Joy (2015 film)

In January 2014, it was announced that David O. Russell's upcoming project would entail rewriting and directing a drama film about American inventor and entrepreneur Joy Mangano, a struggling Long Island single mom of three children.[4] Russell set Jennifer Lawrence to play the lead role in the film, which John Davis and John Fox produced for Davis Entertainment, along with Ken Mok, with 20th Century Fox holding the distribution rights.[4] In early November 2014, Russell said it was "a great opportunity to do something neither Jennifer nor I have done [before]". He also stated that he would like to cast Robert De Niro and create a role for Bradley Cooper to star in the film.[16] On November 11, it was reported that De Niro was in final talks to re-team with Russell and Lawrence in the film, to play Mangano's father.[17] They worked together in the 2012 film Silver Linings Playbook, and then De Niro made a cameo in 2013's American Hustle.[6] Russell rewrote the script by Annie Mumolo.[6] On November 17, De Niro confirmed his casting, saying "Yes I am going to do something with them. I am going to play a father."[6] In early December 2014, Cooper was officially set to star along with Lawrence, playing an executive at QVC who helps Joy by giving the Miracle Mop a boost.[7] On December 8, Édgar Ramírez was cast as Tony Miranda, Joy's now ex-husband.[8] Additional cast members, including Isabella Rossellini, Diane Ladd, and Virginia Madsen in unspecified roles, were revealed on February 17, 2015.[9] Isabella Crovetti-Cramp played young Joy.[5] In February, another working title was revealed, which was Kay's Baptism.[18] Elisabeth Röhm's casting as Peggy, sister of Joy Mangano, was revealed on February 27, 2015.[12]

Principal photography began in February 2015, after De Niro completed the shooting of Dirty Grandpa.[6] Filming was originally set to begin on February 9, 2015, in Boston, Massachusetts, making this Russell's third film shot in the area.[19][20] Due to snow in the city, filming was rescheduled to begin on February 19, on Federal Street in Wilmington, MA, lasting through February 26,[21][22] but principal photography on the film began in Boston on February 16, 2015.[9][23][24]

In Wilmington, filming lasted until February 26, 2015.[25] On February 27, 2015, Lawrence made a Facebook post denying the rumors about her clashes with Russell on the set of the film, saying, "David O. Russell is one of my closest friends and we have an amazing collaborative working relationship. I adore this man and he does not deserve this tabloid malarkey. This movie is going great and I'm having a blast making it!"[26] After wrapping up in Wilmington, the production moved to North Reading, where shooting took place March 2–4, 2015[18] and on March 11 and 12.[27]

The film was released on December 25, 2015.[28]

Joy was released on DVD, Blu-ray, and Ultra HD Blu-ray on May 3, 2016 by 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment.

In 2022, a stage musical of the same name titled Joy premiered at the George Street Playhouse in New Brunswick, New Jersey, starring Erika Henningsen in the title role. Mangano had sold the stage rights to theatrical producer Ken Davenport, and she attended the premiere performance on December 16, 2022. [29][30]

Jennifer Lawrence's performance received positive reviews from critics. She received her fourth Academy Award nomination for her performance, becoming, at age 25, the youngest person in history to receive four Oscar nominations.[31]

Joy grossed $56.4 million in the U.S. and Canada and $44.7 million in other countries, for a worldwide total of $101.1 million against a budget of $60 million.[3]

In the United States and Canada, the film opened on December 25, 2015 alongside Point Break, Daddy's Home, and Concussion, as well as the wide release of The Big Short. In its opening weekend, it was projected to gross $13–15 million from 2,896 theaters.[32] It ended up grossing $17 million, finishing third at the box office behind Star Wars: The Force Awakens ($149.2 million) and Daddy's Home ($38.7 million).[33]

Joy received mixed reviews from critics.[34] On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the film has an approval rating of 60%, based on 275 reviews, with an average rating of 6.3/10. The site's consensus reads, "Joy is anchored by a strong performance from Jennifer Lawrence, although director David O. Russell's uncertain approach to its fascinating fact-based tale only sporadically sparks bursts of the titular emotion."[35] On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 56 out of 100, based on 48 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews".[36] Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "B+" on an A+ to F scale.[33]