Helluva Boss (film)

"Just give 'em a call, and they'll deal with it all!"

- Tagline

Helluva Boss is a 2024 American adult-animated black comedy adventure film directed by Vivienne Medrano in her directiorial debut and written by Medrano and Brandon Rogers. Based on the webseries of the same name, it stars Rogers, Richard Horvitz, Vivian Nixon, and Erica Lindbeck, who reprise their roles as the chracters from the series, along with newcomers Liev Schreiber, Bill Hader, Jack McBrayer, Seth Rogen, Jenny Slate, Kimiko Glenn, Patton Oswalt, John DiMaggio, Gabriel Iglesias, and Michael Peña.

Helluva Boss was released on April 12, 2024 in the United States by Sony Pictures Releasing. The film received praise for its humor and voice acting, but received some criticism for its animation and story. It was a box-office success, grossing $130 million worldwide, making it the third highest-grossing R-rated animated film of all time.

Synopsis
"Join Blitzo, Millie, Moxxie, and Loona, the employees of the Immediate Murder Professionals, as they receive an influx of clients telling them to assassinate El Dicko, one of the most wanted terriorists in the human world. Friendships will be tested as they venture into the human world, remaining secret from the humans. But the secret can't always last for long... which shouldn't be a problem, as things sure do happen!"

-Sony Pictures

Voice cast
Chris Pratt, David Tennant, Ryan Reynolds, Ellen DeGeneres, Jimmy Kimmel, and Jimmy Fallon make uncredited cameos as talk show guests and hosts respectively.
 * Brandon Rogers as Blitzø, the leader of I.M.P. The "ø" in his name is silent, which therefore, makes his name technically pronounced "Blitz".
 * Richard Steven Horvitz as Moxxie, the husband of Millie and an employee of I.M.P.
 * Vivian Nixon as Millie, the wife of Moxxie and an employee of I.M.P.
 * Erica Lindbeck as Loona, a hellhound demon and the adoptive daughter of Blitzo. Also the receptionist of I.M.P.
 * Liev Schreiber as Dicker "El Dicko" Francis, the main antagonist of the film. He is a fugitive of the FBI's "Most Wanted" list.
 * FBI Agents:
 * Bill Hader as Clark Davis.
 * Jack McBrayer as Ryan Terry.
 * Seth Rogen as Henry McDonald.
 * Jenny Slate as Jamie Lickers.
 * Kimiko Glenn as Sue Baker.
 * Patton Oswalt as Stanley Lee.
 * John DiMaggio as Manny Anderson.
 * Michael Peña as Hernando, El Dicko's right-hand man.
 * Gabriel Iglesias as Juan, a human of a bar. He is hired by El Dicko to hunt down I.M.P.
 * Bryce Pinkham as Stolas, a Goetic Prince of Hell and a friend of Blitzo. Also the husband of Stella.
 * Georgina Leahy as Stella, Stolas' wife.
 * Barrett Wilbert Weed as Octavia, the daughter of Stolas and Stella.
 * Bobby Cannavale as Daryl, a demon in one of Moxxie's flashbacks.
 * Danny McBride as Ian Harvey, the President of the United States.
 * El Dicko's victims:
 * "Weird Al" Yankovic as James.
 * Tara Strong as Marcy.
 * Roger Craig Smith as Brad.
 * Lara Jill Miller as Tracy.
 * Jessica DiCicco as Ash.
 * Tom Kenny as Neil.
 * Charlyne Yi as Lisa.
 * Anna Akana as Carrie.
 * Haley Tju as Kelly.

Development
In December 2021, Vivienne Medrano began developing a script for a feature film based on her webseries Helluva Boss. As one of her projects Hazbin Hotel, which also takes place in the same universe as Helluva Boss, was in development at A24, she pitched the script to the company, who accepted it. A24 then sold the rights of the film to Sony Pictures Entertainment in February 2022. In March 2022, Medrano revealed to IndieWire that she was developing an R-rated animated film, with more details set to come in the future. IndieWire also said that it would be based around a past concept. This led to rumors saying that it was based around the Hazbin Hotel franchise. Later, in June 2022, Medrano revealed that she secured an undisclosed budget with financing company New Eden Pictures.

The film was formally announced at San Diego Comic-Con 2022 as a collaboration project between Sony, New Eden Pictures, and SpindleHorse Toons, with Medrano set to direct the film. It was scheduled for release on February 16, 2024, but was pushed back to its revised April 12, 2024 date.

Casting
In SDCC, it was announced that the cast of the series would reprise their roles for the film. In August 2022, Liev Schreiber, Bill Hader, Seth Rogen, and Kimiko Glenn were attached to the project as lead characters. Later, in October 2022, Jack McBrayer, Michael Peña, and Patton Oswalt joined the voice cast. John DiMaggio and Jenny Slate would later be added as leads. It was also announced that Gabriel Iglesias, Bobby Cannavale, and Danny McBride would voice characters in the film.

Animation
SpindleHorse Toons, who worked on the Helluva Boss series, provided the animation for the film from March to November 2023. The ending credits were animated by Laundry.

Music
Series composer Jefferson Friedman returned to compose the score of the film alongside newcomer Christopher Lennertz, who would also compose themes for the film, including an extended version of the "I.M.P. Jingle."

Release
Helluva Boss premiered at the South by Southwest Festival on March 18, 2024. Sony Pictures Releasing distributed the film on April 9 to overseas territories, which include: France, Belgium, and the Netherlands. It then released the film to other countries for the following two days before it was released in North America on April 12, 2024.

The film was originally set to release on February 16, 2024, but was pushed back to April 12, 2024.

Marketing
A website dedicated to I.M.P. was released online as a tie-in to the film. It contains info about the company, its employees, and a number that could be dialed.

Home media
Sony Pictures Home Entertainment released the film on digital download on June 7, 2024 and the 4K UHD, Blu-Ray, and DVD on July 5, 2024.

Box office
In the United States and Canada, the film grossed $88 million and grossed $42 million in other territories.

Critical reception
On review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, the film has an approval rating of 82% based on 149 critics with an average rating of 6.73/10. The site's critical consensus reads, "Helluva Boss may be offense to some for its raunchy humor, but it still provides huge laughs and somewhat heartwarming moments." On Metacritic, it has a weighted average score of 76 out of 100 based on 52 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews". Audiences on CinemaScore gave the film a grade of "A" on an "A+ to F" scale, and PostTrak said that 77% of audiences gave the film a positive review, with 62% saying they'd recommend it.