Monster's Ball

Monster's Ball
Theatrical release poster
Directed byMarc Forster
Written byMilo Addica
Will Rokos
Produced byLee Daniels
StarringBilly Bob Thornton
Halle Berry
Heath Ledger
Sean Combs
Mos Def
Peter Boyle
CinematographyRoberto Schaefer
Edited byMatt Chesse
Music byAsche and Spencer
Production
company
Lee Daniels Entertainment
Distributed byLions Gate Films[1]
Release dates
  • November 11, 2001 (2001-11-11) (AFI Fest)
  • December 26, 2001 (2001-12-26) (Los Angeles and New York City)
  • February 8, 2002 (2002-02-08) (United States)
Running time
111 minutes
112 minutes (Unrated)
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$4 million
Box office$45 million

Monster's Ball is a 2001 American romantic drama film directed by Marc Forster, produced by Lee Daniels and written by Milo Addica and Will Rokos, who also appeared in the film. It stars Billy Bob Thornton, Heath Ledger, Halle Berry, and Peter Boyle, with Sean Combs, Mos Def, and Coronji Calhoun in supporting roles.

Thornton portrays a corrections officer who begins a relationship with a woman (Berry), unaware that she is the widow of a man (Combs) he assisted in executing.[2] Principal photography began in May 2001 in New Orleans, Louisiana and lasted for five weeks.[3]

Monster's Ball premiered at AFI Fest on November 11, 2001, and was theatrically released in the United States on February 8, 2002, by Lionsgate Films. The film received positive reviews, with critical acclaim directed at Berry's, Ledger's and Thornton's performances, Forster's direction, and Addica and Rokos' screenplay. It was also a significant commercial success, grossing $45 million worldwide on a production budget of $4 million.

The film received numerous accolades and nominations, and was nominated twice at the 74th Academy Awards for Best Actress (Berry) and Original Screenplay (Addica and Rokos), with Berry winning for her performance, becoming the first African-American woman to win the award.[4][5][6]

  1. ^ "Theaters Have A Monster's Ball". hive4media.com. April 2, 2002. Archived from the original on April 17, 2002. Retrieved September 19, 2019.
  2. ^ Brooks, Libby (June 3, 2002). "'Now I'm really at the party'". The Guardian.
  3. ^ "Monster's Ball : Production Notes". www.cinema.com. Retrieved 2020-10-03.
  4. ^ "#OscarsSoWhite and The Legacy of Halle Berry | 8Hours". www.8hours.com. Archived from the original on July 28, 2021. Retrieved 2020-10-03.
  5. ^ Barbour, Shannon (2020-09-09). "Halle Berry's Oscar Win Was One of Her "Biggest Heartbreaks"". Cosmopolitan. Retrieved 2020-10-03.
  6. ^ "Halle Berry Recalls Historic Oscars Win For 'Monster's Ball'". BET.com. September 9, 2020. Retrieved 2020-10-03.