down. The forest is a common setting for thriller movies, but traditional films star psychopaths or serial killers rather than a bear high on cocaine.
Just a couple days after Cocaine Bear's appearance at the Academy Awards, the Elizabeth Banks-directed horror-comedy Cocaine Bear is now available at home.
[The Hole in the Ground](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt6198946/)) Evil Dead Rise is coming exclusively to theaters on April 21, 2023. “In the fifth Evil Dead film, a road-weary Beth pays an overdue visit to her older sister Ellie, who is raising three kids on her own in a cramped L.A apartment. The Machines) and Aditya Sood (The Martian) for Lord Miller, by Elizabeth Banks and Max Handelman (Pitch Perfect franchise) for Brownstone Productions, and by Brian Duffield (Spontaneous). One thing you should not expect to see in the upcoming Evil Dead Rise is franchise hero Ash Williams, as the new movie will instead focus on new characters. Directed by Elizabeth Banks from a screenplay by Jimmy Warden (The Babysitter: Killer Queen), Cocaine Bear is produced by Oscar® winners Phil Lord and Chris Miller (Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse, The Mitchells vs. Phil Lord and Chris Miller (Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse) produced.
Released in theatres just two and a half weeks ago, Elizabeth Banks' thriller Cocaine Bear has already been given a digital release.
(Straight Outta Compton), Jesse Tyler Ferguson (Modern Family), Kristofer Hivju (Game of Thrones), Kahyun Kim (American Gods), Christian Convery (Sweet Tooth), Brooklynn Prince (The Florida Project), and newcomer Scott Seiss. Unfortunately, he hit his head on the tail of the aircraft and wound up in a freefall to the ground where he was found dead in someone’s driveway. Will you be watching Cocaine Bear in the comfort of your own home now that it has been given a digital release? [last year](https://www.joblo.com/elizabeth-banks-cocaine-bear-true-story/), the true story goes like this: “In 1985, convicted drug smuggler Andrew Thornton was on a smuggling run from Columbia and had dumped several packages full of cocaine before bailing from the plane himself. Several months later, a 175-pound black bear was found dead after devouring approximately $15 million worth of cocaine that had been dropped by Thornton. “There isn’t a mammal on the planet that could survive that.
After hitting theaters at the end of last month, Elizabeth Banks' Cocaine Bear is already available to buy and rent on digital platforms.
The first trailer for Cocaine Bear went viral, and it's possible that there is a large number of people who have been waiting to experience the movie at home. After [Cocaine Bear's impressive box office](https://screenrant.com/cocaine-bear-box-office-antman-comparison-details/) haul, the movie is seemingly available on all major digital platforms, including Apple TV+ and Vudu. M3gan, on the other hand, another modestly-budgeted movie, became something of a sensation due to its viral marketing campaign, and subsequently enjoyed a longer theatrical run of about 47 days. The theatrical movie industry has largely recovered by this point thanks to big releases like Top Gun: Maverick and Avatar: The Way of Water, but the release strategy for smaller, mid-budget movies has seemingly been permanently changed. [Cocaine Bear](https://screenrant.com/tag/cocaine-bear/) is now already available to watch at home, despite only releasing in movie theaters two weeks ago. The COVID-19 pandemic largely accelerated and exacerbated trends that already existed, with many viewers opting to wait to experience movies from home instead of taking a trip to a movie theater.
The Elizabeth Banks-directed larger-than-life true story Cocaine Bear, starring Keri Russell, Ray Liotta, & more is now available on Digital.
[stars](https://collider.com/cocaine-bear-hero/) [ Kerri Russell](http://collider.com/cocaine-bear-hero/) (Antlers), Christian Convery (Sweet Tooth), O’Shea Jackson Jr. [Cocaine Bear](https://collider.com/tag/cocaine-bear/) is now [available](https://collider.com/where-to-watch-cocaine-bear/) for digital rental or purchase. With its comedic and overly dramatized take on a horrific and gory bit of true urban legend, Cocaine Bear is shaping up to be a [well-received return](https://collider.com/cocaine-bear-review/) to filmmaking for Banks. You can check out the film’s trailer below and keep scrolling for the official synopsis. Taking audiences deep into the woods of Georgia in 1985, the film centers around the gargantuan animal’s discovery of a drug smuggler’s loss of almost 75 pounds of the upper and the carnage and comedown that followed. Based on a true story, Cocaine Bear follows the stranger than fiction story of a 500-pound black bear that gets his paws on a boatload of cocaine.
Elizabeth Banks' comedy-horror film "Cocaine Bear" is just outright hilarious at its best moments, pushing the ridiculous to absolute limits.
As the packet falls and bursts open on a rock, the cocaine scatters all over the place, and some of it drops on the injured bear as well. There are also two bear cubs inside the cave, along with a duffle bag full of cocaine, and the cubs are also hooked on the drug by now. A black bear had indeed eaten up a large amount of cocaine, but unlike in the film, the bear had actually died after this. As bizarre and ridiculous as it may sound, “Cocaine Bear” is loosely adapted from a real event that took place in 1985, in the very locations shown in the film. He then also takes them to a bear cave, saying that he had seen Dee Dee run into the cave, but he refuses to accompany the woman and the boy inside. When a packet of cocaine is cut open, the bear wakes up instantly and tries to get hold of it in a drug-crazed frenzy. The bear is obviously attracted to the drug more than anything else, and while Peter climbs up a tree, he is torn apart by the bear. Syd believed that it was actually Eddie’s wife who had convinced him to stop working with his father, and now that the wife was dead, Syd wanted Eddie back on his side. Knowing her daughter well enough, the mother rushes to the forest in order to find and bring Dee Dee and Henry back. That very same day, the private plane and the body of the man who had jumped out of it were found in Knoxville, Tennessee, with cocaine packets worth millions of dollars in the bag that was on his body. This is exactly why Syd also sends his men, and he, himself, too, goes to the forest in order to find and retrieve his drugs. As is evident to us viewers, and not the couple, from the chain of events, the bear has surely managed to consume some cocaine thrown out of the plane earlier.
You can rent or buy "Cocaine Bear" from digital retailers like Amazon. The gory comedy is about a rampaging bear that ate way too much cocaine.
[Here's a full breakdown of all the details from the film that are fact or fiction](https://www.insider.com/cocaine-bear-breakdown-real-fake-moments-fact-fiction-2023-2). If you buy them, we may get a small share of the revenue from the sale from our partners. Though not exactly an awards contender, "Cocaine Bear" should be well worth a watch for fans of horror comedies and bloody genre flicks. [the true story](https://www.insider.com/cocaine-bear-movie-true-story-2022-12) of a black bear that overdosed on cocaine in 1985. "Cocaine Bear" received mostly positive reviews from critics and audiences. We may receive products free of charge from manufacturers to test. We operate independently from our advertising team. Very loosely inspired by a real event, "Cocaine Bear" tells the outrageous story of a black bear who stumbles upon a lost shipment of cocaine. The rental price currently carries a premium since the movie is still playing in theaters, but it will likely drop to around $6 in the coming months. Customers who rent the movie get 30 days to start watching it, and then 48 hours to finish it after they hit play. [Insider Reviews](https://www.insider.com/guides) team. [Amazon](https://affiliate.insider.com/?amazonTrackingID=biauto-57756-20&h=74b70bef489285561e544fa9826f74612ed04a649d93dd4305f19b3211145bb7&postID=641086382001445f9c0e0f8d&site=bi&u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2FCocaine-Bear-Keri-Russell%2Fdp%2FB0B6JPQH3W&platform=browser&sc=false&disabled=false), [Vudu](https://affiliate.insider.com/?amazonTrackingID=biauto-57756-20&h=b1c32ca8edc3a85686e0ece6409f566cfab1e9296bc79c189ae081b388f3d737&postID=641086382001445f9c0e0f8d&site=bi&u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.vudu.com%2Fcontent%2Fmovies%2Fdetails%2FCocaine-Bear%2F2286118&platform=browser&sc=false&disabled=false), and [Apple TV](https://affiliate.insider.com/?amazonTrackingID=biauto-57756-20&h=13b1b8f918e5ac92f0d4dacc553f8a7ca75605dbbf32133dabfa913083dd805c&postID=641086382001445f9c0e0f8d&site=bi&u=https%3A%2F%2Ftv.apple.com%2Fus%2Fmovie%2Fcocaine-bear%2Fumc.cmc.45r8u13v2wdlsupteep9bqrdq&platform=browser&sc=false&disabled=false).
Catch up with one of the buzziest movies of 2023 and watch Cocaine Bear online at home.
[Cocaine Bear review](https://www.whattowatch.com/reviews/cocaine-bear-review-drug-comedy-is-a-hilarious-gory-rampage) — and a respectable "Fresh" score of 69% on [Rotten Tomatoes](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/cocaine_bear) (opens in new tab). Michael Balderston is a DC-based entertainment and assistant managing editor for What to Watch, who has previously written about the TV and movies with TV Technology, Awards Circuit and regional publications. However, when it does head to streaming, as a Universal movie it is almost certainly going to do so on Maisel, Saturday Night Live, Only Murders in the Building and is always up for a Seinfeld rerun. Renting the movie is going to cost $19.99 for a 24-hour rental, while you can purchase the movie for $24.99. In the movie, this leads to the bear going on a gory rampage, with an ensemble of human characters caught in its wake. 2 at the box office in its first weekend (trailing only Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania) with $23.26 million. It follows another Universal Pictures 2023 hit movie with a quick launch at home, [Peacock](https://www.whattowatch.com/watching-guides/peacock-everything-you-need-to-know-about-the-nbcuniversal-streaming-service), just like previous Universal/Focus Features movies [TÁR](https://www.whattowatch.com/news/how-to-watch-tar), [Downton Abbey: A New Era](https://www.whattowatch.com/news/how-to-watch-downton-abbey-a-new-era) and [Puss in Boots: The Last Wish](https://www.whattowatch.com/watching-guides/puss-in-boots-the-last-wish-release-date-cast-plot-trailer-and-everything-we-know). [Letterboxd](https://letterboxd.com/mbalderston/) (opens in new tab). [Prime Video](https://target.georiot.com/Proxy.ashx?tsid=110014&GR_URL=https%3A%2F%2Famazon.com%2Fgp%2Fvideo%2Fdetail%2FB0B6JN2R1M%2Fref%3Datv_hm_hom_4_c_ZWyNDQ_j6eYmS_1_1%3Ftag%3Dhawk-future-20%26ascsubtag%3Dwhattowatch-us-3140758724167977000-20) (opens in new tab), [Google Play](https://www.prf.hn/click/camref:1100l8Vk3/pubref:whattowatch-us-7353898603595487000/destination:https%3A%2F%2Fplay.google.com%2Fstore%2Fmovies%2Fdetails%3Fid%3DzmwGgJjAlLs.P) (opens in new tab), [Apple TV](https://tv.apple.com/us/movie/cocaine-bear/umc.cmc.45r8u13v2wdlsupteep9bqrdq/channel/tvs.sbd.4000?at=1001l369U&ct=whattowatch-us-5383293177671225000&itscg=30200&itsct=Future_TV) (opens in new tab), [YouTube](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OvYE4w1ejHg) (opens in new tab), [Vudu](https://www.anrdoezrs.net/click-100624763-14516778?sid=whattowatch-us-1551741596259475500&url=https://www.vudu.com/content/movies/details/title/2286118) (opens in new tab), [RedBox](https://go.redirectingat.com/?id=92X1626773&xcust=whattowatch_us_7191328670255872000&xs=1&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.redbox.com%2Fondemand-movies%2Fcocaine-bear%3FqueryId%3D10ef84038d4a1c70&sref=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.whattowatch.com%2Fnews%2Fwatch-cocaine-bear-online-right-now-as-movie-hits-digital) (opens in new tab) and [AMC Theaters On Demand](https://www.amctheatres.com/movies/cocaine-bear-69729) (opens in new tab). [based on a true story](https://www.whattowatch.com/features/is-cocaine-bear-based-on-a-true-story) of when a drug smuggler dumped kilos of cocaine over Georgia and Tennessee, only for a Black bear to stumble upon the drugs and digest some.
Elizabeth Banks' horror action-comedy is now available to watch on PVOD.
As for streaming, odds are "Cocaine Bear" will debut on Peacock just as soon as Universal's agreed-upon release window with theaters (45 days) is up in early April. Universal has yet to announce whether "Cocaine Bear" will be hitting Blu-ray and other digital media, but it's fairly safe to assume it will. Fury of the Gods," "John Wick: Chapter 4," and "Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves" all charging into theaters over the latter half of March, it's probably best to do so before Pablo Escobear ( just under three weeks into its theatrical release, too, so we may yet end up getting ["Cocaine Bear Goes to Space"](https://www.slashfilm.com/1210367/cocaine-bear-screenwriter-already-has-sequels-in-mind-including-cocaine-bear-goes-to-space/) after all. "Cocaine Bear" is now officially available on Premium Video On Demand (PVOD) through retailers like Amazon Prime Video and Vudu, in accordance with Universal's agreement to give its films a minimum 17-day theatrical exclusive window. However, as much as Banks' movie lends itself to fanciful gore and hoot-worthy escapades in [the tradition of Sam Raimi's "Evil Dead" trilogy](https://www.slashfilm.com/1166650/cocaine-bears-fun-gory-scares-were-inspired-by-quentin-tarantino-sam-raimi-and-coen-brothers-films/), it also doubles as a send-up of Reagan-era drug policies and the U.S.
THIS is a movie: Elizabeth Banks directs Keri Russell, O'Shea Jackson Jr., Ray Liotta (RIP) and several others who play people trying not to get their guts ...
Also meanwhile, a couple of cops are also trying to chase down the drugs, Bob (Isaiah “Sheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee-it” Whitlock Jr.) and Reba (Ayoola Smart). The character development during this nonplot is such that we’re divided between being on Team Bear or Team Dumbasses Who Don’t Shoot The Bear With A Gun When Given Multiple Opportunities To Do So – so Team Bear it is, then. Sari (Russell) is a single mom who works as a – what could it be – what’s the profession of all Movie Single Moms – yep, you guessed it – nurse. Granted, anything titled Cocaine Bear isn’t going to be the type of movie that Resonates. It has to hold us in the moment. They trek to the national park and, before they figure out that the bear is high as a cumulonimbus and attacking folks, have encounters with park ranger Liz (Margo Martindale), the wildlife expert she’s shtoinking (Jesse Tyler Ferguson), and three teenage delinquents (Aaron Holliday, J.B. Meanwhile, Daveed (Jackson) and Eddie (Alden Ehrenreich) are dope-dealing dopes tasked with tracking down the lost coke, under the orders of Eddie’s sleazy crime lord dad Syd (Liotta). She single-moms Dee Dee (Brooklynn Prince of The Florida Project), who ditches school to go check out the falls in the Chattahoochee with her pal Henry (Christian Convery). [COCAINE BEAR](https://decider.com/movie/cocaine-bear/): STREAM IT OR SKIP IT? CUT TO: A couple of Norwegian hikers, Olaf (Kristofer Hivju) and Elsa (Hannah Hoekstra) – get it? [now streaming on VOD services like Amazon Prime Video](https://www.amazon.com/Cocaine-Bear-Keri-Russell/dp/B0B6JPQH3W?tag=decider08-20&asc_refurl=https://decider.com/2023/03/14/cocaine-bear-streaming-movie-review/&asc_source=web)) is surely the stupidest BOATS movie ever. There’s a roar, a severed leg, lots of blood, the title card, then the bear, center frame, rabid with blood dripping from its snout, distracted by a random butterfly.