{ "id": "ep2wz2d93r", "slug": "the-beekeeper", "title": "The Beekeeper", "updated": "2026-11-01", "topic_path": [ { "id": "culture", "label": "Arts and culture", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture" }, { "id": "culture.performance", "label": "Screen and stage", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.performance" }, { "id": "culture.performance.screen", "label": "Film and television", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.performance.screen" }, { "id": "culture.performance.screen.films", "label": "Films and standalone screen works", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.performance.screen.films" }, { "id": "culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works", "label": "Individual films by title and year", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works" }, { "id": "culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works.action-adventure", "label": "Action and adventure films (individual works)", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works.action-adventure" }, { "id": "culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works.action-adventure.action-thrillers-2020s", "label": "Action thrillers, 2020s", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works.action-adventure.action-thrillers-2020s" }, { "id": "culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works.action-adventure.action-thrillers-2020s.crime-assassin-and-vigilante-thrillers", "label": "Crime, assassin, and vigilante thrillers", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works.action-adventure.action-thrillers-2020s.crime-assassin-and-vigilante-thrillers" }, { "id": "culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works.action-adventure.action-thrillers-2020s.crime-assassin-and-vigilante-thrillers.alpha-symbols-to-l", "label": "Titles symbols to L", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works.action-adventure.action-thrillers-2020s.crime-assassin-and-vigilante-thrillers.alpha-symbols-to-l" } ], "geo": [ { "id": "geo.us.t2021.culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works.action-adventure.action-thrillers-2020s", "label": "United States · 2021 and later: Action thrillers, 2020s", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.us.t2021.culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works.action-adventure.action-thrillers-2020s", "path": [ { "id": "geo.us", "label": "United States", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.us" }, { "id": "geo.us.t2021", "label": "United States · 2021 and later", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.us.t2021" }, { "id": "geo.us.t2021.culture", "label": "Arts and culture", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.us.t2021.culture" }, { "id": "geo.us.t2021.culture.performance", "label": "Screen and stage", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.us.t2021.culture.performance" }, { "id": "geo.us.t2021.culture.performance.screen", "label": "Film and television", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.us.t2021.culture.performance.screen" }, { "id": "geo.us.t2021.culture.performance.screen.films", "label": "Films and standalone screen works", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.us.t2021.culture.performance.screen.films" }, { "id": "geo.us.t2021.culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works", "label": "Individual films by title and year", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.us.t2021.culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works" }, { "id": "geo.us.t2021.culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works.action-adventure", "label": "Action and adventure films (individual works)", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.us.t2021.culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works.action-adventure" }, { "id": "geo.us.t2021.culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works.action-adventure.action-thrillers-2020s", "label": "Action thrillers, 2020s", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.us.t2021.culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works.action-adventure.action-thrillers-2020s" } ] } ], "excerpt": "The Beekeeper (2024) is a David Ayer action thriller written by Kurt Wimmer, starring Jason Statham as Adam Clay, a retired operative of the secret \"Beekeepers\" organization seeking revenge after a phishing scam; it grossed about $160 million worldwide and has a 2027 sequel.", "snippet": "The Beekeeper (2024) is a David Ayer action thriller written by Kurt Wimmer, starring Jason Statham as Adam Clay, a retired operative of the secret \"Beekeepers\" organization seeking revenge after a phishing scam; it grossed about $160 million worldwide and has a 2027 sequel.", "node": "culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works.action-adventure.action-thrillers-2020s.crime-assassin-and-vigilante-thrillers.alpha-symbols-to-l", "markdown": "# The Beekeeper\n\n**The Beekeeper** is a 2024 American action thriller directed by [David Ayer](https://www.edgepedia.org/david-ayer) and written by Kurt Wimmer, starring [Jason Statham](https://www.edgepedia.org/jason-statham) as Adam Clay, a retired operative of a clandestine organization known as \"Beekeepers\" who wages a violent campaign of revenge after his elderly neighbor is robbed by a phishing scam and takes her own life.[1](https://www.mgm.com/movies/the-beekeeper) • [2](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/the_beekeeper_2024) • [3](https://www.justwatch.com/us/movie/the-beekeeper-2024) Released in the United States on January 12, 2024 by [Amazon MGM Studios](https://www.edgepedia.org/amazon-mgm-studios), the film earned about $160 million worldwide on a $40 million production budget and spawned a sequel scheduled for 2027.[4](https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/Beekeeper-The-%282024%29) • [5](https://www.boxofficemojo.com/title/tt15314262/) • [6](https://www.leoninestudios.com/en/news-en/artikel-en/the-beekeeper-2-startet-am-14012027-im-verleih-von-leonine-studios-14727)\n\n| Key fact | Detail |\n|---|---|\n| Director / writer | David Ayer; screenplay by Kurt Wimmer[1](https://www.mgm.com/movies/the-beekeeper) |\n| Lead cast | Jason Statham (Adam Clay), with Jeremy Irons, Emmy Raver-Lampman, Josh Hutcherson, Bobby Naderi, Minnie Driver, and Phylicia Rashad[1](https://www.mgm.com/movies/the-beekeeper) |\n| US release | January 12, 2024 (wide and IMAX), Amazon MGM Studios; opening weekend $16,576,007 from 3,303 theaters[4](https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/Beekeeper-The-%282024%29) |\n| Box office | $66,220,535 domestic, $94,084,338 international, $160,304,873 worldwide on a $40,000,000 production budget[4](https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/Beekeeper-The-%282024%29) |\n| Ratings | R (strong violence throughout, pervasive language, some sexual references and drug use); 105 minutes[4](https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/Beekeeper-The-%282024%29) |\n| Critical scores | 71% Tomatometer (181 reviews) and 92% Popcornmeter on Rotten Tomatoes; Metascore 53 on Metacritic; B+ CinemaScore[2](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/the_beekeeper_2024) • [7](https://www.metacritic.com/movie/the-beekeeper/critic-reviews/) • [8](https://apnews.com/article/1bb56f71748fc52b3bcaa3fc77ea75f4) |\n| Sequel | *The Beekeeper 2*, directed by Timo Tjahjanto, scripted by Kurt Wimmer, scheduled for January 2027[6](https://www.leoninestudios.com/en/news-en/artikel-en/the-beekeeper-2-startet-am-14012027-im-verleih-von-leonine-studios-14727) • [9](https://www.moviefone.com/movie/the-beekeeper-2/pVXT2yaageYWgOECo715y5/where-to-watch/) |\n\n## Spoilers\n\n### Premise and plot\n\nAdam Clay presents himself as a quiet beekeeper tending hives on a New England farm for his neighbor Eloise Parker ([Phylicia Rashad](https://www.edgepedia.org/phylicia-rashad)). When Eloise falls victim to a phishing scam that drains her accounts, including a $2 million charity fund she manages, she takes her own life, and Clay begins a campaign of revenge against the company responsible.[10](https://apnews.com/article/796f8ce207a29b2766588827ec367c80) • [3](https://www.justwatch.com/us/movie/the-beekeeper-2024)\n\nThe revenge plot escalates because Clay is not an ordinary apiarist: he is a retired member of the Beekeepers, an elite, clandestine organization that operates largely off the government books and enforces its own brand of justice where conventional law enforcement has failed.[11](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2024/jan/14/the-beekeeper-review-jason-statham-juggles-honey-hives-and-nonstop-homicide) • [10](https://apnews.com/article/796f8ce207a29b2766588827ec367c80) The trail leads upward to Derek Danforth ([Josh Hutcherson](https://www.edgepedia.org/josh-hutcherson)), a billionaire whose company runs the scam operation, with [Jeremy Irons](https://www.edgepedia.org/jeremy-irons) as Wallace Westwyld, a former CIA director turned security chief, and [Emmy Raver-Lampman](https://www.edgepedia.org/emmy-raver-lampman) as an FBI agent.[11](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2024/jan/14/the-beekeeper-review-jason-statham-juggles-honey-hives-and-nonstop-homicide) • [1](https://www.mgm.com/movies/the-beekeeper) The AP review notes that the film's bee metaphors run throughout, including a \"To bee or not to bee\" line, and that Clay's path carries him toward the White House itself.[10](https://apnews.com/article/796f8ce207a29b2766588827ec367c80)\n\n### Sequel\n\nThe film's commercial performance led to a sequel. *The Beekeeper 2* returns Jason Statham as Adam Clay, with returning cast members Jeremy Irons, Emmy Raver-Lampman, Bobby Naderi, and [Jemma Redgrave](https://www.edgepedia.org/jemma-redgrave), and new additions including [Yara Shahidi](https://www.edgepedia.org/yara-shahidi), Pom Klementieff, and Adam Copeland.[6](https://www.leoninestudios.com/en/news-en/artikel-en/the-beekeeper-2-startet-am-14012027-im-verleih-von-leonine-studios-14727) Direction passes to the Indonesian action filmmaker Timo Tjahjanto, with Kurt Wimmer again writing the screenplay.[6](https://www.leoninestudios.com/en/news-en/artikel-en/the-beekeeper-2-startet-am-14012027-im-verleih-von-leonine-studios-14727) The sequel is scheduled for theatrical release on January 15, 2027 in the United States and January 14, 2027 in Germany, where LEONINE Studios handles distribution.[9](https://www.moviefone.com/movie/the-beekeeper-2/pVXT2yaageYWgOECo715y5/where-to-watch/) • [6](https://www.leoninestudios.com/en/news-en/artikel-en/the-beekeeper-2-startet-am-14012027-im-verleih-von-leonine-studios-14727)\n\n## Production and release\n\nKurt Wimmer wrote the script, and David Ayer, whose earlier credits include the screenplay for *Training Day* and directing *Fury* and *Suicide Squad*, signed on to direct with Statham starring; trade reporting at the time noted plans for a franchise of beekeeping films.[12](https://filmstories.co.uk/news/the-beekeeper-starring-the-statham-starts-filming-next-month/) Filming took place in England in the United Kingdom and in the United States, with the story set in Massachusetts.[4](https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/Beekeeper-The-%282024%29)\n\nThe film opened wide in the United States on January 12, 2024, over the [Martin Luther King Jr.](https://www.edgepedia.org/martin-luther-king-jr) holiday weekend, debuting in second place behind *Mean Girls* with an estimated $16.8 million from 3,303 theaters; audiences gave it a B+ CinemaScore, and about 62% of ticket buyers were men.[8](https://apnews.com/article/1bb56f71748fc52b3bcaa3fc77ea75f4) Miramax handled international distribution, where the film grossed $20.4 million from 49 territories in its first weekend.[8](https://apnews.com/article/1bb56f71748fc52b3bcaa3fc77ea75f4) A home video release followed on January 30, 2024, by MGM Video.[4](https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/Beekeeper-The-%282024%29)\n\n## Box office\n\n**A January sleeper.** Against a $40 million production budget, the film grossed $66,220,535 domestically and $94,084,338 internationally for a worldwide total of $160,304,873, about 4.0 times its production budget.[4](https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/Beekeeper-The-%282024%29) [Box Office Mojo](https://www.edgepedia.org/box-office-mojo)'s later tally puts worldwide gross slightly higher at $162,619,535, with the international share at 59.3%.[5](https://www.boxofficemojo.com/title/tt15314262/) The film showed unusually strong legs for a January action release: its opening weekend was 25.0% of the domestic total, and it reached number one in North America in its third week with $7.4 million, by which point it had crossed $100 million globally.[4](https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/Beekeeper-The-%282024%29) • [13](https://apnews.com/article/9a315be9d56486c6d803872e59d93e2d)\n\nChina was the largest international territory at $58,103,765, followed by Germany at $8,400,000 and Australia at $5,321,007.[4](https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/Beekeeper-The-%282024%29) The film also became a strong home entertainment performer; a Leonine Studios release notes it was the most successful TVOD (transactional video on demand) home video title of 2024 with around one million transactions, and it sold more than 800,000 cinema tickets in Germany.[6](https://www.leoninestudios.com/en/news-en/artikel-en/the-beekeeper-2-startet-am-14012027-im-verleih-von-leonine-studios-14727)\n\n## Reception\n\nCritical response was mixed to moderately positive. On Rotten Tomatoes the film holds a 71% Tomatometer from 181 reviews, with a critics consensus calling it \"cheerfully undemanding and enjoyably retrograde,\" while audience scores were far warmer at 92% on the Popcornmeter.[2](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/the_beekeeper_2024) Metacritic assigned a Metascore of 53, indicating mixed or average reviews.[7](https://www.metacritic.com/movie/the-beekeeper/critic-reviews/)\n\nReviewers generally treated the film as knowingly silly pulp. The Guardian described it as a \"brisk, slick, ultra-violent action onslaught\" that showcases Statham's ability to redeem outlandish material, while the Los Angeles Times called it a \"profoundly silly and self-aware\" antidote to awards-season fare and credited Ayer's overstuffed style with elevating Wimmer's thin script.[11](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2024/jan/14/the-beekeeper-review-jason-statham-juggles-honey-hives-and-nonstop-homicide) • [14](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/movies/story/2024-01-11/beekeeper-review-jason-statham-josh-hutcherson-action) The AP review was more critical, calling it a \"grim and slipshod *John Wick* ripoff\" that flirts with a so-bad-it's-good tone without committing to it.[10](https://apnews.com/article/796f8ce207a29b2766588827ec367c80) RogerEbert.com placed the film in the tradition of vigilante pictures like *Billy Jack* and the original *Walking Tall*, while faulting its ending for framing the corruption as a few bad apples rather than a systemic problem.[15](https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/the-beekeeper-movie-review-2024)\n\n## References\n\n1. [The Beekeeper, MGM Studios](https://www.mgm.com/movies/the-beekeeper)\n2. [The Beekeeper (2024), Rotten Tomatoes](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/the_beekeeper_2024)\n3. [The Beekeeper streaming, JustWatch](https://www.justwatch.com/us/movie/the-beekeeper-2024)\n4. [The Beekeeper (2024) Box Office and Financial Information, The Numbers](https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/Beekeeper-The-%282024%29)\n5. [The Beekeeper (2024), Box Office Mojo](https://www.boxofficemojo.com/title/tt15314262/)\n6. [THE BEEKEEPER 2 startet am 14.01.2027 im Verleih von LEONINE Studios, LEONINE Studios](https://www.leoninestudios.com/en/news-en/artikel-en/the-beekeeper-2-startet-am-14012027-im-verleih-von-leonine-studios-14727)\n7. [The Beekeeper critic reviews, Metacritic](https://www.metacritic.com/movie/the-beekeeper/critic-reviews/)\n8. ['Mean Girls' takes 1st place at the box office, AP News](https://apnews.com/article/1bb56f71748fc52b3bcaa3fc77ea75f4)\n9. [Where to Watch The Beekeeper 2 (2027), Moviefone](https://www.moviefone.com/movie/the-beekeeper-2/pVXT2yaageYWgOECo715y5/where-to-watch/)\n10. [Review: In the bonkers 'The Beekeeper,' Jason Statham has more than a bee in his bonnet, AP News](https://apnews.com/article/796f8ce207a29b2766588827ec367c80)\n11. [The Beekeeper review, The Guardian](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2024/jan/14/the-beekeeper-review-jason-statham-juggles-honey-hives-and-nonstop-homicide)\n12. [The Beekeeper, starring Jason Statham, starts filming, Film Stories](https://filmstories.co.uk/news/the-beekeeper-starring-the-statham-starts-filming-next-month/)\n13. [A quiet weekend at the box office, with 'The Beekeeper' on top, AP News](https://apnews.com/article/9a315be9d56486c6d803872e59d93e2d)\n14. [In the ridiculous but fun 'The Beekeeper,' a dumb action buzz goes straight to your head, Los Angeles Times](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/movies/story/2024-01-11/beekeeper-review-jason-statham-josh-hutcherson-action)\n15. [The Beekeeper movie review & film summary, RogerEbert.com](https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/the-beekeeper-movie-review-2024)\n\n---\n*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Films and standalone screen works › Individual films by title and year › Action and adventure films (individual works) › Action thrillers, 2020s › Crime, assassin, and vigilante thrillers › Titles symbols to L*\n\n*Initially written Oct 3, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 3, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 3, 2026; Oct 25, 2026; Nov 1, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*\n\n*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*\n\nLicense: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license\n", "same_as": [], "url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/the-beekeeper", "markdown_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/the-beekeeper.md", "license": { "name": "Edgepedia Community License 1.0", "url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license", "summary": "Free with credit, commercial use included. AI training is open to everyone. For other uses, organizations over USD 100M in revenue or 100M monthly users license separately.", "spdx": "LicenseRef-Edgepedia-Community-1.0" }, "credit": "\"The Beekeeper\", Edgepedia (EdgeChat), https://www.edgepedia.org/the-beekeeper. Edgepedia Community License 1.0.", "credit_md": "\"[The Beekeeper](https://www.edgepedia.org/the-beekeeper)\", Edgepedia (EdgeChat), [https://www.edgepedia.org/the-beekeeper](https://www.edgepedia.org/the-beekeeper). [Edgepedia Community License 1.0](https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license).", "credit_html": "\"The Beekeeper\", Edgepedia (EdgeChat), https://www.edgepedia.org/the-beekeeper. Edgepedia Community License 1.0.", "speakable": "The Beekeeper is a David Ayer action thriller written by Kurt Wimmer, starring Jason Statham as Adam Clay, a retired operative of the secret \"Beekeepers\" organization seeking revenge after a phishing scam; it grossed about $160 million worldwide and has a 2027 sequel." }