Breaking News! A large bear ingests a duffel bag of cocaine and terrorizes civilians. February 24, 2023, was the day a legacy was created. Said legacy was… Cocaine Bear. Cocaine Bear is a movie based on exactly what it sounds like, a bear on cocaine. Shockingly part of this movie is based on true events. For many, this movie seems so bad that it has to be good. This begs the question of why people find themselves drawn to such bad movies.

One Eureka student weighed in on Cocaine Bear. The student who wishes to remain anonymous has already seen Cocaine Bear in theaters. When asked why they decided to watch it, they explained that most movies are too serious now, so it is nice to relax and watch something fun for once. Although they did not consider the movie bad by any means, they did explain that it is intentionally bad. “It’s about a bear on cocaine, ” they said. However, this student was quite a fan, they said, “I think it was a masterpiece.” They also specifically used the phrase “classic cinema” to describe this work of art. 

Cocaine Bear was created by Jimmy Warden and produced by Elizabeth Banks. The movie is meant to be a mix of action, comedy, mystery, and thriller based on the true event that occurred in 1985 when an American black bear ingests an entire duffel bag full of cocaine. In real life the bear died from an overdose; however, in the film, the bear gets to experience far more. The coked-up bear in this film experiences a mix of the munchies and extreme rage. In addition to such an uncommon plot, this film also includes a unique cast of characters featuring Ray Liotta, well-known for his roles in Goodfellas and Wild Hogs, and Jesse Tyler Ferguson, well-known from Modern Family. O’Shea Jackson Jr., well known for his role in Straight Outta Compton and Long Shot, and Keri Russel, who played Zorii Bliss in Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker. 

For years people have been drawn to bad movies, and several of them have gained cult-like followings. In 1988, one of the weirdest films came out, Killer Klowns from Outer Space. The film is said to be a sci-fi horror comedy that pictures alien clowns who come to earth to take over the human race. Many would call this film a bad movie, some would simply call it a B movie. The movie almost immediately gained a cult following, and people have been asking for a sequel for a long time. Although they have yet to receive a sequel to the film, followers were thrilled to hear that a video game based on the movie will be released in 2023. 

In 2003 possibly the worst film ever created was released by Tommy Wiseau and was called The Room. The film includes simple dialogue, terrible acting, and a giant letdown at the end. Yet somehow this motion picture has gained an even larger following than The Rocky Horror Picture Show. The exact reason for this following is unknown, but the fact that this is a bad movie is undeniable. A few years back James Franko starred in a remake or spoof of the original, titled The Disaster Artist. Beyond a doubt, bad movies have large cult followings, nevertheless the reason why continues to remain a mystery. Will Cocaine Bear follow the path of these movies and fall into the genre of a cult classic bad movie?

Cocaine Bear currently ranks pretty high on Rotten Tomatoes with 70% and an audience score of 80%. It holds just a slightly lower score on IMDb, with a score of 6.6/10. The film is now playing in theaters but it will take some time before it is available on streaming platforms. Take a trip to the local AMC theater in Sunnyland and decide for yourself if Cocaine Bear lives up to the hype. Will it flop, or go down in the bad movies hall of fame?