Book Club: The Next Chapter
| Book Club: The Next Chapter | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Bill Holderman |
| Written by |
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| Based on | Characters by Bill Holderman Erin Simms |
| Produced by |
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| Starring | |
| Cinematography | Andrew Dunn |
| Edited by | Doc Crotzer |
| Music by | Tom Howe |
Production companies |
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| Distributed by |
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Release date |
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Running time | 108 minutes[1] |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $20 million[2] |
| Box office | $27.4 million[3][4] |
Book Club: The Next Chapter is a 2023 American romantic comedy film written and directed by Bill Holderman. It serves as a sequel to Book Club (2018). The film stars Diane Keaton, Jane Fonda, Candice Bergen and Mary Steenburgen, Craig T. Nelson, Giancarlo Giannini, Andy García, and Don Johnson.
Book Club: The Next Chapter was released in the United States on May 12, 2023, by Focus Features. The film received mixed reviews from critics and has grossed $27 million worldwide.
Plot
The four friends in the book club finally meet in person after COVID-19 forced them to switch their monthly meetings to Zoom calls. Vivian reveals her engagement to Arthur, and the four friends take a bachelorette trip to Italy culminating in a destination wedding in Tuscany. The four enjoy their stay in Rome, sightseeing, man watching and shopping for Vivian's wedding gown. A street artist assures them a trip to Venice is a must for tourists, so they take a train, not realizing the “porters” at the station are thieves who steal their luggage.
Diane loses the urn containing her deceased husband’s ashes, which she has illegally brought into the country. Vivian’s hotel connections get them nice accommodations in Venice. In a bar Sharon meets Ousmane, a retired philosophy professor who invites the foursome to dinner. The venue turns out to be famed Chef Gianni’s cooking school, and he seems to make a play for Carol, whose husband Bruce is back in California recovering from a heart attack. The foursome rent a car to drive to Tuscany, but it breaks down, forcing them to hitchhike.
When a policeman happens by, Vivian thinks he’s a male stripper and that lands them in the local jail, where Sharon goads a prickly police chief into getting them to Vivian’s wedding via helicopter. The police chief has recovered Diane’s urn, so she scatters her husband's ashes en route. Arthur and Mitchell (his best man, and Diane’s boyfriend) are waiting, and Carol is surprised by Bruce's appearance. The wedding involves reversals. The four friends realize their current book, The Alchemist by Paolo Coelho, predicts their lives more than they expected it to.
Cast
- Diane Keaton as Diane[5]
- Jane Fonda as Vivian[6]
- Candice Bergen as Sharon
- Mary Steenburgen as Carol
- Craig T. Nelson as Bruce
- Don Johnson as Arthur
- Andy García as Mitchell
- Giancarlo Giannini as the Police Chief
- Vincent Riotta as Chef Gianni
- Hugh Quarshie as Ousmane
Production
In May 2022, Variety announced that Book Club 2: The Next Chapter, began production with Keaton, Fonda, Bergen, Steenburgen, Garcia, Johnson, and Nelson reprising their roles from the first film. Production occurred over the course of two months in Italy, including 10 days in Venice.[7]
Focus Features replaced Paramount Pictures as distributor in the United States, with Universal Pictures distributing in other markets.[8]
Release
Book Club: The Next Chapter was released on May 12, 2023 by Focus Features.[9][6]
Reception
Box office
As of June 14, 2023[update], Book Club: The Next Chapter has grossed $17.5 million in the United States and Canada, and $9.9 million in other territories, for a worldwide total of $27.4 million.[4][3]
In the United States and Canada, Book Club: The Next Chapter was released alongside Hypnotic, and was projected to gross $7–10 million from 3,507 theaters in its opening weekend.[2] It made $2.1 million on its first day, including $550,000 from Thursday night previews. It went on to debut to $6.4 million, finishing third behind holdovers Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 and The Super Mario Bros. Movie. The below-expectations opening was blamed in part on a lack of demand for a sequel to the first film, as well as older females (which made up 48% of the audience) being the most-hesitant to return to theaters since the COVID-19 pandemic.[10] The film made $3 million in its second weekend, finishing in fourth.[11]
Critical response
On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 47% of 106 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 5.2/10. The website's consensus reads: "Book Club: The Next Chapter's leading quartet remains eminently watchable, but they're underserved by its corny jokes and somewhat patronizing tone."[12] Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 45 out of 100, based on 27 critics, indicating "mixed or average" reviews.[13] Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "B" on an A+ to F scale (down from the first film’s “A-“), while those polled by PostTrak gave it an 81% positive score, with 55% saying they would definitely recommend it.[10]
Possible sequel
Bergen said a possible third film could take place at Burning Man or "Hong Kong just because."[7]
References
- ^ "Book Club: The Next Chapter (12A)". BBFC. Retrieved May 16, 2023.
- ^ a b Rubin, Rebecca (May 10, 2023). "Box Office: 'Book Club 2' Targets $10 Million Debut, 'Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3' to Rule Again". Variety. Retrieved May 11, 2023.
- ^ a b "Book Club: The Next Chapter – Financial Information". The Numbers. Nash Information Services, LLC. Retrieved June 15, 2023.
- ^ a b "Book Club: The Next Chapter". Box Office Mojo. IMDb. Retrieved June 15, 2023.
- ^ "'Book Club 2: The Next Chapter' Just Announced Its Much Anticipated Release Date". Glamour. May 31, 2022. Archived from the original on October 22, 2022. Retrieved October 22, 2022.
- ^ a b DeVore, Britta (July 28, 2022). "'Book Club 2 – A New Chapter' Gets Spring Release Date". Collider. Archived from the original on October 22, 2022. Retrieved October 22, 2022.
- ^ a b Alexander, Bryan (May 11, 2023). "Candice Bergen would 'rather die' than wear her 'Book Club' passport belt in real life". USA Today. Retrieved May 11, 2023.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ Lang, Brent (May 31, 2022). "'Book Club 2' Starts Production With Jane Fonda, Candice Bergen, Diane Keaton, Mary Steenburgen". Variety. Archived from the original on October 23, 2022. Retrieved May 31, 2022.
- ^ D'Alessandro, Anthony (July 28, 2022). "'Book Club 2 – The Next Chapter' Sets Mother's Day Release". Deadline. Archived from the original on August 16, 2022. Retrieved October 22, 2022.
- ^ a b D'Alessandro, Anthony (May 14, 2023). "'Guardians' Gang Steals 'Book Club' Ladies' Purse Over Mother's Day Weekend: Best Second Weekend Hold For MCU Post Covid – Sunday Box Office Update". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved May 14, 2023.
- ^ D'Alessandro, Anthony (May 21, 2023). "'Fast X' Stays Steady Toward $67M Opening, -4% Behind 'F9' – Early Sunday AM Box Office Update". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved May 21, 2023.
- ^ "Book Club: The Next Chapter". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved May 13, 2023.
- ^ "Book Club: The Next Chapter". Metacritic. Fandom, Inc. Retrieved May 13, 2023.
