Ice Cube's Upcoming Sequel To Classic 1995 Comedy Doesn't Fill Me With Confidence After 2 Critical Misfires

Ice Cube’s upcoming sequel to the classic 1995 sleeper hit comedy doesn’t exactly fill me with confidence, considering the franchise in question, Friday, has had two critical misfires. Originally created by Ice Cube and DJ Pooh, there were 3 movies in the stoner buddy-comedy franchise released between 1995 and 2002, and each Friday movie had a slightly different cast. Following the exploits of an unemployed Craig Jones (Ice Cube) as he finds himself in the midst of various issues that always occur on a Friday, Ice Cube’s Friday movies defined a generation and became a cult classic over time.

Considered one of the best R-rated comedies of the 1990s, Friday found success after its release in 1995, obtaining a large cult following that inspired memes and pop culture references, as well as launching a media franchise. Friday is considered an important part of hood film history as it counteracted the typical violent portrayals, and it was also a breakout role for Chris Tucker, gaining him greater recognition. Now, 23 years since the last Friday movie was released, a fourth film has been confirmed to be in development. However, the franchise’s history leaves the upcoming sequel on rocky ground.

After The Last Two Friday Movies, I’m Not Sure A Fourth Movie Is A Good Idea

The Friday Sequels Didn’t Live Up To The First Film

With rumors circulating for many years due to Ice Cube’s ongoing mission to continue the franchise, it has been confirmed a fourth Friday movie is now in development and Ice Cube will be returning. In a statement to The Hollywood Reporter, New Line president and CCO Richard Brener said that “We are making another Friday. We just closed a deal with Ice Cube to write and star. It’s going to be called Last Friday.” The new title follows the trend of previous Friday movies and is an exciting prospect considering it has been two decades since the last film.

However, after the last two Friday movies, I’m not sure a fourth film is a good idea. According to Rotten Tomatoes, Friday towers over its sequels with a 77% Tomatometer, as both Next Friday and Friday After Next fell into the 20% region. Even the Popcornmeter reflects the same trend, showcasing that it’s not just critics that felt the Friday sequels didn’t live up to the first film. Therefore, a fourth Friday movie may not be a good idea, as it seems nothing could live up to Friday’s legacy, especially as there are so many factors for its failure.

How Friday 4 Can Return To The Original Magic After 2 Poor Sequels

Friday 4’s Issues Make Me Question If Last Friday Will Be Any Good

Friday 4 will have a lot of trouble trying to capture the magic of the original movie after two poor sequels, especially considering the fourth film has a lot to wrestle with in other areas. Prominent members of the Friday cast have died, Chris Tucker’s hilarious Smokey character never made a reappearance after the first film, and the general changes in society during the franchise’s 20-year hiatus all hint at Friday 4 being a bad idea. As a result, Last Friday will need to do something particularly notable to resurrect the franchise and overcome its long list of issues.

It is possible that Chris Tucker’s reappearance as Smokey would be enough to bring audiences in for Friday 4. Having been absent from the franchise since the first film, fans missed Smokey and his comedic energy in Friday’s sequels, despite Mike Epps’ Day-Day being a decent replacement character. However, in 2021, Ice Cube said on X (formerly Twitter) that Tucker declined Friday sequels due to “religious reasons,” elaborating that “He didn’t want to cuss or smoke weed on camera anymore.” Therefore, it looks unlikely that Tucker will reappear as Smokey again unless his character went through a significant change.

Furthermore, Willie Jones (Craig’s dad) will be sorely missed in the Friday franchise following actor John Witherspoon’s death. Some have suggested that an in-universe funeral would be a great way to honor John Witherspoon and bring everyone together for a final Friday movie, befitting the Last Friday title. It would be great to see if Friday 4 could try and capture that “lazy afternoon in the neighborhood” feel that everyone loved in the original, and Ice Cube’s Friday movie trending on Netflix’s streaming charts shows there’s still an audience available. Therefore, we can only hope that Last Friday delivers.

All 3 Friday Movies Performed Well At The Box Office

They All Made More Than Three Times Their Budget

While there are many doubts about whether Last Friday is a good idea, one factor that is in the movie’s favor is the franchise’s box office history. As per The Numbers, every Friday movie has been successful at the box office, regardless of the critical reception. Friday, whose production budget was only $3.5 million, went on to gross $27.9 million worldwide following its theatrical release in 1995, including $6.6 million during its opening weekend. The commercial success led to the first sequel, Next Friday, getting a larger budget of $9.5 million and grossing $59.7 globally.

Related

10 1990s Comedies Barely Anyone Remembers

The 1990s were packed with incredible comedy movies, although some truly under appreciated gems have been mostly forgotten by modern audiences.

Next Friday earned the most out of all the franchise’s installments and had the best opening weekend at $16.9 million. Friday After Next‘s box office total only came to $33.5 million, but with a $10 million budget, the third movie was still an undeniable box office success. This was helped by an opening weekend of $13 million, which was a decrease from the opening weekend of Next Friday, but still more than enough for the sequel to make back more than its budget during its first weekend in theaters.

If Last Friday has a smaller budget as well, it could continue the franchise’s history of box office success. Every Friday movie so far has made back more than three times its budget, and this feat would be even more impressive at a time when many movies with high budgets are significantly underperforming at the box office. Last Friday also has the benefit of being a legacy sequel, which could help its box office performance. It won’t have the same widespread appeal as a superhero legacy sequel, but still comes with plenty of history and recognizability.

Meme Culture Has Kept Friday Relevant To Modern Generations

This Can Help With Marketing Last Friday

Thanks to meme culture, Last Friday is not only a legacy sequel, but is a movie that can still be relevant and recognizable to modern generations. There is no shortage of memes featuring Ice Cube’s Craig and Tucker’s Smokey, with the most prominent one showing them saying, “Damn.” Last Friday can take advantage of this by emphasizing the recognizable memes in the marketing, which will help the sequel grab the attention of modern generations along with longtime fans of the franchise.

Barbie, Oppenheimer, and Minions: The Rise of Gru are all movies that commercially benefited from the influence of related memes. A Minecraft Movie‘s opening weekend is just the latest example of memes contributing to high box-office grosses. Last Friday could become yet another movie to see memes translate to box office success, especially if the memes are utilized effectively during the marketing of the sequel. There is still a question of whether a fourth Friday movie should happen, but the meme factor does create a case for how it can successfully happen.

Source: Rotten Tomatoes, X, The Numbers

Friday

Release Date

April 26, 1995

Runtime

91 Minutes

Director

F. Gary Gray