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“Cocaine Bear” is barreling into theatres in a big way.
According to Deadline, the Elizabeth Banks-directed horror-comedy brought in an impressive $2 million at the box office on Thursday, Feb. 23, during its first night of previews ahead of its official release on Friday, Feb. 24.
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The film (which is kind of but not really based on a true story) follows the carnage that ensues when a drug smuggler accidentally dumps a hefty shipment of cocaine in the woods, where it’s snorted up by a massive bear who goes on a drug-fuelled rampage of destruction.
Meanwhile, Variety reports that “Cocaine Bear” is on track to deliver an opening weekend of somewhere between $15-$17 million domestically.
As reviews have indicated, the film is as bonkers as it sounds, and even its director admits “Cocaine Bear” is pretty out there.
“I’m going to be honest with you, no one knows what to make of it when I tell them about it,” Banks told Variety at the film’s premiere.
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“My poor mother is the least informed,” she joked. “She’s going to go with my aunts and they’re going to lose their minds.”
Also attending the premiere was star Keri Russell, who revealed she was planning to watch the film alongside her 15-year-old son.
“I’m taking my son and a pack of wild teenagers,” she said. “I’m taking the parents, too. They’re all into it. It’s a weird world we live in.”