Actor Eddie Murphy. – Chris Pizzello / AP / SIPA
Eddie Murphy’s big comeback. Thirty years ago Black Panther, Eddie Murphy proved in the 1980s that films led by black lead actors could find international box office success. This is particularly the case of comedy which has become cult A prince in New York.
After the billion dollars generated by Marvel and its African superhero, Eddie Murphy returns in turn with the continuation of the adventures of his spoiled rotten African prince, in A Prince in New York 2 which will be released on the Amazon Prime platform on March 5.
Many films on the civil rights movement
According to the actor, the worldwide success of these two franchises, with a predominantly black distribution, has nothing to do with any growing interest in political and historical race issues, like contemporary movements like “Black Lives Matter “. Most American films “highlight a certain social injustice, or civil unrest (…), around the world, they don’t give a damn about that,” says Eddie Murphy.
For the comedy star like The Beverly Hills Flic, or The Nutty Professor, the success of his films lies above all in a good old story, with universal reach. “ A prince in New York 2, has nothing to do with it – it’s a movie just about family, love, doing what’s right, and tradition, ”he said.
The actor’s remarks come as Hollywood presents an anthology of prestigious films about the civil rights movement like de Judas and the Black Messiah or from One Night in Miami, which are among the favorites of bookmakers at the Oscars.
A success across the world
However, it will be difficult to compare the popular craze for all of these films, with most cinemas around the world remaining closed due to the Covid-19 pandemic. A Prince in New York 2 was indeed produced by Paramount but the rights were sold to Amazon for its platform.
Eddie Murphy said he was proud, during a promotional day, that the first part of A Prince in New York was “the first film in the history of cinema – with an exclusively black distribution – to be successful around the world”. But since then, you can count “on the fingers of one hand” the films in Hollywood that have rehearsed such international success – and “you will have fingers left” to rely on, the 59-year-old star said.
In A prince in New York, released in 1988, the actor plays the title role of His Highness Akeem Joffer, in search of love in the city that never sleeps. In the sequel, Akeem, now an older monarch, returns to New York this time in search of his lost heir, who can save his fictional African kingdom.
At his side, Eddie Murphy can count on other black stars of cinema or humor, including Wesley Snipes, Leslie Jones, Tracey Morgan, or even James Earl Jones. One of Eddie Murphy’s daughters, Bella, is also part of the cast.
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