Just days after Joy Ride released its wickedly funny first trailer and debuted at SXSW, the cast has been named as CinemaCon’s Comedy Ensemble of the Year Award recipients. Critics who caught Joy Ride at SXSW call the film fun and the studio comedy to beat this year, and the trailer confirms it could be this year’s Bridesmaids.
Lionsgate plans to screen Joy Ride at CinemaCon – the annual gathering of the National Association of Theatre Owners (NATO) – on April 27, 2023 prior to the convention’s Big Screen Achievement Awards. Audiences can catch the comedy in theaters on July 7, 2023.
“The cast of Joy Ride delivers a fearless and over-the-top hilarious performance, one that will delight audiences with their hysterical, no-holds-barred journey through friendship and self-discovery. This brilliant group of actors captures the very essence of the messy human experience,” stated Mitch Neuhauser, Managing Director of CinemaCon. “We are excited to recognize their outstanding work with this year’s CinemaCon Comedy Ensemble of the Year Award and can’t wait for audiences to experience their unforgettable adventure.”
Directed by Adele Lim, Joy Ride stars Ashley Park, Sherry Cola, Oscar nominee Stephanie Hsu, and Sabrina Wu. Cherry Chevapravatdumrong and Teresa Hsiao wrote the screenplay, with Lim, Hsiao, Chevapravatdumrong, and Point Grey’s Seth Rogen, Evan Goldberg, James Weaver, and Josh Fagen producing.
The Joy Ride Plot:
“The hilarious and unapologetically explicit story of identity and self-discovery centers on four unlikely friends who embark on a once-in-a-lifetime international adventure. When Audrey’s (Park) business trip to Asia goes sideways, she enlists the aid of Lolo (Cola), her irreverent, childhood best friend who also happens to be a hot mess; Kat (Hsu), her college friend turned Chinese soap star; and Deadeye (Wu), Lolo’s eccentric cousin.
Their no-holds-barred, epic experience becomes a journey of bonding, friendship, belonging, and wild debauchery that reveals the universal truth of what it means to know and love who you are.”
