Elizabeth Banks Shared Her Honest Feelings About What Happened After Charlie’s Angels Flopped And Cocaine Bear’s Chances Of Box Office Success

Elizabeth Banks introduces herself while Kristen Stewart watches in Charlie's Angels.
(Image credit: Sony Pictures)

Sometimes all you need to sell a movie is a title with two words that hammer home exactly what the story should be. In the case of Charlie’s Angels, the legacy of the ‘70s crime drama was the lure that was supposed to bring audiences to director Elizabeth Banks’ legacy-quel. Meanwhile, the 2023 new movie release Cocaine Bear only needed that absolutely nuts and true-to-life concept to get people talking. In a recent interview, Banks shared some honest thoughts about how that previous movie flopped and how her upcoming project’s chances at the box office could affect her career. 

In conversation with Variety, the helmer behind one of this year’s wildest looking thrill rides did what any good leader would. Acknowledging the failure of Charlie’s Angels at the box office, Elizabeth Banks addressed the situation point blank thanks to the following moment of candor: 

I took full responsibility for Charlie’s Angels — certainly no one else did. It was all laid on me and I happily accepted, because what else am I supposed to do?

Early on in the debacle that saw the Kristen Stewart-starring film underperform at the box office, Elizabeth Banks embraced the situation with a fun tweet and pride that Charlie’s Angels even existed. Taking ownership of the flop that had her name all over it, it was a reaction that was pure Banks in its tone. The same could be said about how she’s handling her most recent press tour for Universal’s bonkers-looking would-be blockbuster. 

Talking up the fact that she sees Cocaine Bear as a revenge story, Elizabeth Banks is once again jumping in headfirst. It’s an energy that can be seen in the marketing and social media campaign, which has only been stoking the fires for moviegoers ready to get weird. Still, Banks acknowledges the stakes around this grizzly grindhouse offering are pretty much set as follows: 

Cocaine Bear is a ginormous risk. This could be a career ender for me.

If Elizabeth Banks’ directing career were to end with this picture in particular, the trailer for Cocaine Bear suggests that prospect as going out on top. While we don’t have to wait too much longer to see it for ourselves, the thrills of that preview still make the delay all the more noticeable. Should you want a bump of the pleasures that are the fictitious adventures of the creature known as Pablo Escobear, take a look at that very video provided below:  

Folks are bound to be getting in line for Cocaine Bear, which kicks off its run of powdered joy on February 24th. Anyone curious about how good 2019’s Charlie’s Angels movie really was can check that out for themselves thanks to the world of streaming. Starz is offering that title at the time of this writing, which can be accessed easily as an add-on for either a Hulu or Prime Video subscription

Mike Reyes
Senior Movies Contributor

Mike Reyes is the Senior Movie Contributor at CinemaBlend, though that title’s more of a guideline really. Passionate about entertainment since grade school, the movies have always held a special place in his life, which explains his current occupation. Mike graduated from Drew University with a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science, but swore off of running for public office a long time ago. Mike's expertise ranges from James Bond to everything Alita, making for a brilliantly eclectic resume. He fights for the user.