Big George Foreman: Difference between revisions

Big George Foreman
Big George Foreman
	Theatrical release poster
Directed by	George Tillman Jr.
Screenplay by	Frank Baldwin; George Tillman Jr.;
Story by	Dan Gordon; Frank Baldwin; George Tillman Jr.;
Produced by	David Zelon
Starring	Khris Davis; Jasmine Mathews; John Magaro; Sullivan Jones; Lawrence Gilliard Jr.; Sonja Sohn; Forest Whitaker;
Cinematography	David Tattersall; John Matysiak;
Edited by	Alex Blatt; Craig Hayes;
Music by	Marcelo Zarvos
Production; companies	Affirm Films; Mandalay Pictures; State Street Pictures;
Distributed by	Sony Pictures Releasing
Release date	April 28, 2023;
Running time	129 minutes
Country	United States
Language	English
Budget	$32 million
Box office	$6 million

Browse history interactively

← Previous edit

Content deleted Content added

VisualWikitext

Inline

Latest revision as of 19:28, 20 December 2024

Big George Foreman: The Miraculous Story of the Once and Future Heavyweight Champion of the World (or simply Big George Foreman)^[4]^[a] is a 2023 American biographical sports drama film on the life of world heavyweight boxing champion George Foreman, played by Khris Davis. It was directed by George Tillman Jr. and also stars Jasmine Mathews, John Magaro, Sullivan Jones, Lawrence Gilliard Jr., Sonja Sohn and Forest Whitaker.

Development on Big George Foreman began in 2021 and after several production delays, filming took place on a budget of $32 million from February to March 2022 in New Orleans. The film was released theatrically by Sony Pictures Releasing on April 28, 2023, and grossed $6 million.

Plot

A young George Foreman lives in poverty in Houston, Texas with his siblings and his religious mother Nancy. Foreman, however, is riddled with anger issues and violent outbursts. As a young adult, Foreman barely evades arrest for mugging and decides to join the Job Corps as a last-ditch effort to turn his life around. There, he befriends his roommate Desmond Baker, though his violent outbursts nearly get him expelled. However, the Job Corps' chairman Doc Broadus, a boxing trainer, encourages Foreman to take up boxing and channel his rage into the sport instead of fighting.

Foreman proves to be gifted in the sport and after one year of boxing, he wins the gold medal for the United States against Jonas Čepulis at the 1968 Summer Olympics. He moves to Oakland, California to train, where former champions Dick Sadler and Archie Moore join his team as trainers, and he meets journalist Paula, whom he starts a relationship with and eventually marries. Doc, Paula and Desmond are by his side as Foreman's career flourishes, ultimately winning a fight against Joe Frazier in 1973 and becoming the heavyweight champion. Following his win, Foreman hires Desmond to handle his finances. Foreman's career enables him to live lavishly, however he regularly cheats on Paula with other women and he is dismissive over his mother's attribution of his successes as blessings from God.

Foreman is heavily taunted by Muhammad Ali, whom he fights at The Rumble in the Jungle in 1974, where he loses due to Ali's rope-a-dope strategy. Foreman fires Sadler and Moore, and Paula divorces Foreman due to his infidelity. Following an embarrassing Foreman vs. Five match where he is further mocked by Ali, he is called to the hospital where his sister Mary's newborn baby is in poor health. Witnessing his family praying for the baby, Foreman goes outside and angrily prays to God for a sign, offering himself instead of the baby's life. The baby is miraculously saved, and Mary names her son after her brother.

After losing to Jimmy Young in 1977, Foreman suffers from heatstroke and collapses from exhaustion, having a near-death experience where he finds himself in a place of nothingness and says that he finally believes before waking up. He becomes a devout Christian and disavows boxing to become a full-time preacher, much to the delight of Nancy and the disappointment of Doc. He makes amends with Ali and Paula for his past behavior towards them. At church, he meets and pursues a relationship with fellow believer Mary Joan Martelly.

Years later, Foreman has married Mary Joan and started a family with her. He is a preacher at the Church of the Lord Jesus Christ, and opened a youth community center to help troubled youth. However, in 1985, he realizes the center is in danger of being closed down after finding out he is in debt due to Desmond mishandling his funds. Nancy tells him that despite losing everything, all he needs is already inside him, and he decides to forgive Desmond after confronting him.

Foreman's attempts to capitalize on his earlier fame is not enough to save the center. He reluctantly decides to return to boxing to earn money, and with Mary Joan and Doc's encouragement, he trains to get back in shape and decides to start his career again from the bottom. Rejecting his prior rage for a more positive outlook, Foreman manages to win several fights and enters a match against Evander Holyfield. Although he loses to Holyfield, the payments from the fight - as well as a profitable deal involving grills - are enough to pay his debts and reopen the center. He works his way up to a match against reigning champion Michael Moorer, which he wins and regains his title as heavyweight champion of the world. Foreman reflects that he had to be knocked down to the bottom to realize everything he was searching for was already there.

An epilogue shares that Foreman had become close friends with Ali; Doc was inducted in the World Boxing Hall of Fame in 1998; and Foreman continues to preach at his church and run his youth center in Houston.

Cast

Khris Davis as George Foreman^[4]
Jasmine Mathews as Mary Joan^[5]
Sullivan Jones as Muhammad Ali^[4]
Lawrence Gilliard Jr. as Archie Moore^[4]
John Magaro as Desmond^[5]
Sam Trammell as Rev. Virdell Stokes
Sonja Sohn as Nancy Foreman^[5]
Forest Whitaker as Doc Broadus^[4]
Shein Mompremier as Paula Foreman^[5]
Robert Cicchini as Angelo Dundee
Matthew Glave as Howard Cosell
Erica Tazel as Mary Foreman
Dwayne Barnes as Dick Sadler
Deion Smith as Roy Foreman
K Steele as Gloria Foreman
Nile Memmezzwattay as Bully^[6]
Carlos Takam as Joe Frazier^[7]
Cedric Boswell as Sonny Liston
Tom Virtue as Johnny Carson
Phillip Craddock-Haney as Jonas Cepulis

Production

A biographical film based on George Foreman's career was reported in 2021. George Tillman Jr. was hired to direct from a screenplay by he co-wrote with Frank Baldwin, which is adapted from a screen story written by Tillman, Baldwin, and Dan Gordon.^[8] Khris Davis was cast as Foreman,^[9] Forest Whitaker as Doc Broadus, and Sullivan Jones as Muhammad Ali.^[5] Michael K. Williams was originally cast as Doc Broadus (Foreman's trainer and mentor), but died before production began.^[10]^[11]

Filming

Under the working title Heart of a Lion, principal photography was set to begin in late 2021 in New Orleans, Louisiana, but was halted by the landfall of Hurricane Ida. Production was set to resume filming in Shreveport by that November but was shut down until early 2022 for an unreported reason.^[12] Filming took place from February to March 2022 in New Orleans.^[13]

Release

The film was originally scheduled to be released on September 16, 2022, but was pushed to March 24, 2023.^[10] It was pushed back again and was released on April 28, 2023, by Sony Pictures Releasing.^[4] The film was released digitally on May 16, with a Blu-ray and DVD release to follow on June 27.^[14]

Reception

Box office

In the United States and Canada, Big George Foreman was released alongside Sisu and Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret., and was projected to gross around $5 million from 3,054 theaters in its opening weekend. It made $1 million on its first day, including $250,000 from Thursday night previews. The film went on to debut to $2.9 million, finishing 11th at the box office.^[2]

The film has grossed $5.4 million in the United States and Canada, and $604,430 in other territories, for a worldwide total of $6 million.^[3]

Critical response

On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 42% of 52 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 4.8/10. The website's consensus reads: "Big George Foreman had a classic sports story to work with; unfortunately, the sluggishly ordinary way it's told here is more Tomato Can than Heavyweight Champion."^[15] Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 45 out of 100, based on 11 critics, indicating "mixed or average" reviews.^[16] Audiences surveyed by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "A–" on an A+ to F scale, while those polled by PostTrak gave it an 86% positive score.^[2]

Notes

^ The title as given onscreen is Big George Foreman with "Based on a true story" underneath.

References

^ "Big George Foreman". Irish Film Classification Office. April 12, 2023. Archived from the original on April 12, 2023. Retrieved April 12, 2023.
^ ^a ^b ^c D'Alessandro, Anthony (April 30, 2023). "'Super Mario Bros' Swallowing Up 'Margaret', 'George Foreman' & More – Box Office". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on May 22, 2023. Retrieved April 30, 2023.
^ ^a ^b "Big George Foreman". Box Office Mojo. IMDb. Retrieved May 30, 2023.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f Panaligan, E. J. (February 1, 2023). "Big George Foreman Trailer Follows the Life of the Boxer, Minister and Grill Entrepreneur". Variety. Archived from the original on February 1, 2023. Retrieved February 1, 2023.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e Grobar, Matt (February 24, 2022). "Sony's George Foreman Biopic Adds Jasmine Mathews, Sonja Sohn, John Magaro & Shein Mompremier". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on December 30, 2022. Retrieved February 1, 2023.
^ "Nile Memmezzwattay Actor". IMDb. Retrieved October 20, 2024.
^ Gleiberman, Owen (April 27, 2023). "Big George Foreman: The Miraculous Story of the Once and Future Heavyweight Champion of the World Review: It's Conventional but Delivers". Variety. Archived from the original on April 29, 2023. Retrieved April 29, 2023.
^ "Production Notes". Sony Pictures. February 1, 2023. Archived from the original on February 2, 2023. Retrieved February 1, 2023.
^ N'Duka, Amanda (May 27, 2021). "Khris Davis To Play George Foreman In The Sony Biopic From Director George Tillman Jr". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on February 3, 2023. Retrieved February 3, 2023.
^ ^a ^b Gonzalez, Umberto (November 5, 2021). "George Foreman Biopic Set for March 2023 at Sony". The Wrap. Archived from the original on February 1, 2023. Retrieved February 1, 2023.
^ DeVore, Britta (February 1, 2023). "Big George Foreman Trailer: Khris Davis Is Going for the Knock Out". Collider. Archived from the original on February 1, 2023. Retrieved February 1, 2023.
^ Brandon; Michael (October 7, 2021). "The George Foreman Movie Filming in Shreveport Has Been Shut Down". K945. Archived from the original on February 1, 2023. Retrieved February 1, 2023.
^ "In Production". Film New Orleans. Archived from the original on March 17, 2022. Retrieved February 1, 2023.
^ "Big George Foreman Blu-ray Disc Details". Hi-Def Digest. Archived from the original on August 24, 2023. Retrieved August 24, 2023.
^ "Big George Foreman". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved October 12, 2023.
^ "Big George Foreman". Metacritic. Fandom, Inc. Retrieved August 24, 2023.

External links

[5] The title as given onscreen is Big George Foreman with "Based on a true story" underneath.

[1] "Big George Foreman". Irish Film Classification Office. April 12, 2023. Archived from the original on April 12, 2023. Retrieved April 12, 2023.

[opening-2] D'Alessandro, Anthony (April 30, 2023). "'Super Mario Bros' Swallowing Up 'Margaret', 'George Foreman' & More – Box Office". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on May 22, 2023. Retrieved April 30, 2023.

[BOM-3] "Big George Foreman". Box Office Mojo. IMDb. Retrieved May 30, 2023.

[Variety-4] ^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f Panaligan, E. J. (February 1, 2023). "Big George Foreman Trailer Follows the Life of the Boxer, Minister and Grill Entrepreneur". Variety. Archived from the original on February 1, 2023. Retrieved February 1, 2023.

[Deadline1-6] Grobar, Matt (February 24, 2022). "Sony's George Foreman Biopic Adds Jasmine Mathews, Sonja Sohn, John Magaro & Shein Mompremier". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on December 30, 2022. Retrieved February 1, 2023.

[7] "Nile Memmezzwattay Actor". IMDb. Retrieved October 20, 2024.

[8] Gleiberman, Owen (April 27, 2023). "Big George Foreman: The Miraculous Story of the Once and Future Heavyweight Champion of the World Review: It's Conventional but Delivers". Variety. Archived from the original on April 29, 2023. Retrieved April 29, 2023.

[ProNotes-9] "Production Notes". Sony Pictures. February 1, 2023. Archived from the original on February 2, 2023. Retrieved February 1, 2023.

[10] N'Duka, Amanda (May 27, 2021). "Khris Davis To Play George Foreman In The Sony Biopic From Director George Tillman Jr". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on February 3, 2023. Retrieved February 3, 2023.

[TheWrap-11] Gonzalez, Umberto (November 5, 2021). "George Foreman Biopic Set for March 2023 at Sony". The Wrap. Archived from the original on February 1, 2023. Retrieved February 1, 2023.

[12] DeVore, Britta (February 1, 2023). "Big George Foreman Trailer: Khris Davis Is Going for the Knock Out". Collider. Archived from the original on February 1, 2023. Retrieved February 1, 2023.

[13] Brandon; Michael (October 7, 2021). "The George Foreman Movie Filming in Shreveport Has Been Shut Down". K945. Archived from the original on February 1, 2023. Retrieved February 1, 2023.

[14] "In Production". Film New Orleans. Archived from the original on March 17, 2022. Retrieved February 1, 2023.

[15] "Big George Foreman Blu-ray Disc Details". Hi-Def Digest. Archived from the original on August 24, 2023. Retrieved August 24, 2023.

[Rotten_Tomatoes-16] "Big George Foreman". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved October 12, 2023.

[Metacritic-17] "Big George Foreman". Metacritic. Fandom, Inc. Retrieved August 24, 2023.

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

[a]

[5]

[6]

[7]

[8]

[9]

[10]

[11]

[12]

[13]

[14]

[15]

[16]

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
 {{Short description|2023 film by George Tillman Jr.}}
-{{Use mdy dates|date=February 2023}}
+{{Use mdy dates|date=October 2023}}
 {{Infobox film
-| name           = Big George Foreman: The Miraculous Story of the Once and Future Heavyweight Champion of the World
 | image          = BigGeorgePoster.png
 | caption        =  Theatrical release poster
@@ Line 38: / Line 37: @@
 * [[Mandalay Pictures]]
 * State Street Pictures
-* [[TSG Entertainment II]]
 }}
 | distributor    =  [[Sony Pictures Releasing]]
 | released       = {{Film date|2023|4|28}}
-| runtime        = 129 minutes<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.ifco.ie/en/ifco/pages/63DB6F99004D5B1D |title=''Big George Foreman'' |website=[[Irish Film Classification Office]] |access-date=April 12, 2023}}</ref>
+| runtime        = 129 minutes<ref>{{cite web |date=April 12, 2023 |url=https://www.ifco.ie/en/ifco/pages/63DB6F99004D5B1D |title=''Big George Foreman'' |website=[[Irish Film Classification Office]] |access-date=April 12, 2023 |archive-date=April 12, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230412201146/https://www.ifco.ie/en/ifco/pages/63DB6F99004D5B1D |url-status=live }}</ref>
 | country        = United States
 | language       = English
 | budget         = $32 million<ref name=opening/>
+| gross          = $6 million<ref name="BOM"/>
-| gross          = $6 million<ref name="NUM">{{cite web|url=https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/Big-George-Foreman-The-Miraculous-Story-of-the-Once-and-Future-Heavyweight-Champion-of-the-World-(2023)#tab=box-office|title= Big George Foreman: The Miraculous Story of the Once and Future Heavyweight Champion of the World - Financial Information |website=[[The Numbers (website)|The Numbers]]|access-date=May 21, 2023}}</ref><ref name="BOM">{{cite BOM|id=12226632|title= Big George Foreman |website=[[Box Office Mojo]]|access-date=May 30, 2023}}</ref>
 }}
-'''''Big George Foreman: The Miraculous Story of the Once and Future Heavyweight Champion of the World''''' (or simply '''''Big George Foreman''''')<ref name="Variety"/>{{efn|The title as given onscreen is ''Big George Foreman'' with "Based on a true story" underneath.}} is a 2023 American [[Biographical film|biographical]] [[Sports film|sports]] [[Drama (film and television)|drama film]] directed by [[George Tillman Jr.]] The film focuses on the life of world heavyweight boxing champion [[George Foreman]], played by [[Khris Davis (actor)|Khris Davis]]. It also stars Jasmine Mathews, [[John Magaro]], Sullivan Jones, [[Lawrence Gilliard Jr.]], [[Sonja Sohn]] and [[Forest Whitaker]].
+'''''Big George Foreman: The Miraculous Story of the Once and Future Heavyweight Champion of the World''''' (or simply '''''Big George Foreman''''')<ref name="Variety"/>{{efn|The title as given onscreen is ''Big George Foreman'' with "Based on a true story" underneath.}} is a 2023 American [[Biographical film|biographical]] [[Sports film|sports]] [[Drama (film and television)|drama film]] on the life of world heavyweight boxing champion [[George Foreman]], played by [[Khris Davis (actor)|Khris Davis]]. It was directed by [[George Tillman Jr.]] and also stars Jasmine Mathews, [[John Magaro]], Sullivan Jones, [[Lawrence Gilliard Jr.]], [[Sonja Sohn]] and [[Forest Whitaker]].
+Development on ''Big George Foreman'' began in 2021 and after several production delays, filming took place on a budget of $32 million from February to March 2022 in New Orleans. The film was released theatrically by [[Sony Pictures Releasing]] on April 28, 2023, and grossed $6 million.
-==Premise==
-Overcoming a childhood marked by poverty to become one of the most promising young boxers in the world, George Foreman suffers a [[near-death experience]] in the ring and vows never to fight again after deciding to become a Baptist minister and preacher. Years later, with [[bankruptcy]] looming over his struggling gym, he gets back in touch with his former trainer and becomes the oldest boxer in history to win the heavyweight championship.
+==Plot==
+A young [[George Foreman]] lives in poverty in [[Houston, Texas]] with his siblings and his religious mother Nancy. Foreman, however, is riddled with anger issues and violent outbursts. As a young adult, Foreman barely evades arrest for mugging and decides to join the [[Job Corps]] as a last-ditch effort to turn his life around. There, he befriends his roommate Desmond Baker, though his violent outbursts nearly get him expelled. However, the Job Corps' chairman Doc Broadus, a boxing trainer, encourages Foreman to take up boxing and channel his rage into the sport instead of fighting.
+Foreman proves to be gifted in the sport and after one year of boxing, he wins the gold medal for the United States against [[Jonas Čepulis]] at the [[1968 Summer Olympics]]. He moves to [[Oakland, California]] to train, where former champions Dick Sadler and [[Archie Moore]] join his team as trainers, and he meets journalist Paula, whom he starts a relationship with and eventually marries. Doc, Paula and Desmond are by his side as Foreman's career flourishes, ultimately winning a [[Joe Frazier vs. George Foreman|fight]] against [[Joe Frazier]] in 1973 and becoming the heavyweight champion. Following his win, Foreman hires Desmond to handle his finances. Foreman's career enables him to live lavishly, however he regularly cheats on Paula with other women and he is dismissive over his mother's attribution of his successes as blessings from God.
+Foreman is heavily taunted by [[Muhammad Ali]], whom he fights at [[The Rumble in the Jungle]] in 1974, where he loses due to Ali's [[rope-a-dope]] strategy. Foreman fires Sadler and Moore, and Paula divorces Foreman due to his infidelity. Following an embarrassing Foreman vs. Five match where he is further mocked by Ali, he is called to the hospital where his sister Mary's newborn baby is in poor health. Witnessing his family praying for the baby, Foreman goes outside and angrily prays to God for a sign, offering himself instead of the baby's life. The baby is miraculously saved, and Mary names her son after her brother.
+After losing to [[Jimmy Young (boxer)|Jimmy Young]] in 1977, Foreman suffers from [[Heat stroke|heatstroke]] and collapses from exhaustion, having a [[near-death experience]] where he finds himself in a place of nothingness and says that he finally believes before waking up. He becomes a devout Christian and disavows boxing to become a full-time preacher, much to the delight of Nancy and the disappointment of Doc. He makes amends with Ali and Paula for his past behavior towards them. At church, he meets and pursues a relationship with fellow believer Mary Joan Martelly.
+Years later, Foreman has married Mary Joan and started a family with her. He is a preacher at the [[Church of the Lord Jesus Christ]], and opened a youth community center to help troubled youth. However, in 1985, he realizes the center is in danger of being closed down after finding out he is in debt due to Desmond mishandling his funds. Nancy tells him that despite losing everything, all he needs is already inside him, and he decides to forgive Desmond after confronting him.
+Foreman's attempts to capitalize on his earlier fame is not enough to save the center. He reluctantly decides to return to boxing to earn money, and with Mary Joan and Doc's encouragement, he trains to get back in shape and decides to start his career again from the bottom. Rejecting his prior rage for a more positive outlook, Foreman manages to win several fights and enters a [[Evander Holyfield vs. George Foreman|match]] against [[Evander Holyfield]]. Although he loses to Holyfield, the payments from the fight - as well as a profitable deal involving [[George Foreman Grill|grills]] - are enough to pay his debts and reopen the center. He works his way up to a [[Michael Moorer vs. George Foreman|match]] against reigning champion [[Michael Moorer]], which he wins and regains his title as heavyweight champion of the world. Foreman reflects that he had to be knocked down to the bottom to realize everything he was searching for was already there.
+An epilogue shares that Foreman had become close friends with Ali; Doc was inducted in the World Boxing Hall of Fame in 1998; and Foreman continues to preach at his church and run his youth center in Houston.
 ==Cast==
 <!--PER END CREDITS ORDER AND NAMES -->
+{{castlist|
 * [[Khris Davis (actor)|Khris Davis]] as [[George Foreman]]<ref name="Variety"/>
 * Jasmine Mathews as Mary Joan<ref name="Deadline1"/>
@@ Line 71: / Line 84: @@
 * Deion Smith as Roy Foreman
 * K Steele as Gloria Foreman
-* [[Carlos Takam]] as [[Joe Frazier]]<ref>{{Cite web |last=Gleiberman |first=Owen |date=2023-04-27 |title=''Big George Foreman: The Miraculous Story of the Once and Future Heavyweight Champion of the World'' Review: It's Conventional but Delivers |url=https://variety.com/2023/film/reviews/big-george-foreman-review-khris-davis-1235595499/ |access-date=2023-04-29 |website=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]}}</ref>
+* Nile Memmezzwattay as Bully<ref>{{Cite web |title=Nile Memmezzwattay Actor |url=https://www.imdb.com/name/nm10779431/ |access-date=2024-10-20 |website=IMDb |language=en-US}}</ref>
+* [[Carlos Takam]] as [[Joe Frazier]]<ref>{{Cite web |last=Gleiberman |first=Owen |date=2023-04-27 |title=''Big George Foreman: The Miraculous Story of the Once and Future Heavyweight Champion of the World'' Review: It's Conventional but Delivers |url=https://variety.com/2023/film/reviews/big-george-foreman-review-khris-davis-1235595499/ |access-date=2023-04-29 |website=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]] |archive-date=April 29, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230429070841/https://variety.com/2023/film/reviews/big-george-foreman-review-khris-davis-1235595499/ |url-status=live }}</ref>
+* [[Cedric Boswell]] as [[Sonny Liston]]
 * [[Tom Virtue]] as [[Johnny Carson]]
+* Phillip Craddock-Haney as [[Jonas Cepulis]]
+}}
 ==Production==
-A biographical film based on [[George Foreman]]'s career was reported in 2021. It was directed by [[George Tillman Jr.]] from a screenplay by Tillman and [[Frank Baldwin]], which is adapted from a screen story written by Tillman, Baldwin, and Dan Gordon.<ref name="ProNotes">{{Cite web |date=February 1, 2023 |title=Production Notes |url=https://sonypicturespublicity.com/dom/secured/title/titleFolderContainer.jsf?terrtitleId=2156 |access-date=February 1, 2023 |website=[[Sony Pictures]]}}</ref> [[Khris Davis (actor)|Khris Davis]] was cast as Foreman,<ref>{{Cite web |last=N'Duka |first=Amanda |date=2021-05-27 |title=Khris Davis To Play George Foreman In The Sony Biopic From Director George Tillman Jr. |url=https://deadline.com/2021/05/khris-davis-george-foreman-sony-biopic-george-tillman-jr-1234765482/ |access-date=2023-02-03 |website=[[Deadline Hollywood]]}}</ref> [[Forest Whitaker]] as Doc Broadus, and Sullivan Jones as [[Muhammad Ali]].<ref name="Deadline1">{{Cite web |last=Grobar |first=Matt  |date=2022-02-24 |title=Sony's George Foreman Biopic Adds Jasmine Mathews, Sonja Sohn, John Magaro & Shein Mompremier |url=https://deadline.com/2022/02/sonys-george-foreman-biopic-adds-jasmine-mathews-john-magaro-more-1234959758/ |access-date=2023-02-01 |website=[[Deadline Hollywood]]}}</ref> [[Michael K. Williams]] was originally cast as Doc Broadus (Foreman's trainer and mentor), but died before production began.<ref name="TheWrap"/><ref>{{Cite web |last=DeVore |first=Britta |date=2023-02-01 |title=''Big George Foreman'' Trailer: Khris Davis Is Going for the Knock Out |url=https://collider.com/big-george-foreman-trailer/ |access-date=2023-02-01 |website=[[Collider (website)|Collider]]}}</ref>
+A biographical film based on [[George Foreman]]'s career was reported in 2021. [[George Tillman Jr.]] was hired to direct from a screenplay by he co-wrote with Frank Baldwin, which is adapted from a screen story written by Tillman, Baldwin, and Dan Gordon.<ref name="ProNotes">{{Cite web |date=February 1, 2023 |title=Production Notes |url=https://sonypicturespublicity.com/dom/secured/title/titleFolderContainer.jsf?terrtitleId=2156 |access-date=February 1, 2023 |website=[[Sony Pictures]] |archive-date=February 2, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230202024140/https://sonypicturespublicity.com/dom/secured/title/titleFolderContainer.jsf?terrtitleId=2156 |url-status=live }}</ref> [[Khris Davis (actor)|Khris Davis]] was cast as Foreman,<ref>{{Cite web |last=N'Duka |first=Amanda |date=2021-05-27 |title=Khris Davis To Play George Foreman In The Sony Biopic From Director George Tillman Jr. |url=https://deadline.com/2021/05/khris-davis-george-foreman-sony-biopic-george-tillman-jr-1234765482/ |access-date=2023-02-03 |website=[[Deadline Hollywood]] |archive-date=February 3, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230203085743/https://deadline.com/2021/05/khris-davis-george-foreman-sony-biopic-george-tillman-jr-1234765482/ |url-status=live }}</ref> [[Forest Whitaker]] as Doc Broadus, and Sullivan Jones as [[Muhammad Ali]].<ref name="Deadline1">{{Cite web |last=Grobar |first=Matt |date=2022-02-24 |title=Sony's George Foreman Biopic Adds Jasmine Mathews, Sonja Sohn, John Magaro & Shein Mompremier |url=https://deadline.com/2022/02/sonys-george-foreman-biopic-adds-jasmine-mathews-john-magaro-more-1234959758/ |access-date=2023-02-01 |website=[[Deadline Hollywood]] |archive-date=December 30, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221230150227/https://deadline.com/2022/02/sonys-george-foreman-biopic-adds-jasmine-mathews-john-magaro-more-1234959758/ |url-status=live }}</ref> [[Michael K. Williams]] was originally cast as Doc Broadus (Foreman's trainer and mentor), but died before production began.<ref name="TheWrap"/><ref>{{Cite web |last=DeVore |first=Britta |date=2023-02-01 |title=''Big George Foreman'' Trailer: Khris Davis Is Going for the Knock Out |url=https://collider.com/big-george-foreman-trailer/ |access-date=2023-02-01 |website=[[Collider (website)|Collider]] |archive-date=February 1, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230201195721/https://collider.com/big-george-foreman-trailer/ |url-status=live }}</ref>
 ===Filming===
-Under the working title ''Heart of a Lion'', [[principal photography]] was set to begin in the autumn of 2021 in [[New Orleans]], Louisiana, but was halted by the landfall of [[Hurricane Ida]].  Production was set to resume filming in [[Shreveport]] by that November but was shut down until early 2022 for an unreported reason.<ref>{{Cite web |last1=Brandon |last2=Michael|date=October 7, 2021  |title=The George Foreman Movie Filming in Shreveport Has Been Shut Down |url=https://k945.com/the-george-foreman-movie-filming-in-shreveport-has-been-shut-down/ |access-date=2023-02-01 |website=[[KRUF|K945]]}}</ref>  Filming took place from February to March 2022 in New Orleans.<ref>{{Cite web |title=In Production |url=https://filmneworleans.org/productions/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220317092447/https://filmneworleans.org/productions/ |archive-date=March 17, 2022 |access-date=February 1, 2023 |website=Film New Orleans}}</ref>
+Under the working title ''Heart of a Lion'', [[principal photography]] was set to begin in late 2021 in [[New Orleans]], Louisiana, but was halted by the landfall of [[Hurricane Ida]].  Production was set to resume filming in [[Shreveport]] by that November but was shut down until early 2022 for an unreported reason.<ref>{{Cite web |last1=Brandon |last2=Michael |date=October 7, 2021 |title=The George Foreman Movie Filming in Shreveport Has Been Shut Down |url=https://k945.com/the-george-foreman-movie-filming-in-shreveport-has-been-shut-down/ |access-date=2023-02-01 |website=[[KRUF|K945]] |archive-date=February 1, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230201204915/https://k945.com/the-george-foreman-movie-filming-in-shreveport-has-been-shut-down/ |url-status=live }}</ref>  Filming took place from February to March 2022 in New Orleans.<ref>{{Cite web |title=In Production |url=https://filmneworleans.org/productions/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220317092447/https://filmneworleans.org/productions/ |archive-date=March 17, 2022 |access-date=February 1, 2023 |website=Film New Orleans}}</ref>
 ==Release==
-The film was originally scheduled to be released on September 16, 2022 but was pushed to March 24, 2023.<ref name="TheWrap">{{Cite web |last=Gonzalez |first=Umberto |date=2021-11-05 |title=George Foreman Biopic Set for March 2023 at Sony |url=https://www.thewrap.com/george-foreman-biopic-march-2023-sony/ |access-date=2023-02-01}}</ref>  It was pushed back again and was released on April 28, 2023, by [[Sony Pictures Releasing]].<ref name="Variety">{{Cite web |last=Panaligan |first=E. J. |date=2023-02-01 |title=''Big George Foreman'' Trailer Follows the Life of the Boxer, Minister and Grill Entrepreneur |url=https://variety.com/2023/film/news/big-george-foreman-trailer-movie-1235412994/ |access-date=2023-02-01 |website=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]}}</ref>
+The film was originally scheduled to be released on September 16, 2022, but was pushed to March 24, 2023.<ref name="TheWrap">{{Cite web |last=Gonzalez |first=Umberto |date=2021-11-05 |title=George Foreman Biopic Set for March 2023 at Sony |url=https://www.thewrap.com/george-foreman-biopic-march-2023-sony/ |work=The Wrap |access-date=2023-02-01 |archive-date=February 1, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230201195721/https://www.thewrap.com/george-foreman-biopic-march-2023-sony/ |url-status=live }}</ref>  It was pushed back again and was released on April 28, 2023, by [[Sony Pictures Releasing]].<ref name="Variety">{{Cite web |last=Panaligan |first=E. J. |date=2023-02-01 |title=''Big George Foreman'' Trailer Follows the Life of the Boxer, Minister and Grill Entrepreneur |url=https://variety.com/2023/film/news/big-george-foreman-trailer-movie-1235412994/ |access-date=2023-02-01 |website=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]] |archive-date=February 1, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230201145926/https://variety.com/2023/film/news/big-george-foreman-trailer-movie-1235412994/ |url-status=live }}</ref> The film was released digitally on May 16, with a [[Blu-ray]] and DVD release to follow on June 27.<ref>{{Cite web |title=''Big George Foreman'' Blu-ray Disc Details |url=https://bluray.highdefdigest.com/117817/biggeorgeforeman.html |access-date=2023-08-24 |website=[[Internet Brands|Hi-Def Digest]] |archive-date=August 24, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230824211006/https://bluray.highdefdigest.com/117817/biggeorgeforeman.html |url-status=live }}</ref>
-The film was released digitally on May 16, with a [[Blu-ray]] and [[DVD]] release to follow on June 27.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.dvdsreleasedates.com/movies/10729/big-george-foreman|title=Big George Foreman DVD Release Date|website=www.dvdsreleasedates.com|access-date=June 5, 2023}}</ref>
 == Reception ==
 ===Box office===
-In the United States and Canada, ''Big George Foreman'' was released alongside ''[[Sisu (film)|Sisu]]'' and ''[[Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret. (film)| Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret.]]'', and was projected to gross around $5 million from 3,054 theaters in its opening weekend. It made $1 million on its first day, including $250,000 from Thursday night previews. The film went on to debut to $2.9 million, finishing 11th at the box office.<ref name=opening>{{cite web |url = https://deadline.com/2023/04/box-office-are-you-there-god-its-me-margaret-sisu-super-mario-bros-1235340701/ |title= 'Super Mario Bros' Swallowing Up 'Margaret', 'George Foreman' & More – Box Office |website= [[Deadline Hollywood]] |date= April 30, 2023 |first= Anthony |last= D'Alessandro |access-date= April 30, 2023}}</ref>
+In the United States and Canada, ''Big George Foreman'' was released alongside ''[[Sisu (film)|Sisu]]'' and ''[[Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret. (film)|Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret.]]'', and was projected to gross around $5 million from 3,054 theaters in its opening weekend. It made $1 million on its first day, including $250,000 from Thursday night previews. The film went on to debut to $2.9 million, finishing 11th at the box office.<ref name=opening>{{cite web |url= https://deadline.com/2023/04/box-office-are-you-there-god-its-me-margaret-sisu-super-mario-bros-1235340701/ |title= 'Super Mario Bros' Swallowing Up 'Margaret', 'George Foreman' & More – Box Office |website= [[Deadline Hollywood]] |date= April 30, 2023 |first= Anthony |last= D'Alessandro |access-date= April 30, 2023 |archive-date= May 22, 2023 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20230522140107/https://deadline.com/2023/04/box-office-are-you-there-god-its-me-margaret-sisu-super-mario-bros-1235340701/ |url-status= live }}</ref>
-{{As of|2023|05|21|df=US}}, the film has grossed $5.4 million domestically and $596,420 overseas, for a worldwide total of $6 million.<ref name="NUM"/>
+The film has grossed $5.4 million in the United States and Canada, and $604,430 in other territories, for a worldwide total of $6 million.<ref name="BOM">{{cite Box Office Mojo|id=12226632|title= Big George Foreman |website=[[Box Office Mojo]]|access-date=May 30, 2023}}</ref>
 ===Critical response===
-{{Rotten Tomatoes prose|44|4.9|48|''Big George Foreman'' had a classic sports story to work with; unfortunately, the sluggishly ordinary way it's told here is more Tomato Can than ''Heavyweight Champion''.|ref=yes|access-date=May 10, 2023}} {{Metacritic film prose|45|11|ref=yes|access-date=May 4, 2023}} Audiences surveyed by [[CinemaScore]] gave the film an average grade of "A–" on an A+ to F scale, while those polled by [[PostTrak]] gave it an 86% positive score.<ref name=opening/>
+{{Rotten Tomatoes prose|42|4.8|52|''Big George Foreman'' had a classic sports story to work with; unfortunately, the sluggishly ordinary way it's told here is more Tomato Can than ''Heavyweight Champion''.|ref=yes|access-date=October 12, 2023}} {{Metacritic film prose|45|11|ref=yes|access-date=August 24, 2023}} Audiences surveyed by [[CinemaScore]] gave the film an average grade of "A–" on an A+ to F scale, while those polled by [[PostTrak]] gave it an 86% positive score.<ref name=opening/>
+==See also==
+* [[List of boxing films]]
 ==Notes==
@@ Line 126: / Line 144: @@
 [[Category:Films directed by George Tillman Jr.]]
 [[Category:Films scored by Marcelo Zarvos]]
+[[Category:Films set in 1968]]
+[[Category:Films set in 1973]]
+[[Category:Films set in 1974]]
+[[Category:Films set in 1977]]
+[[Category:Films set in 1985]]
+[[Category:Films set in 1987]]
+[[Category:Films set in 1991]]
+[[Category:Films set in 1994]]
+[[Category:Films set in California]]
+[[Category:Films set in Florida]]
+[[Category:Films set in Houston]]
+[[Category:Films set in Jamaica]]
+[[Category:Films set in Mexico City]]
+[[Category:Films set in the Democratic Republic of the Congo]]
+[[Category:Films set in the Las Vegas Valley]]
 [[Category:Films shot in New Orleans]]
 [[Category:Religious drama films]]

v t e George Foreman
Fights	Frazier vs. Foreman Foreman vs. Roman Foreman vs. Norton Foreman vs. Ali Foreman vs. Frazier II Foreman vs. Cooney Foreman vs. Rodrigues Holyfield vs. Foreman Foreman vs. Morrison Moorer vs. Foreman Foreman vs. Schulz Foreman vs. Grimsley Foreman vs. Savarese Foreman vs. Briggs
Works about	George When We Were Kings (1996 documentary) Big George Foreman (2023 film)
Video games	George Foreman's KO Boxing Foreman For Real
Family	George Foreman III
Other	George Foreman Grill World Boxing Union (list) Boxing at the 1968 Summer Olympics North American Boxing Federation (list) Texas Sports Hall of Fame International Boxing Hall of Fame