Tag: coming 2 america

If Coming 2 America Skips Theater Release for Streaming, Paramount+? Netflix? Where?

~ Todd Russell ~ 8 Comments

Missed this speculation from Washington Post and Cinemablend last month. Titles skipping theatrical release in 2020? Yes, we all know it’s happening.

In light of the number of titles that have skipped a theater release, Disney recent title delay shuffleboard (see: YIKES – Disney Postpones Black Widow, West Side Story, Death On The Nile … more), it is an increasingly realistic possibility.

One of my five most anticipated movies of 2020, is the sequel Coming 2 America (love that title for a sequel), with Eddie Murphy, Arsenio Hall and others returning to their iconic 80s comedy roles. It has not moved from its original scheduled release date of December 18 yet …

As of right now, Craig Brewer’s Coming 2 America appears to be in the former camp, set to hit the big screen just in time for Christmas, but if current rumors pan out then that may not be true for too long. According to Washington Post reporter Steven Zeitchik, there have been conversations going on behind the scenes at Paramount Pictures that could eventually lead to the Eddie Murphy-starring sequel finding distribution on a streaming service instead of playing in theaters.

Could Coming To America 2 Be Heading To A Streaming Service? – CINEMABLEND

I’d like to see Coming 2 America show up in theaters first. I definitely don’t want it to do a Bill & Ted Face The Music and go straight to VOD, but can imagine it being a featured launch title for Paramount+ as part of their CBS All Access rebranding “in early 2021” (see: ViacomCBS announces new plus-sized name for expanded CBS All Access: Paramount+)

Eddie Murphy is enjoying a little 80s resurgence as new fans are realizing he once had a hit song called “Party All The Time” in addition that, yes, he is funny and can do adult humor after his role in Dolemite Is My Name.

Imagine it is 1985. Ronald Reagan is the president. Back to the Future dominates in movie theaters. Commodore Computers launches the Amiga personal computer. And comedy superstar Eddie Murphy—perhaps the most gifted comedian to ever get his start on Saturday Night Live —puts out How Could It Be, an album featuring the song “Party All the Time.” The music is characterized by one critic as “Gumby goes disco” but it makes it to no. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100. 

I was more into 80s hard rock bands than pop dance songs, but did kind of groove on Murphy’s tune.

Back to Coming 2 America. What’s your preference for the release? A theatrical release in December as planned? Off to premiere on a streaming channels of choice? VOD like Bill & Ted Face The Music? Premium VOD + streaming a la Mulan?

FIRST LOOK: Coming 2 America

~ Todd Russell ~ Leave a comment
No poster for Coming 2 America yet

This one is 32 years old. 32 years between sequels has to be up there in the record books, especially when so many of the original cast are returning. Pretty much every single minor character with any sort of significant part except for Eric LaSalle, the horny sister and Samuel L. Jackson are returning.

Plus Wesley Snipes and Tracy Morgan have joined to play new parts. Sign me up.

Am a huge fan of the original Coming To America starring Eddie Murphy and Arsenio Hall. You’ll note the box art is not for the new movie and there isn’t any trailer here, but I’m profiling what we know so far this early and I’ll have more coverage as the release date gets closer.

This comedy came out when more R-rated, edgy comedies were being released. Eddie Murphy has states that this sequel will not be R rated and instead be PG-13, I guess to expand the potential audience.

Sort of have mixed feelings about it not carrying the same R rating as the original. Murphy just isn’t as edgy as he once was and now we’re seeing horror movies try to do the same thing: telling more watered down PG-13 stories just to make sure they don’t get an R rating.

Again, it is amazing to see so many of the cast from the original movie coming back three decades later. Pretty much everybody involved in the first movie including: Arsenio Hall as Akeem’s best friend Semmi, Shari Headley as Lisa McDowell, John Amos as Cleo McDowell, James Earl Jones as King Jaffe Joffer, Vanessa Bell Calloway as Imani Izzi (the daughter that Akeem did not marry in the original movie). Paul Bates as Oha, Louie Anderson as Maurice (the employee at McDowell’s restaurant that was trying to move up in management).

As far as plot and story goes …

About to be crowned king upon the passing of King Jaffee (James Earl Jones), Akeem is made to swear on his father’s deathbed that he’ll return to America in order to complete a specific task: a reunion with the son he never knew he had (Jermaine Fowler), in the hopes of bringing him home to Zamunda, where he’ll become a prince.

Coming 2 America: Your Guide to the Long-Awaited Sequel

This movie sounds like it’s going to be a ton of fun. I can’t remember many sequels that have had so many of the original actors/actresses in it from the original movie so many years later.

32 years later!

Yikes, it doesn’t seem like it’s been that long, does it? There has been no trailer for the film posted yet. This movie and West Side Story directed by Steven Spielberg are pretty much the Star Wars movie of December 2020, since there are no other major wide release movies scheduled for December 18, 2020 as of this writing. It’s early in the year though, so movie dates can be moved around.

Coming 2 America is coming to theaters on December 18, 2020.