# Central Intelligence
**Central Intelligence** is a 2016 American buddy action-comedy directed by [Rawson Marshall Thurber](https://www.edgepedia.org/rawson-marshall-thurber), in which [Dwayne Johnson](https://www.edgepedia.org/dwayne-johnson) plays a formerly bullied high school student who became a CIA agent and [Kevin Hart](https://www.edgepedia.org/kevin-hart) plays the former classmate he recruits. It was released on June 17, 2016 by Warner Bros. Pictures in the United States and Canada and by Universal Pictures internationally.[1](https://www.thewrap.com/dwayne-johnson-kevin-hart-comedy-central-intelligence-gets-release-date/) • [2](https://movie.guru/central-intelligence-movie-review)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Director and writers | Rawson Marshall Thurber directed; screenplay by Ike Barinholtz, David Stassen, and Thurber, from a story by Stassen and Barinholtz[3](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/central_intelligence/cast-and-crew) |
| Stars | Dwayne Johnson as Bob Stone (Robbie Weirdicht) and Kevin Hart as Calvin Joyner; supporting cast includes Amy Ryan, Aaron Paul, Jason Bateman, and Danielle Nicolet[4](https://www.metacritic.com/movie/central-intelligence/) |
| Release | June 17, 2016 (United States and Canada, Warner Bros.); Universal Pictures internationally via United International Pictures[2](https://movie.guru/central-intelligence-movie-review) |
| Budget and box office | $50 million production budget; $127.4 million domestic and $216.9 million worldwide gross[2](https://movie.guru/central-intelligence-movie-review) |
| Reception | Rotten Tomatoes 71% (187 reviews); Metacritic 52/100; CinemaScore A−; IMDb 6.3/10[5](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/central_intelligence) • [4](https://www.metacritic.com/movie/central-intelligence/) |
| Runtime and rating | 107 minutes, rated PG-13 for crude and suggestive humor, some nudity, action violence, and brief strong language[6](https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/Central-Intelligence) |
## Spoilers
### Plot
The story follows Bob Stone, a one-time bullied geek who grew up to be a lethal CIA agent and returns home for his high school reunion. Claiming to be on a top-secret case, he enlists the help of Calvin Joyner, the former "big man on campus," now an accountant who misses his glory days. Before the staid numbers-cruncher realizes what he is getting into, he is dragged through a world of shoot-outs, double-crosses, and espionage.[7](https://watch.afi.com/movie/central-intelligence) A fuller synopsis adds that Stone needs Calvin's number skills to help save a compromised U.S. spy satellite system.[5](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/central_intelligence)
The premise turns on a reversal of high school fortunes: Bob was an overweight, socially isolated teenager in 1996 who transformed himself into a physically imposing operative, while Calvin, once the school's golden boy, is now a dissatisfied accountant.[8](https://saturation.io/budgets/central-intelligence-2016) • [9](https://time.com/4372741/central-intelligence-review/) A flashback shows that Calvin stuck up for Bob after a cruel senior-year humiliation, a kindness Bob never forgot.[9](https://time.com/4372741/central-intelligence-review/)
## Production
Warner Bros. announced the June 17, 2016 release date in March 2015, moving its [Ryan Gosling](https://www.edgepedia.org/ryan-gosling)-Russell Crowe thriller *The Nice Guys* off that date; the film opened against Pixar's *Finding Dory*.[1](https://www.thewrap.com/dwayne-johnson-kevin-hart-comedy-central-intelligence-gets-release-date/) Thurber had previously directed *We're the Millers* (2013).[10](https://www.blackfilm.com/read/warner-bros-to-release-dwayne-johnson-kevin-hart-central-intelligence-in-june-2016/) Producers were Scott Stuber of Bluegrass Films along with Peter Principato and Paul Young of Principato-Young Entertainment.[10](https://www.blackfilm.com/read/warner-bros-to-release-dwayne-johnson-kevin-hart-central-intelligence-in-june-2016/) Production companies included [New Line Cinema](https://www.edgepedia.org/new-line-cinema), Universal Pictures, RatPac-Dune Entertainment, Perfect World Pictures, Bluegrass Films, and Artists First.[4](https://www.metacritic.com/movie/central-intelligence/)
[Principal photography](https://www.edgepedia.org/principal-photography) ran in Massachusetts, with the FilmL.A. 2016 feature film study listing a shoot from May 6 to July 30, 2015.[11](https://www.filmla.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/2016_film_study_WEB.pdf) A Backstage production listing gave a Boston shooting window of May 6 to July 15.[12](https://www.backstage.com/resources/detail/productionlisting/central-intelligence-84308/) Theodore Shapiro and [Ludwig Göransson](https://www.edgepedia.org/ludwig-goransson) composed the score, and Barry Peterson was the cinematographer.[3](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/central_intelligence/cast-and-crew)
## Cast
Johnson and Hart head the cast as Bob Stone and Calvin Joyner. [Amy Ryan](https://www.edgepedia.org/amy-ryan) plays CIA Agent Pamela Harris, Danielle Nicolet plays Maggie, Jason Bateman plays Trevor, and [Aaron Paul](https://www.edgepedia.org/aaron-paul) plays Phil.[4](https://www.metacritic.com/movie/central-intelligence/) Thomas Kretschmann plays the Buyer, and [Kumail Nanjiani](https://www.edgepedia.org/kumail-nanjiani) appears as an airport security guard.[4](https://www.metacritic.com/movie/central-intelligence/) Melissa McCarthy has a credited appearance as Darla McGuchian.[2](https://movie.guru/central-intelligence-movie-review)
## Reception
**Critical response.** The film scored 71% on the Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer from 187 reviews, with a critics' average of 5.70/10, and 52/100 on Metacritic from 35 critics, a "Mixed or Average" rating.[5](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/central_intelligence) • [4](https://www.metacritic.com/movie/central-intelligence/) The Rotten Tomatoes critics consensus states that "Kevin Hart and Dwayne Johnson make for well-matched comic foils, helping Central Intelligence overcome a script that coasts on their considerable chemistry."[5](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/central_intelligence) Matt Zoller Seitz of RogerEbert.com gave it 88 and compared Hart and Johnson to classic comedy duos in the tradition of Abbott & Costello and [Gene Wilder](https://www.edgepedia.org/gene-wilder) & [Richard Pryor](https://www.edgepedia.org/richard-pryor); James Berardinelli of ReelViews gave it 25, citing "canned, predictable action sequences and mirthless attempts at humor."[4](https://www.metacritic.com/movie/central-intelligence/)
**Audience response.** Opening-night audiences gave the film an A− CinemaScore, PostTrak measured 75% positive audience response on opening weekend, and IMDb users rated it 6.3/10.[2](https://movie.guru/central-intelligence-movie-review) The Rotten Tomatoes Popcornmeter stood at 62% from more than 50,000 ratings.[5](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/central_intelligence)
## Box office
The film opened domestically at $35.5 million in its first three days, on 3,508 theaters, and finished with $127.4 million in the United States and Canada and $216.9 million worldwide against a $50 million production budget, about 4.3 times the budget.[2](https://movie.guru/central-intelligence-movie-review) • [6](https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/Central-Intelligence) Domestic grosses were 58.7% of the worldwide total, and the film's domestic legs ratio was 3.59.[6](https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/Central-Intelligence) The largest international markets included Australia ($11.52 million), the United Kingdom ($11.17 million), and Germany ($8.43 million).[2](https://movie.guru/central-intelligence-movie-review) A rule-of-thumb estimate put theatrical profit at about $33.5 million after accounting for the studio's share of grosses, the budget, and marketing at roughly half the budget.[2](https://movie.guru/central-intelligence-movie-review)
## Home media and legacy
Warner Home Video released the film on video on September 13, 2016.[6](https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/Central-Intelligence) Estimated domestic disc sales totaled about $21.2 million, including $13.1 million in DVD and $8.1 million in Blu-ray sales.[6](https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/Central-Intelligence) An unrated cut running 116 minutes was also released.[13](https://repertoire.cinema.mcc.gouv.qc.ca/film/agence-de-renseignement-397917/) The credits include blooper outtakes, and after the credits an audio clip of Bob Stone saying "Fanny!" plays.[14](https://mediastinger.com/central-intelligence-2016-after-the-credits/)
The film established Johnson and Hart as a recurring screen pairing; they later shared lead billing in *Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle* (2017), *Jumanji: The Next Level* (2019), and *DC League of Super-Pets* (2022).[15](https://cinegraph.org/movies/central-intelligence-2016) Reviewers consistently credited the leads' chemistry over the script: Time's review called the plot "a kiddie pool in which Johnson and Hart can mess around," while the [National Review](https://www.edgepedia.org/national-review) likened the structure to the Carter-era comedy *The In-Laws*, with a high school reunion replacing a wedding as the plot's engine.[9](https://time.com/4372741/central-intelligence-review/) • [16](https://www.nationalreview.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/20160711_0-2.pdf)
## References
1. [Dwayne Johnson-Kevin Hart Comedy 'Central Intelligence' Gets Release Date, TheWrap](https://www.thewrap.com/dwayne-johnson-kevin-hart-comedy-central-intelligence-gets-release-date/)
2. [Central Intelligence (2016), movie.guru](https://movie.guru/central-intelligence-movie-review)
3. [Central Intelligence: Cast and Crew, Rotten Tomatoes](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/central_intelligence/cast-and-crew)
4. [Central Intelligence Reviews, Metacritic](https://www.metacritic.com/movie/central-intelligence/)
5. [Central Intelligence, Rotten Tomatoes](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/central_intelligence)
6. [Central Intelligence (2016) Box Office and Financial Information, The Numbers](https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/Central-Intelligence)
7. [Central Intelligence, American Film Institute](https://watch.afi.com/movie/central-intelligence)
8. [Central Intelligence (2016): $50M Budget & $217M Box Office, Saturation.io](https://saturation.io/budgets/central-intelligence-2016)
9. [Review: Central Intelligence Shows Off Kevin Hart and Dwayne Johnson's Unique Chemistry, Time](https://time.com/4372741/central-intelligence-review/)
10. [Warner Bros To Release Dwayne Johnson, Kevin Hart Buddy Action-Comedy In June 2016, blackfilm.com](https://www.blackfilm.com/read/warner-bros-to-release-dwayne-johnson-kevin-hart-central-intelligence-in-june-2016/)
11. [2016 Feature Film Study, FilmL.A.](https://www.filmla.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/2016_film_study_WEB.pdf)
12. [Central Intelligence Production Listing, Backstage](https://www.backstage.com/resources/detail/productionlisting/central-intelligence-84308/)
13. [Agence de renseignement (Central Intelligence), Répertoire des films classés, Gouvernement du Québec](https://repertoire.cinema.mcc.gouv.qc.ca/film/agence-de-renseignement-397917/)
14. [Central Intelligence (2016) After the Credits, MediaStinger](https://mediastinger.com/central-intelligence-2016-after-the-credits/)
15. [Central Intelligence, Cinegraph](https://cinegraph.org/movies/central-intelligence-2016)
16. [National Review review of Central Intelligence (July 2016 issue PDF)](https://www.nationalreview.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/20160711_0-2.pdf)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Films and standalone screen works › Individual films by title and year › Comedy and romantic films (individual works) › Comedies of 2015 to 2016 › Titles symbols to J*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 3, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 3, 2026; Oct 25, 2026; Nov 1, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
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