| The Six Triple Eight | |
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 Promotional poster | |
| Directed by | Tyler Perry |
| Written by | Tyler Perry |
| Based on | "Fighting a Two-Front War" by Kevin M. Hymel |
| Produced by |
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| Starring | |
| Cinematography | Michael Watson |
| Edited by | Maysie Hoy |
| Music by | Aaron Zigman |
Production companies |
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| Distributed by | Netflix |
Release dates |
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Running time | 127 minutes[1] |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $70 million[2] |
The Six Triple Eight is a 2024 Americanwar drama film written and directed byTyler Perry on the6888th Central Postal Directory Battalion, an all-black, all-female battalion, inWorld War II.[3] It is based on the article "Fighting a Two-Front War" by Kevin M. Hymel. The film's ensemble cast includesKerry Washington,Ebony Obsidian,Milauna Jackson,Shanice Shantay,Sarah Jeffery,Pepi Sonuga,Gregg Sulkin,Susan Sarandon,Dean Norris,Sam Waterston, Kylie Jefferson, Moriah Brown, andOprah Winfrey.
The Six Triple Eight had a limited theatrical release on December 6, 2024, then began airing on Netflix on December 20. The film received mixed reviews from critics. Its song, "The Journey", was nominated forBest Original Song at the97th Academy Awards. The film was nominated for and won five awards at the56th NAACP Image Awards, includingOutstanding Motion Picture and acting wins for Washington, Obsidian, and the ensemble cast.[4]
AWest Virginian mother waits daily for news from her two sons serving overseas while childhood friends Lena and Abram face the difficulty of their budding romance (Lena is black and Abram is Jewish) in 1940sPhiladelphia. Abram, warned for deployment, promises Lena's mother he will come to her house and court Lena properly after the war. When Abram is killed in action as a fighter pilot, the heartbroken Lena enlists after graduating school. She befriends other enlistees on the train toGeorgia for basic training.
Captain Charity Adams andLieutenant Noel Campbell train the recruits but the battalion is not shipped overseas. The West Virginian mother convinces First LadyEleanor Roosevelt that mail from relatives overseas is severely delayed.President Roosevelt discusses the issue at a meeting withMary MacLeod Bethune in attendance and learns supply shipments have been prioritized over mail, leaving millions of letters and packages piled up in Britain. Clearing the backlog has become a logistical nightmare that several units have been unable to resolve, including a whiteWAC unit. Bethune insists the blackWomen's Army Corps unit commanded by Adams can do it.
The battalion travels toGlasgow aboardÎle de France without naval escort.[5] Once ashore the racist commanding officer, General Halt, forces them to march through the city to a disused, rat-infested, unheatedboarding school. The newly-promoted Major Adams and Captain Campbell are given six months to turn the school into a post office and barracks, and clear the two-year backlog of undelivered mail, a deadline intended to ensure their failure.
The battalion establishes liveable quarters, a pristine mess hall, and an efficient mail sorting hall. Lena loses her composure watching nonchalant handling of dog tags found in damaged letters, breaks down and confides to her friends her connection to Abram. Memories of not receiving any of his letters makes her appreciate how important their job is. Her friends promise to watch for letters addressed to her, and Major Adams tells Lena that her story has also made her realize the importance of their work.
The battalion learns their first two months of sorted mail was undeliverable, and is asked to host black soldiers at a dance to boost morale. Lena sees Hugh there, whom she had met previously at the 6888th's training base in Georgia. They start to dance, but she leaves upon hearing a song she associates with Abram. They decide to be friends.
When white officers discover that letters are occasionally opened, the battalion's members respond by describing the challenges they face, such as multiple instances of identical names, multiple locator cards for soldiers as their units move, rats damaging the packages, and mold from care packages from home destroying addresses. The same day that a letter from Abram to Lena is found, two women of the 6888th are killed by anunexploded bomb. After their burial atBrookwood Cemetery, Lena visits Abram's grave, where she reads his letter. In it, he tells her to live a long life and she finally gets closure.
Lieutenant General Halt visits the battalion, delivers a harsh critique, and declares Major Adams incompetent. When he announces his intent to replace her with a white male officer, Adams responds, “Over my dead body,” and confronts him. The soldiers who witness the exchange remain at attention until she returns to release them for duty, at which point they give her a rousing ovation. General Halt, working on Major Adams' court martial, hears cheers from his unit as their mail finally arrives. The 6888th has succeeded in eliminating the two-year backlog of 17 million pieces of mail in just 90 days. The unit is sent toRouen,France, to clear a similar backlog. After the war, Lena marries Hugh and enjoys a long life with him.
Decades later,Michelle Obama oversees a ceremony honoring the 6888th Central Postal Directory Battalion. On April 27, 2023, the U.S. Army renamed Fort Lee asFort Gregg-Adams to honor Adams,[6] making it the first U.S. military base named for a black woman.[7]
In June 2025, Fort Gregg-Adams was re-renamed to Fort Lee. Donald Trump announced that the base would be named "FortRobert E. Lee"[8], but it was ultimately renamed for PrivateFitz Lee, aBuffalo Soldier andSpanish-American War veteran chosen because he shared a name with the Confederate general.[9]
It was announced in December 2022 thatTyler Perry would write and direct the filmSix Triple Eight forNetflix.[10] The film is based on historian Kevin M. Hymel's article, "Fighting a Two-Front War", published in the February 2019 issue ofWWII History magazine.[11] In January 2023, the cast, includingKerry Washington,Sam Waterston,Susan Sarandon, andOprah Winfrey was announced, with Washington also joining as an executive producer.[12]
Filming began on January 17, 2023, inAtlanta.[13] Production also occurred inLittle Germany, Bradford, and atImperial War Museum Duxford in February.[14][15] Filming took place inCedartown, Georgia, on March 28, 2023.[16]
The Six Triple Eight had a budget of $70 million, making it Perry's largest and most expensive production to date.[17]
The Six Triple Eight (Soundtrack from the Netflix Film) was released digitally on December 6, 2024, throughNetflix Music.[18] The album consisted of thefilm score composed byAaron Zigman, in his eleventh collaboration with Perry, and jointly produced by Zigman, Perry andmusic supervisor Joel C. High.[19] The film'send credits song, "The Journey" written byDiane Warren and performed byH.E.R.,[20][21] was nominated in the category ofBest Original Song at the97th Academy Awards.[22]
In February 2024,The Six Triple Eight was reported to be part of Netflix's 2024 release calendar, with a specific date yet to be announced.[23][24][25] In August 2024, Netflix announced that the film, now titledThe Six Triple Eight, would be released in alimited theatrical release on December 6, 2024, with a streaming release two weeks later on December 20 on Netflix.[26]
The Six Triple Eight amassed 52.4 million views over its first four weeks on Netflix becoming Tyler Perry's most-watched film on the service to date. The historical drama has also boosted viewership for Perry’s four other Netflix films,Mea Culpa,A Jazzman's Blues,A Madea Homecoming, andA Fall from Grace by more than 45% sinceThe Six Triple Eight began streaming on Dec. 20. Plus, the film reached the Top 10 in more than 85 countries, the most of any film he’s made for the streamer.[27]
On thereview aggregator websiteRotten Tomatoes, 55% of 55 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 5.4/10. The website's consensus reads: "The Six Triple Eight recounts an important true story with a steely Kerry Washington at command, but its treacly presentation unfortunately doesn't let these inspiring events speak for themselves."[28]Metacritic, which uses aweighted average, assigned the film a score of 51 out of 100, based on 14 critics, indicating "mixed or average" reviews.[29]
Film critic Peter Debruge fromVariety gave it a positive review, writing: "The Six Triple Eight gives Perry his best and most substantial feature to date (only 2010's ensemble melodramaFor Colored Girls comes close)... The film boasts a large enough cast to launch a dozen or so careers, and yet, one performance stands head and shoulders above the others: That would be Washington's forceful turn as Adams, who holds her own against arrogant white officers."[30]Frank Scheck fromThe Hollywood Reporter also gave it a positive review, praising Obsidian and Washington's performances.[31] Jesse Hassenger fromThe Guardian gave it 2/5 stars, writing: "Kerry Washington hams it up in the writer-director's stodgy ode to a battalion of women in the second world war who deserve far better".[32]
| Award | Date of ceremony | Category | Recipient(s) | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Academy Awards | 2 March 2025 | Best Original Song | "The Journey" –Diane Warren | Nominated | [33] |
| African-American Film Critics Association | February 19, 2025 | Beacon Award | Nicole Avant | Honored[a] | [34] |
| Black Reel Awards | February 10, 2025 | Outstanding Lead Performance | Kerry Washington | Nominated | [35] |
| Outstanding Original Song | "The Journey" – Diane Warren; Performed byH.E.R. | Won | |||
| Celebration of Cinema and Television | December 9, 2024 | Icon Award | Tyler Perry | Won | [36] |
| Hollywood Music in Media Awards | November 20, 2024 | Original Score – Feature Film | Aaron Zigman | Nominated | [37] |
| Best Original Song – Feature Film | "The Journey" – Diane Warren; Performed by H.E.R. | Won | |||
| NAACP Image Awards | February 22, 2025 | Outstanding Motion Picture | The Six Triple Eight | Won | [38] |
| Outstanding Actress in a Motion Picture | Kerry Washington | Won | |||
| Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture | Ebony Obsidian | Won | |||
| Outstanding Breakthrough Performance in a Motion Picture | Won | ||||
| Outstanding Ensemble Cast in a Motion Picture | The cast ofThe Six Triple Eight | Won | |||
| Satellite Awards | January 26, 2025 | Best Original Song | "The Journey" – Diane Warren | Nominated | [39] |
| Society of Composers & Lyricists Awards | February 12, 2025 | Outstanding Original Song for a Dramatic or Documentary Visual Media Production | Won | [40] | |
| DAR National Defense Night Awards | June 28, 2025 | DAR Media and Entertainment Award | Tyler Perry Studios | Won | [41] |
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