Spring Breakers

For other uses, see Spring break (disambiguation).

Spring Breakers
Theatrical release poster depicting four young women in bikinis, with a man standing behind them.
Theatrical release poster
Directed byHarmony Korine
Written byHarmony Korine
Produced by
  • Chris Hanley
  • Jordan Gertner
  • David Zander
  • Charles-Marie Anthonioz
Starring
CinematographyBenoît Debie
Edited byDouglas Crise
Music by
Production
companies
Distributed byA24
Release dates
  • September 4, 2012 (2012-09-04) (Venice)
  • March 22, 2013 (2013-03-22) (United States)[1]
Running time
94 minutes[2]
CountryUnited States[3]
LanguageEnglish
Budget$5 million[4]
Box office$31.7 million[5]

Spring Breakers is a 2012 American crime comedy film written and directed by Harmony Korine and starring James Franco, Selena Gomez, Vanessa Hudgens, Ashley Benson, Rachel Korine, and Gucci Mane. Gomez, Hudgens, Benson, and Korine portray four college-aged girls who go on spring break in St. Petersburg, Florida and meet an eccentric local drug dealer (Franco) who helps them in a time of desperation, and their eventual descent into a world of drugs, crime, and violence.[6][7][8][9][10]

Korine had devised the concept over several years prior to production, with fleeting ideas about the plot and what should transpire. His initial desire was to create a "sensory film" that was more about feeling than action and placed little importance on narrative or plot, the idea for which came later.[11] Once Korine developed the story's backbone, which takes place around the American spring break period, he traveled to Florida to write the screenplay. Production began in 2012, on an estimated budget of $5 million. It is one of Korine's first theatrical works to receive a wide release.[12]

Spring Breakers was released on March 22, 2013, in the United States by A24 and grossed $31 million worldwide, making it a resounding success considering the small budget. It received generally positive reviews from critics with praise for the acting and Debie's cinematography especially, with some also calling it a potential cult classic.[13][14][15][16] The film was selected to compete for the Golden Lion at the 69th Venice International Film Festival.[17] Critics and scholars have read deeper meaning in the plot, commenting on its reflection of modern-day superficiality and the younger generation's self-destructive obsession with highly stylized, disposable pop culture media and sensory ephemera.[18] A sequel, Spring Breakers: The Second Coming, is in development. Jonas Åkerlund and Irvine Welsh initially intended to direct and write, respectively, until development had restarted, to which Korine would be open to directing and writing the sequel.

  1. ^ Cruz, Niki (February 14, 2013). "'Spring Breakers' Gets An Early Release Date". The Inquisitr. Archived from the original on September 28, 2015. Retrieved April 12, 2013.
  2. ^ "Spring Breakers (18)". British Board of Film Classification. February 14, 2013. Archived from the original on February 3, 2014. Retrieved February 14, 2013.
  3. ^ Long, Heather (March 28, 2013). "Spring Breakers isn't just a terrible movie, it reinforces rape culture". The Guardian. Archived from the original on October 23, 2013. Retrieved October 22, 2013.
  4. ^ Spring Breakers at Box Office Mojo
  5. ^ "Spring Breakers (2013)". Box Office Mojo. Archived from the original on April 23, 2022. Retrieved August 5, 2014.
  6. ^ "Rachel Korine (Yes, Harmony's Wife) Joins 'Spring Breakers'". The Playlist. Indiewire. November 4, 2011. Archived from the original on July 2, 2016. Retrieved April 4, 2012.
  7. ^ Buchanan, Jason. "Spring Breakers". Allmovie. Rovi Corporation. Archived from the original on April 21, 2013. Retrieved April 21, 2013.
  8. ^ Rothkopf, Joshua. "Spring Breakers". Time Out. Archived from the original on October 27, 2019. Retrieved April 23, 2013. Spring Breakers is either an inspired satire of the youth movie or the most irresponsible comedy mainstream Hollywood will never make.
  9. ^ Roeper, Richard (March 20, 2013). "Spring Breakers Movie". RogerEbert.com. Archived from the original on April 14, 2013. Retrieved April 23, 2013.
  10. ^ Gleiberman Owen (March 22, 2013). "Spring Breakers". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on October 6, 2014. Retrieved April 23, 2013.
  11. ^ "Spring Breakers: Harmony Korine and James Franco interview". SBS. May 3, 2013. Archived from the original on June 3, 2016. Retrieved September 9, 2015.
  12. ^ Kohn, Eric (2014). Harmony Korine: Interviews. University Press of Mississippi. ISBN 978-1626743489.
  13. ^ Cite error: The named reference midnight was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  14. ^ "Spring Breakers: The newest cult classic". WEEKEND. IDS News. March 27, 2013. Archived from the original on September 5, 2013. Retrieved July 5, 2013.
  15. ^ "Is Record Breaking 'Spring Breakers' A Cult Movie In The Making?". Contactmusic.com. March 18, 2013. Archived from the original on January 21, 2015. Retrieved July 5, 2013.
  16. ^ Sean O'Connell (March 19, 2013). "Spring Breakers Review". CinemaBlend.com. Archived from the original on March 22, 2023. Retrieved July 5, 2013.
  17. ^ "Venezia 69". labiennale. Archived from the original on July 28, 2012. Retrieved July 26, 2012.
  18. ^ "Spring Breakers, a riotous take on modern America". The Guardian. March 30, 2013. Archived from the original on September 14, 2015. Retrieved September 9, 2015.