Jason Statham’s latest adrenaline-pumping action thriller The Beekeeper has proven to be a box office success in 2024. Statham had a productive 2023 as a leading man in several major Hollywood franchises including Expend4bles, Fast X, and Meg 2: The Trench, which collectively raked in a total of roughly $1.13 billion at the worldwide box office. The Beekeeper quickly grossed a worldwide box-office total of just over $75 million after releasing in theaters on January 12, 2024, before ending with a total of $152.7 million.

With a sharp runtime of 1 hour and 45 minutes and an explicit R-rating, The Beekeeper impressively soared past the opening weekend totals of Statham’s popular 2021 heist movie Wrath of Man. The Beekeeper racked up roughly $16.6 million in its opening weekend period compared to Wrath of Man’s $8.3 million. The Beekeeper’s Rotten Tomatoes score has already broken a Jason Statham record that had nearly stood for two decades and is a great indication that there could be future installments of The Beekeeper franchise and birth a new Statham-led series down the road.

The Beekeeper Is Now Streaming On Prime Video – What The Movie’s About

Statham goes on a one-man campaign for vengeance

The story and action sequences from The Beekeeper seem to have been taken right out of the John Wick handbook.

The Beekeeper shares thematic similarities with the premise of John Wick, which is fueled by the need for revenge. Statham stars as Adam Clay, a secret agent of a covert operation known as the Beekeepers who seeks vengeance against the group of people responsible for a harmful incident done to someone very close to him. The story and action sequences in The Beekeeper seem to have been taken right out of the John Wick handbook, almost as if Statham was attempting to start his own series of movies inspired by the highly profitable Keanu Reeves franchise.

While Jason Statham makes for an outstandingly entertaining leading man in The Beekeeper, he is supported by a great supporting cast that includes Josh Hutcherson as an antagonist who is enjoyable to watch onscreen. Hutcherson also naturally draws his own crowd based on his massive role in The Hunger Games franchise and the profitable Five Nights at Freddy’s (2023). Legendary actor Jeremy Irons (Watchmen, Justice League, The Lion King) is also featured in The Beekeeper, adding to the robust cast of Bobby Naderi, Minnie Driver, David Witts, Michael Epp, and Taylor James.

Why The Beekeeper Is One Of Jason Statham’s Best Movies In Years

The Beekeeper delivers a fresh new concept for action fans with classic Statham charm

The Beekeeper also delivers a brand new concept and story world for Statham to expand on his impressive filmography rather than tossing him another unnecessary franchise movie.

Statham’s Adam Clay character in The Beekeeper is full of his typically admirable grit and no-nonsense charm that has been displayed in dozens of his previous films including classics like The Transporter (2002), The Italian Job (2003), Crank (2006), The Mechanic (2011), and Spy (2015). The Beekeeper also delivers a brand new concept and story world for Statham to expand on his impressive filmography rather than tossing him another unnecessary franchise movie.

The Beekeeper was directed by David Ayer, a renowned producer and screenwriter in Hollywood known for Street Kings (2008), End of Watch (2012), and Fury (2014). Critics have applauded The Beekeeper for displaying Jason Statham in top form and have commonly referred to the film as wildly entertaining. Longtime fans of Statham will not be disappointed by The Beekeeper’s relentless pace and sleek design that have become more or less staples of the ionic actor’s overall brand. Statham proves he still has the action chops to give his fans exactly what they expect in The Beekeeper, despite his increased age.

Why The Beekeeper Was Such A Success For Jason Statham

The Beekeeper Played To His Strengths And Delivered On Its Own Terms

The Beekeeper‘s somewhat surprising success comes down to several key factors. Crucially, the movie leans into Statham’s strengths as an actor, allowing him to embrace his action pedigree without having to sell an overly emotive or dramatic plot. This means that the emphasis is very much on Statham’s impressive physicality as opposed to his range as a performer – playing into attributes that have allowed him to thrive throughout his career.

Rather than being a straightforward punch-up with little depth to the wider world, the movie followed the John Wick blueprint of creating an impressively deep universe – full of intriguing lore and opportunities for greater expansion.

Another factor behind The Beekeeper‘s success is that it tapped into a popular trend in recent action movies. Rather than being a straightforward punch-up with little depth to the wider world, the movie followed the John Wick blueprint of creating an impressively deep universe – full of intriguing lore and opportunities for greater expansion. This impressive scope helps explain why The Beekeeper was such a critical success, certainly compared to many other Jason Statham action movies, with its Rotten Tomatoes score of 71% sitting near the top of Statham’s resume.

Will The Beekeeper 2 Happen?

The Future Of The Franchise Is Uncertain

Although The Beekeeper introduced audiences to a vibrant new world of assassins and action, plans for the franchise’s future are currently unclear. As of writing, there are no concrete plans in place for The Beekeeper 2, despite the success of the first movie. However, that doesn’t necessarily mean that no sequel will ever happen.

According to comments from the original movie’s director, David Ayer, a follow-up may happen at some point down the line. In an interview Ayer gave to Inverse, the director explained that The Beekeeper world was vibrant and mysterious enough to warrant further explanation. As he put it:

“We cracked the door a little bit into the Beekeeper world, and I would love to learn more about them. I’m extremely curious: Where do they come from? Who are they? How do they operate? What happened in the system? Did it break? Did the Beekeepers break? Do we have to fix the Beekeepers? Who fixes the Beekeepers when the Beekeepers need fixing?

“It’s just an amazing mythology. There’s so much room to explore.”

It’s clear from Ayer’s vision for the franchise that The Beekeeper has the potential to be a new John Wick, building out a fully-realized world that expands the original movie’s scope. Obviously, any such project would require commitment from the likes of Jason Statham to succeed. However, judging by Ayer’s enthusiasm and the previous movie’s success, such a future remains an exciting possibility.

What Other Action Movies Does Jason Statham Have Coming Up?

His Future Looks Bright

Although Statham’s Beekeeper franchise future is unclear, the 57-year-old action star has plenty of other projects on the backburner. His most significant confirmed appearance is in the 2025 action-thriller Levon’s Trade, which will see Statham reunite with his Expendables co-star, Sylvester Stallone. Directed by David Ayer and written by Stallone, the movie will see Statham star as an ex-Black Ops agent who’s forced out of retirement when someone close to him goes missing.

The prospect of seeing Statham join forces with Ayer again, even if it isn’t as part of a direct The Beekeeper follow-up is clearly exciting. However, it isn’t Statham’s only potential project. For instance, it’s unclear what the extent of Statham’s involvement in the mysterious franchise follow-up Fast X: Part 2 will be. Although the movie looks set to continue the story established in the 2023 installment, what path the film might follow is unclear. Regardless, Jason Statham’s action movie future seems secure.