Cocaine Bear hit theaters this weekend, and it is based on the true story of a black bear who ate an incredible amount of cocaine in 1985. Currently, Cocaine Bear is up on Rotten Tomatoes with a 69% critics score after 180 reviews and a 74% audience score after 100+ reviews. Critics seem to be mixed on the new comedy/thriller, but its score is still pretty impressive for a movie with such a wacky premise. In fact, the film’s writer, Jimmy Warden, is pretty pleased with its 69%. Of course, when a number like that gets associated with your movie, it’s hard not to have a little fun.
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“I’d like to thank everyone for making this happen. Especially all the critics who loved the movie but kindly agreed to give it a negative review so we could hit our number. #69forCocaineBear,” Warden joked in a tweet. You can check it out below:
Recently, Warden spoke with Variety and said he’s ready to keep the Cocaine Bear universe alive. “Not just a sequel. Many sequels. Cocaine Bear in Space is where we would probably end,” the writer shared.
Banks also shared similar sentiments about expanding on the world of Cocaine Bear. Earlier this month, “cocaine shark” became a trending topic on social media after New Zealand officials reported the discovery of more than three tons of cocaine floating in the Pacific Ocean. While that doesn’t mean there’s actually a “cocaine shark” out there, it did cause movie fans to joke about the possibility of a Cocaine Shark movie on Twitter.
“I’ve seen that, If there’s a great story, then sure,” Banks told PEOPLE when they asked if she would take on another “cocaine” animal story. “Jaws with cocaine, I don’t see how that loses.”
What Happened to the Real Cocaine Bear?
“Cokey” ingested an extreme amount of cocaine after a drug runner’s plane crashed in 1985. Andrew C. Thornton II was a former narcotics officer and convicted drug smuggler, who dumped a duffel bag of cocaine out of his plane because his plane was too heavy. Thornton intended to recover the bag himself, jumping out of the plane with a parachute, but the parachute was faulty, and Thornton died. Three months later, a 175-pound black bear was found dead in Georgia alongside 40 opened plastic containers of cocaine. The tale became popular in the region, and the animal itself was taxidermied and is still displayed at the Kentucky Fun Mall in Lexington, Kentucky, where you can also buy “Cokey the Bear” merch. Naturally, the movie is taking a lot of liberties.
I felt a lot of sympathy for the bear,” Banks told EW about the real-life Cocaine Bear. “Like, wow, this bear – which, in real life, ended up dead after eating all this coke – ended up being sort of collateral damage in this War on Drugs. And I just thought, ‘Well, then this movie can be a revenge story for the bear.’ And it just gave me a point of view and a purpose for making it. Like, there’s a real message here: ‘We should not f*ck with nature, nature will win.’”
Cocaine Bear is now playing in theaters.
