The characters in the Friday movies spend most of their time under the influence. You could say confused, you could say chemically impaired, or you could just flat out say high. It’s part of the franchise’s appeal, along with the killer soundtracks and the absolutely stacked cast of comedic talents.
There have been three Friday movies to date, and rumors of a long-awaited fourth that would reunite the stars of the original: Ice Cube and Chris Tucker. We will get into the rumors in due time, but first we want to clarify, for fans who may also be under the influence, what the proper viewing order is for the Friday movies.
The first, simply titled Friday (1995), takes place over a single day. Craig Jones (Cube) and Smokey (Tucker) get into a series of tricky situations despite trying to stay put on the former’s front porch. It marked the directorial debut for F. Gary Gray, who would go on to have a sterling Hollywood career, and it grossed a surprising $27 million on a $3.5 million budget. That’s not even taking into account how iconic and quotable the movie has been on generations of moviegoers.
The second, titled Next Friday (2000), is the next to watch in the franchise. Craig moves from South Central Los Angeles to Rancho Cucamonga to avoid the wrath of the film’s previous villain, Deebo (Tommy Lister, Jr.). The sidekick role that was previously Smokey’s gets passed on to Craig’s cousin, Daymond “Day Day” Jones (Mike Epps). More comedic hijinks ensue, and more money rolled in as a result. Next Friday was an even bigger hit, earning $59 million on an $11 million budget.
Will there be a fourth Friday movie?
There was always going to be a third movie, and wouldn’t you know it: that’s the one you should watch third. Friday After Next (2002) is a holiday-themed outing in which Craig and Day Day get security guard jobs at a shopping mall, only to get robbed of their Christmas presents and their rent money by a guy dressed like Santa Claus. The reviews for Friday After Next were tepid, to say the least, with many pointing out that the franchise was running out of steam. It still managed to turn a nice profit, though, raking in $33 million on a $10 million budget.
So what comes next? Well, according to Cube, the answer is Last Friday. The actor/producer has been trying to get a fourth Friday off the ground for years, but disagreements with New Line Cinema has led to the movie being stuck in pre-production limbo. Cube said that he would happily purchase the rights to the franchise during a recent appearance on Hotboxin’ with Mike Tyson. “They need to do the right thing, get it to us, let us turn it into more money, and make the fans happy,” he noted. “We can do a lot with it.”
Cube and Epps have expressed interest in reprising their characters, and even Tucker said that he would return under the right circumstances. “If it’s possible, if it comes together right, I would try to do it,” Tucker told Audacity’s V-103. “I’m a perfectionist, I’m sorry. If it ain’t gonna be great – I don’t believe in ‘some movies are good, some are not.’ Nah, I’m going all the way; I want it to be great.”
So let’s recap: Friday is currently a trilogy, and there are hopes that a fourth movie will close the book on the whole franchise. As it stands, the trilogy can be watched in the exact order they were released, which is to say, the way they are titled: Friday first, then Next Friday second, then Friday After Next last. Piece of cake!