Monkey Man released in 2024, marks the directorial debut of Dev Patel, who also stars in the film. Along with Patel, the movie has a talented cast including Sharlto Copley, Pitobash Tripathi, Vipin Sharma, Sikander Kher, Aditi Kalkunte, Shobhita Dhulipala, Ashwini Kalsekar, Makarand Deshpande, Jatin Malik and Zakir Hussain.
Premiering at South by Southwest on March 11, 2024, Monkey Man quickly gained attention for its thrilling storyline and intense action scenes. It opened in theaters in the United States and Canada on April 5, 2024, distributed by Universal Pictures.
Despite its modest budget of $10 million, the film grossed an impressive $34 million worldwide. Critics praised its thrilling plot, strong performances, and captivating direction, making it a financial and critical success.
Monkey Man showcases Dev Patel’s talent not only as an actor but also as a director, which left a lasting impression on audiences in 2024.
Monkey Man Movie Brief Overview
| Attribute | Details |
|---|---|
| Directed by | Dev Patel |
| Screenplay by | Dev Patel Paul Angunawela John Collee |
| Story by | Dev Patel |
| Produced by | Dev Patel Jomon Thomas Jordan Peele Win Rosenfeld Ian Cooper Basil Iwanyk Erica Lee Christine Haebler Anjay Nagpal |
| Starring | Dev Patel Sharlto Copley Pitobash Vipin Sharma Sikandar Kher Adithi Kalkunte Sobhita Dhulipala Ashwini Kalsekar Makarand Deshpande Jatin Malik Zakir Hussain |
| Cinematography | Sharone Meir |
| Edited by | Dávid Jancsó Tim Murrell Joe Galdo |
| Music by | Jed Kurzel |
| Production companies | Universal Pictures Bron Studios Thunder Road Films Monkeypaw Productions Minor Realm S’YA Concept WME Independent Creative Wealth Media |
| Distributed by | Universal Pictures |
| Release dates | March 11, 2024 (SXSW) April 5, 2024 (United States and Canada) |
| Running time | 121 minutes |
| Countries | Canada United States |
| Languages | English Hindi |
| Budget | $10 million |
| Box office | $34.5 million |
Monkey Man Movie Cast & Crew
| Actor | Character |
|---|---|
| Dev Patel | Kid / Bobby / Monkey Man |
| Jatin Malik | Young Kid |
| Sharlto Copley | Tiger |
| Pitobash | Alphonso |
| Vipin Sharma | Alpha |
| Sikandar Kher | Rana Singh |
| Sobhita Dhulipala | Sita |
| Ashwini Kalsekar | Queenie Kapoor |
| Adithi Kalkunte | Neela |
| Makarand Deshpande | Baba Shakti |
| Zakir Hussain | Hijra tabla maestro |
Monkey Man Movie Box Office Collection Worldwide
| Date | DOW | Rank | Daily | %± YD | %± LW | Theaters | Avg | To Date | Day |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 5 | Friday | 2 | $4,182,135 | – | – | 3,029 | $1,380 | $4,182,135 | 1 |
| Apr 6 | Saturday | 3 | $3,570,175 | -14.6% | – | 3,029 | $1,178 | $7,752,310 | 2 |
| Apr 7 | Sunday | 3 | $2,367,125 | -33.7% | – | 3,029 | $781 | $10,119,435 | 3 |
| Apr 8 | Monday | 2 | $734,735 | -69% | – | 3,029 | $242 | $10,854,170 | 4 |
| Apr 9 | Tuesday | 2 | $1,259,505 | +71.4% | – | 3,029 | $415 | $12,113,675 | 5 |
| Apr 10 | Wednesday | 3 | $861,085 | -31.6% | – | 3,029 | $284 | $12,974,760 | 6 |
| Apr 11 | Thursday | 2 | $690,495 | -19.8% | – | 3,029 | $227 | $13,665,255 | 7 |
| Apr 12 | Friday | 5 | $1,258,085 | +82.2% | -69.9% | 3,037 | $414 | $14,923,340 | 8 |
| Apr 13 | Saturday | 6 | $1,694,315 | +34.7% | -52.5% | 3,037 | $557 | $16,617,655 | 9 |
| Apr 14 | Sunday | 6 | $1,133,780 | -33.1% | -52.1% | 3,037 | $373 | $17,751,435 | 10 |
| Apr 15 | Monday | 5 | $371,995 | -67.2% | -49.4% | 3,037 | $122 | $18,123,430 | 11 |
| Apr 16 | Tuesday | 3 | $590,450 | +58.7% | -53.1% | 3,037 | $194 | $18,713,880 | 12 |
| Apr 17 | Wednesday | 3 | $402,560 | -31.8% | -53.2% | 3,037 | $132 | $19,116,440 | 13 |
| Apr 18 | Thursday | 6 | $358,350 | -11% | -48.1% | 3,037 | $117 | $19,474,790 | 14 |
| Apr 19 | Friday | 9 | $678,620 | +89.4% | -46.1% | 2,641 | $256 | $20,153,410 | 15 |
| Apr 20 | Saturday | 9 | $927,390 | +36.7% | -45.3% | 2,641 | $351 | $21,080,800 | 16 |
| Apr 21 | Sunday | 9 | $682,360 | -26.4% | -39.8% | 2,641 | $258 | $21,763,160 | 17 |
| Apr 22 | Monday | 10 | $218,650 | -68% | -41.2% | 2,641 | $82 | $21,981,810 | 18 |
| Apr 23 | Tuesday | 8 | $353,265 | +61.6% | -40.2% | 2,641 | $133 | $22,335,075 | 19 |
| Apr 24 | Wednesday | 9 | $235,860 | -33.2% | -41.4% | 2,641 | $89 | $22,570,935 | 20 |
| Apr 25 | Thursday | 9 | $196,055 | -16.9% | -45.3% | 2,641 | $74 | $22,766,990 | 21 |
| Apr 26 | Friday | 13 | $344,740 | +75.8% | -49.2% | 1,538 | $224 | $23,111,730 | 22 |
| Apr 27 | Saturday | 12 | $478,195 | +38.7% | -48.4% | 1,538 | $310 | $23,589,925 | 23 |
| Apr 28 | Sunday | 13 | $299,460 | -37.4% | -56.1% | 1,538 | $194 | $23,889,385 | 24 |
| Apr 29 | Monday | 14 | $108,990 | -63.6% | -50.2% | 1,538 | $70 | $23,998,375 | 25 |
| Apr 30 | Tuesday | 12 | $165,910 | +52.2% | -53% | 1,538 | $107 | $24,164,285 | 26 |
| May 1 | Wednesday | 13 | $108,525 | -34.6% | -54% | 1,538 | $70 | $24,272,810 | 27 |
| May 2 | Thursday | 13 | $84,945 | -21.7% | -56.7% | 1,538 | $55 | $24,357,755 | 28 |
| May 3 | Friday | 13 | $111,345 | +31.1% | -67.7% | 536 | $207 | $24,469,100 | 29 |
| May 4 | Saturday | 14 | $146,605 | +31.7% | -69.3% | 536 | $273 | $24,615,705 | 30 |
| May 5 | Sunday | 14 | $109,010 | -25.6% | -63.6% | 536 | $203 | $24,724,715 | 31 |
| May 6 | Monday | 15 | $42,725 | -60.8% | -60.8% | 536 | $79 | $24,767,440 | 32 |
| May 7 | Tuesday | 14 | $61,945 | +45% | -62.7% | 536 | $115 | $24,829,385 | 33 |
| May 8 | Wednesday | 14 | $41,155 | -33.6% | -62.1% | 536 | $76 | $24,870,540 | 34 |
| May 9 | Thursday | 14 | $33,900 | -17.6% | -60.1% | 536 | $63 | $24,904,440 | 35 |
| May 10 | Friday | 21 | $39,880 | +17.6% | -64.2% | 201 | $198 | $24,944,320 | 36 |
| May 11 | Saturday | 20 | $59,160 | +48.3% | -59.6% | 201 | $294 | $25,003,480 | 37 |
| May 12 | Sunday | 18 | $37,735 | -36.2% | -65.4% | 201 | $187 | $25,041,215 | 38 |
| May 13 | Monday | 18 | $17,150 | -54.6% | -59.9% | 201 | $85 | $25,058,365 | 39 |
Further Reading:-
Saaho Budget, Box Office Collection, Cast, Hit or Flop, OTT Release Date, Review, Story
Monkey Man Movie Storyline and Review
When we first heard about Monkey Man, we didn’t know much. The most memorable images were of Dev Patel’s character, known as the Kid, wearing a monkey mask, and a striking poster of him standing in a blood-red hallway. The film takes an intense and authentic look at righteous anger, where the feeling of revenge is deeply spiritual. Dev Patel delivers a performance full of insecurity and intense anger. Set in the fictional Indian city of Yatana, Patel’s directorial debut explores multiple contradictions. If you want an action film that will keep you emotionally engaged from beginning to end and make you think about revenge and violence, then this is worth a watch.
Bacha (Dev Patel) is barely surviving by participating in rigged fights in an underground fight club. When he gets a chance to avenge his mother’s death he does so. By betraying the wife of Rana (Sikandar Kher). Who is responsible for the destruction of his village and the murder of his mother? Kidd gets close to the high-ranking criminals behind it all. Meanwhile, a popular religious figure in India is rising to fame, but he may not be as good as he seems. Struggling with his past trauma, Kid decides to take revenge with his own hands.
Monkey Man is a neo-noir film, and Dev Patel directs it beautifully. Although some of the experimental shots may not work for everyone, much of the cinematography is stunning. The film uses shadows and bright colors to set the scene, something Jordan Peele has helped bring to the big screen. The film blends effects with fresh cinematography, including colorful hanging discs, a unique point-of-view shot on a staircase, and a training montage set on tabla hand drums.
If you’re expecting another “John Wick” clone, you’ll be disappointed. Although there are some similarities, “Monkey Man” is more serious and violent, full of filth and blood. The film alludes to “John Wick” with references to guns from the second film, but Kid’s character and fighting style are different. His combat is fluid and animalistic, reflecting the monkey persona he adopts during prize fights. The fights are brutal, with bone-crushing and flesh-tearing realism that leaves the audience enraged and crying as the child endures a severe beating.
At its core, Monkey Man is about genuine faith and spirituality, as opposed to corrupt politicians posing as religious leaders. It explores the struggle to survive versus the struggle to survive, and violence against oneself versus violence for a cause. The story balances these themes and creates more than just a revenge film. It emphasizes not only physical strength but also the development of mind, body, and spirit in the pursuit of justice.
The film’s themes are rich with references to the Hindu deity Hanuman, the monkey god, and Ardhanarishvara, a deity with both male and female aspects. Hanuman’s journey parallels the child’s transformation from seeking personal vengeance to embracing a larger mission, especially when a corrupt religious leader gains power. Patel uses the film to comment on corruption, religious violence, and the treatment of the trans community. Although the film is violent, it does not depict violence against third-gender eunuchs in Indian culture. Instead, Patel portrays their beauty and strength, and they play an active role in the story.
In short, Monkey Man is a surprising and worthwhile film. It is a must-watch for those looking for new and original films. Watch it on as big a screen as possible to help create more fresh and engaging movies in the future.
Dev Patel stars in & directs his first film with the first trailer for ‘MONKEY MAN’, produced by Jordan Peele.
— DiscussingFilm (@DiscussingFilm) January 26, 2024
In theaters on April 5. pic.twitter.com/j3hMYsaDSZ
