| Bob Marley: One Love | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Reinaldo Marcus Green |
| Screenplay by |
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| Story by |
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| Produced by | |
| Starring | |
| Cinematography | Robert Elswit |
| Edited by |
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| Music by | Kris Bowers |
Production companies |
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| Distributed by | Paramount Pictures |
Release dates |
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Running time | 107 minutes[1] |
| Country | United States |
| Languages |
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| Budget | $70 million[4] |
| Box office | $180.8 million[5][6] |
Bob Marley: One Love is a 2024 Americanbiographicaldramamusical film based on the life ofreggae singer and songwriterBob Marley, played byKingsley Ben-Adir, from his rise to fame in the mid-1970s to his death in 1981. The film is directed byReinaldo Marcus Green, who co-wrote the screenplay withTerence Winter,Frank E. Flowers, andZach Baylin. It also starsLashana Lynch asRita Marley andJames Norton asChris Blackwell.
Bob Marley: One Love premiered at theCarib 5 inKingston, Jamaica, on January 23, 2024, and was released in theUnited States byParamount Pictures on February 14, 2024. It received mixed reviews from critics and grossed $180 million worldwide.
In 1976, amidst armedpolitical conflict that is affecting daily life inJamaica,Bob Marley announces that he will perform atSmile Jamaica Concert, promoting peace amongst the warring factions. While preparing for the concert, Marley; his wife,Rita; and several other members ofBob Marley and the Wailers, his band, areshot by assailants, Bob gets shot on the arm, Rita on the head, Don is severely injured on the chest and legs. Rita and Marley are hospitalized but survive and recover from their injuries in time for the concert. After performing, Marley, saddened that his own countrymen would try to kill him and his wife, shows the crowd his bullet wounds and walks off stage. He tells Rita to take their children toDelaware,United States, and stay with his mom, as he and the rest of his band venture toLondon to record their next two albums.
After struggling to come up with a new album concept, Marley asks Rita to rejoin him and the band inEngland. Taking inspiration from thesoundtrack of the filmExodus and their own situation, he and the band begin recording what would become theiralbum of the same name, in conjunction with a second album that is released in 1978. The album becomes a hit and helps further popularizereggae music and theRastafari movement around the world. When the recording company schedules a tour inEurope, Marley also aims for stops throughoutAfrica to inspire the people there. That leads to friction with Rita, as she and Marley argue about his responsibilities and about their infidelities, in addition to having given up on promoting peace back in Jamaica. Marley also gets into an altercation with manager Don Taylor over a financial dispute.
After a toenail infection, caused by being hit by a football, raises concern from Rita and his record producerChris Blackwell, Marley is later diagnosed with arare skin cancer. Blackwell confronts Marley about treatment choices, but a firm Marley reluctantly dismisses him. Marley, faced with his own mortality, reconciles with Rita and Taylor and finally decides to return toJamaica in 1978, where he is welcomed back by a crowd at the airport. Back home, the gunman who had shot him and the others arrives and begs for forgiveness, to which Marley states he "keeps no vengeance." After Marley debutsRedemption Song to Rita and the children about reconciliation, she finally deems him ready to perform a peace concert. The film ends as Marley and his band gear up to perform again for the Jamaican crowd with the song "One Love."
A pre-credits montage shows clips of the real Marley and his band during theOne Love Peace Concert, which sees them joined on-stage by the heads of both of Jamaica's political parties, and also reveals that Marley and his band performed inZimbabwe to celebrate the nation's independence before he died of his cancer in 1981, at the age of 36.
In June 2018, it was announced thatParamount Pictures was developing a biographical drama film based on the life of singer and songwriterBob Marley, with Marley's sonZiggy Marley serving as a producer.[9] In March 2021,Reinaldo Marcus Green had been hired to direct, withZach Baylin (who wrote Green's 2021 filmKing Richard),Frank E. Flowers, andTerence Winter writing the screenplay.[10][11] In February 2022,Kingsley Ben-Adir was cast as the titular character, after an extensive, year-long, and globe-spanning search by the studio.[12] In August,Lashana Lynch had joined the cast playing as Bob's wife,Rita Marley.[13] In February 2023,Michael Gandolfini,Nadine Marshall,James Norton, andAnthony Welsh had joined the cast.[14]
Principal photography began in December 2022 in London[15][16] and Jamaica inKingston,Trench Town,Norman Manley International Airport,Bull Bay andCane River Falls and wrapped in April 2023.[17][18] The film's title,Bob Marley: One Love, was announced by producerZiggy Marley atCinemaCon that same month.[18][19]
In October 2023, it was reported thatKris Bowers had composed the film's score, after working with Green onMonsters and Men (2018) andKing Richard.[20] On January 26, 2024, Americancountry singerKacey Musgraves released a cover ofthe Wailers' "Three Little Birds" (1977), part of the film's soundtrack.[21] The soundtrack EP of the film was released on February 14, 2024, byIsland Records andTuff Gong.[22]
Bob Marley: One Love held its world premiere in Marley's hometown ofKingston, Jamaica, on January 23, 2024.[23]It was released theatrically in the United States on February 14, 2024.[24] It was originally scheduled to be released on January 12, 2024.[14] It was released in the United Kingdom on the same day as the North American release.[1]
It premiered onParamount+ andMGM+ in the US and Canada on April 12, 2024, with a linear streaming on the same day.
It was released on 4K Ultra HD, DVD and Blu-ray on May 28, 2024, byParamount Home Entertainment.
Bob Marley: One Love grossed $96.9 million in the United States and Canada, and $83.9 million in other territories, for a worldwide total of $180.8 million.[5]
In the United States and Canada,One Love was released alongsideMadame Web, and was initially projected to gross $30–35 million from 3,536 theaters over its six-day opening frame.[4] The film made $14 million on its first day, aValentine's Day mid-week record (surpassingThe Vow's $11.5 million in 2012), and $3.8 million on its second.[25][26] After making $7.5 million on Friday, six-day estimates were raised to $46 million. It went on to debut to $51 million over its first six days (including $27.7 million in its opening weekend), finishing first at the box office and marking one of the best openings for a music biopic.[27] In its second weekend the film made $13.5 million (a drop of 53%), remaining in first.[28] It made $7.4 million in its third weekend, finishing second behind newcomerDune: Part Two.[29]
In Jamaica, the film's opening day gross of $100,000 and an 89% market share set a record for the biggest box office opening of all time in the country.[30][31][32]
On thereview aggregator websiteRotten Tomatoes, 43% of 198 critics' reviews are positive. The website's consensus reads: "Kingsley Ben-Adir does an admirable job in the central role, butBob Marley: One Love is ultimately a standard biopic that doesn't do justice to its brilliant subject."[33]Metacritic, which uses aweighted average, assigned the film a score of 43 out of 100, based on 36 critics, indicating "mixed or average" reviews.[34] Audiences surveyed byCinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "A" on an A+ to F scale, and those polled atPostTrak gave it a 91% positive score, with 80% saying they would definitely recommend the film.[25][27]
Lovia Gyarkye ofThe Hollywood Reporter wrote: "[Ben-Adir] wholly conjures Marley's charisma while also teasing the musician's sense of isolation, stemming from a childhood marked by abandonment. His compelling performance enlivens a film that otherwise feels like it's perpetually struggling to take off."[35]Javier Ocaña ofEl País called the film "a serviceable biopic that is saved by its soundtrack"[36] whileExpresso thought it "showed the man beyond the myth."[37]
Brian Lowry ofCNN called the film "a dutiful addition to a recent wave of such biographies (seeRocketman andBohemian Rhapsody), but a largely uninspired one."[38]The Age's Jake Wilson gave it 1.5/5 stars, called it a "routine biopicm" and wrote that "considering this is unlikely to be the last attempt to dramatise Marley's life story, next time it wouldn't hurt if a Jamaican filmmaker had a go."[39]The Atlantic's Hannah Giorgis wrote, "One Love might offer a less daunting entry point thanMarley, which can feel intimidating in its scope. But his music and ideas—and all the people who helped usher them into this fractured world—deserve better."[40]
| Award | Date of ceremony | Category | Recipient(s) | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BET Awards | June 30, 2024 | Best Movie | Bob Marley: One Love | Won | [41] |
| Black Reel Awards | February 10, 2025 | Outstanding Supporting Performance | Lashana Lynch | Nominated | [42] |
| Outstanding Hairstyling & Makeup | Nadia Stacey andCarla Farmer | Nominated | |||
| Outstanding Score | Kris Bowers | Nominated | |||
| Outstanding Soundtrack | Bob Marley: One Love (Soundtrack) | Nominated | |||
| NAACP Image Awards | February 22, 2025 | Outstanding Motion Picture | Bob Marley: One Love | Nominated | [43] |
| Outstanding Directing in a Motion Picture | Reinaldo Marcus Green | Nominated | |||
| Outstanding Actor in a Motion Picture | Kingsley Ben-Adir | Nominated | |||
| Outstanding Actress in a Motion Picture | Lashana Lynch | Nominated | |||
| Outstanding Ensemble Cast in a Motion Picture | The cast ofBob Marley: One Love | Nominated | |||
| Outstanding Soundtrack/Compilation Album | Bob Marley: One Love (Soundtrack) | Nominated |
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