# Step Up Revolution
**Step Up Revolution** is a 2012 American dance drama directed by Scott Speer and the fourth installment of the Step Up franchise, following *Step Up* (2006), *Step Up 2: The Streets* (2008), and *Step Up 3D* (2010).[1](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/step_up_revolution) Set in Miami, it stars Kathryn McCormick and [Ryan Guzman](https://www.edgepedia.org/ryan-guzman) as dancers whose flash-mob crew turns its performances into protest against a development project.[1](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/step_up_revolution)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Release | July 27, 2012, wide theatrical release in the United States; 3-D format[1](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/step_up_revolution) • [2](https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/Step-Up-Revolution) |
| Director / writers | Directed by Scott Speer; screenplay by Amanda Brody, based on characters created by Duane Adler[1](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/step_up_revolution) • [3](https://www.metacritic.com/movie/step-up-revolution/) • [17](https://catalog.afi.com/Film/68821-STEP-UP-REVOLUTION) |
| Runtime / rating | 97 minutes; MPAA PG-13 for some suggestive dancing and language[2](https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/Step-Up-Revolution) |
| Budget | $33,000,000 production budget[2](https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/Step-Up-Revolution) |
| Box office | $35,074,677 domestic; opening weekend $11,731,708 in 2,567 theaters[2](https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/Step-Up-Revolution) |
| Worldwide gross | $165,552,290 per The Numbers; $140,470,746 per Box Office Mojo[2](https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/Step-Up-Revolution) • [4](https://www.boxofficemojo.com/title/tt1800741/) |
| Critical scores | 40% on the Tomatometer (96 reviews); Metascore 43 (22 reviews)[1](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/step_up_revolution) • [3](https://www.metacritic.com/movie/step-up-revolution/) |
## Spoilers
### Premise and plot
Emily (Kathryn McCormick) arrives in Miami hoping to become a professional dancer and earn a spot in the Wynwood Dance Company.[3](https://www.metacritic.com/movie/step-up-revolution/) She meets Sean (Ryan Guzman), a hotel waiter who leads a dance crew called The Mob, a group of dancers, musicians, and artists that stages hit-and-run flash mobs around the city.[1](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/step_up_revolution) • [3](https://www.metacritic.com/movie/step-up-revolution/)
The Mob's original goal is commercial: to win a YouTube contest that pays a $100,000 prize to the first crew to reach 10 million views on its channel.[5](https://www.pluggedin.com/movie-reviews/step-up-revolution/) The crew is being outscored, in its own estimation, by a video of a singing cat.[5](https://www.pluggedin.com/movie-reviews/step-up-revolution/) The trouble begins when the developer behind a planned waterfront project, Emily's father Bill Anderson ([Peter Gallagher](https://www.edgepedia.org/peter-gallagher)), announces plans to raze the neighborhood where the crew lives and dances to build a hotel and commercial complex.[3](https://www.metacritic.com/movie/step-up-revolution/) • [5](https://www.pluggedin.com/movie-reviews/step-up-revolution/) Emily joins Sean and The Mob in converting their performance art into protest art, a choice that puts her romance, her artistic ambitions, and her relationship with her father on the same line.[1](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/step_up_revolution) • [5](https://www.pluggedin.com/movie-reviews/step-up-revolution/)
## Dance sequences and setting
The film's flash-mob production numbers were staged in recognizable Miami locations. The opening routine places dancers on the hoods and roofs of vintage lowriders stopped in traffic along [South Beach](https://www.edgepedia.org/south-beach)'s Ocean Drive, and later numbers include an art gallery infiltration and a corporate-office takeover with rain of dollar bills and a "Not 4 Sale" message.[6](https://www.miaminewtimes.com/arts-culture/step-up-revolution-kinetic-and-corny-6388672/) • [7](https://www.straight.com/movies/step-revolution-has-glitz-no-street-cred) Reviewers repeatedly described the sequences as the film's draw: Roger Ebert called the dancers good and well choreographed and advised watching the movie for that reason.[8](https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/step-up-revolution-2012) The choreography team included Jamal Sims, Christopher Scott, Travis Wall, and Chuck Maldonado.[9](https://www.bizcommunity.com/PDF/PDF.aspx?c=429&ci=80037&ct=1&l=196)
**Miami production.** [Summit Entertainment](https://www.edgepedia.org/summit-entertainment) produced the film at Soho Studios in Miami, in the Wynwood Arts District, and the setting combines the city's dance scene with its real estate industry.[10](https://www.sohostudiosmiami.com/our-blog/2012/07/step-up-revolution-filmed-in-miami) • [11](https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/step-up-revolution-miami-movie-release-filmed-in-wynwood-arts-district-163995486.html) Critics noted the change of tone from earlier entries: the 2006 original was set in a grittier Baltimore, and the Miami relocation was described as trading street credibility for glitz.[7](https://www.straight.com/movies/step-revolution-has-glitz-no-street-cred)
## Critical reception
Critical response was mixed to negative, with praise concentrated on the dancing. On Rotten Tomatoes, 40% of 96 reviews were positive, and the site's critics consensus describes lively, kinetic dance sequences wrapped in a predictably generic story; the audience Popcornmeter stood at 68% from more than 50,000 ratings.[1](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/step_up_revolution) Metacritic assigned a Metascore of 43 from 22 reviews, categorized as mixed or average, with 18% positive, 68% mixed, and 14% negative reviews; its user score was 5.2.[3](https://www.metacritic.com/movie/step-up-revolution/)
Reviewers split along the dancing-versus-story line. Boxoffice Magazine credited the film with finding "some of the most kinetic talents in the country."[12](https://www.metacritic.com/movie/step-up-revolution/critic-reviews/) The Los Angeles Times criticized the outcome, arguing that a film with "Revolution" in the title should deliver more than "simply selling out to the first bidder," a reference to the ending in which Nike offers The Mob a marketing contract.[13](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/movies/la-xpm-2012-jul-26-la-et-mn-step-up-revolution-20120727-story.html) • [6](https://www.miaminewtimes.com/arts-culture/step-up-revolution-kinetic-and-corny-6388672/) Screen International described the leads as graceful in movement but wooden in emoting, and praised the 3-D photography for stretching the visual plane and emphasizing each move of an arm or leg through space.[14](https://www.screendaily.com/step-up-revolution/5044469.article)
## Box office
The film opened to $11,731,708 domestically, 33.4% of its eventual total, finishing its run at $35,074,677 in the United States and Canada.[2](https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/Step-Up-Revolution) Against a $33 million production budget, worldwide gross was 5.0 times the budget by The Numbers' accounting.[2](https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/Step-Up-Revolution) Two trackers disagree on the total: The Numbers reports $165,552,290 worldwide ($130,477,613 international), while [Box Office Mojo](https://www.edgepedia.org/box-office-mojo) reports $140,470,746 worldwide ($105,396,069 international); both agree on the domestic figure.[2](https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/Step-Up-Revolution) • [4](https://www.boxofficemojo.com/title/tt1800741/)
Within the franchise, domestic grosses declined with each installment while overseas totals grew. Revolution's $35.1 million domestic was the lowest of the first four films, down from $65.3 million for the 2006 original and $42.4 million for *Step Up 3D*; Box Office Watch calculates its return on budget at 5.0 times.[15](https://boxofficewatch.com/franchises/step-up) A home video release followed on November 27, 2012, with commentary, featurettes, music videos, and a flash-mob index of all of The Mob's dance sequences.[16](https://parentpreviews.com/movie-reviews/step-up-revolution/)
## References
1. [Step Up Revolution, Rotten Tomatoes](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/step_up_revolution)
2. [Step Up Revolution (2012), The Numbers](https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/Step-Up-Revolution)
3. [Step Up Revolution Reviews, Metacritic](https://www.metacritic.com/movie/step-up-revolution/)
4. [Step Up: Revolution (2012), Box Office Mojo](https://www.boxofficemojo.com/title/tt1800741/)
5. [Step Up Revolution movie review, Plugged In](https://www.pluggedin.com/movie-reviews/step-up-revolution/)
6. [Step Up Revolution: Kinetic and Corny, Miami New Times](https://www.miaminewtimes.com/arts-culture/step-up-revolution-kinetic-and-corny-6388672/)
7. [Step Up Revolution has glitz but no street cred, The Georgia Straight](https://www.straight.com/movies/step-revolution-has-glitz-no-street-cred)
8. [Occupy Miami Beach movie review, RogerEbert.com](https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/step-up-revolution-2012)
9. [Temperatures soar in Step Up Revolution, Bizcommunity](https://www.bizcommunity.com/PDF/PDF.aspx?c=429&ci=80037&ct=1&l=196)
10. [Step Up Revolution, Filmed in Miami, Soho Studios](https://www.sohostudiosmiami.com/our-blog/2012/07/step-up-revolution-filmed-in-miami)
11. [Step Up Revolution Miami Movie Release, PR Newswire](https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/step-up-revolution-miami-movie-release-filmed-in-wynwood-arts-district-163995486.html)
12. [Step Up Revolution critic reviews - Metacritic](https://www.metacritic.com/movie/step-up-revolution/critic-reviews/)
13. [In 'Step Up Revolution,' dancing as cure-all, Los Angeles Times](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/movies/la-xpm-2012-jul-26-la-et-mn-step-up-revolution-20120727-story.html)
14. [Step Up Revolution, Screen Daily](https://www.screendaily.com/step-up-revolution/5044469.article)
15. [Step Up Box Office: Every Movie Ranked, Box Office Watch](https://boxofficewatch.com/franchises/step-up)
16. [Step Up Revolution Parent Guide, Parent Previews](https://parentpreviews.com/movie-reviews/step-up-revolution/)
17. [AFI|Catalog](https://catalog.afi.com/Film/68821-STEP-UP-REVOLUTION)
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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 › Franchise and series entries as standalone works*
*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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