Here's Where to Stream the Elizabeth Banks Movie 'Cocaine Bear'
Updated April 14 2023, 2:57 p.m. ET
The star studded comedy-horror is inspired by a failed 1985 drug run.
Cocaine Bear is loosely based on a true story and follows a black bear that wreaked havoc after getting into a stash of cocaine dropped from a crashed drug runner's plane. The film premiered in theaters on February 24, 2023, so fans want to know where to stream it.
Cocaine Bear was directed by Elizabeth Banks and embraces a campy nature, shifting seamlessly between gruesome violence and quippy comedy. In real life, the cocaine bear, sometimes referred to as "Pablo Eskobear," ripped open and consumed as much as 75 pounds of the drug. When officers found the black bear, he was already dead from an overdose, as his stomach was completely packed to the brim with cocaine. Incredibly, the total value of the amount consumed was estimated to be millions of dollars.
Intrigued? We thought so!
So, is 'Cocaine Bear' streaming anywhere?
From Left to right: O'Shea Jackson Jr, Alden Ehrenreich, Ayoola Smart, Ray Liotta.
Cocaine Bear is currently available to stream on Peacock. You can also buy the film on Amazon for $19.99 if you do not have a Peacock subscription (and do not wish to sign up for one). Following Universal's deal with Peacock, newly released films can stream on the platform as soon as 45 days after their theatrical release, placing Cocaine Bear just a bit over that minimum threshold.
Want to know more about the real 'Cocaine Bear' story?
In Cocaine Bear, which is rated "R," a ragtag team of drug fixers, park rangers, and campers get attacked by the bear. They then attempt to escape, stop the bear from rampaging, and retrieve the drugs, respectively. The bear attacks and kills eleven people throughout the movie. In real life, only one person died.
The victim was drug smuggler Andrew Thornton who jumped from a crashing plane near the Georgia-Tennessee border, carrying, well, a lot of the drug. Sadly, Andrew's parachute didn't open.
Taking on such a dramatic, unbelievable story was not lost on Elizabeth. "Cocaine Bear is a ginormous risk," Elizabeth told Variety. "This could be a career ender for me."
But that risk may be paying off for her, as Cocaine Bear has garnered viral attention and is expected to make $15 million or more in its debut. Universal Filmed Entertainment Group Chairman Donna Langley said this of Elizabeth: "She wasn't afraid of how gonzo it needed to be. In today's marketplace, really what you have to be is bold and fresh and different, and Cocaine Bear certainly checks those boxes."
