''Ocean's 8'' is a 2018
heist comedy film
The comedy film is a film genre that emphasizes humor. These films are designed to amuse audiences and make them laugh. Films in this genre typically have a happy ending, with dark comedy being an exception to this rule. Comedy is one of the o ...
directed by
Gary Ross and written by Ross and Olivia Milch. A spin-off of
Steven Soderbergh
Steven Andrew Soderbergh ( ; born January 14, 1963) is an American film director, producer, screenwriter, cinematographer, and editor. A pioneer of modern Independent film, independent cinema, Soderbergh later drew acclaim for formally inventiv ...
's ''Ocean's'' trilogy, it is the fourth installment in the
''Ocean's'' franchise. The film features an
ensemble cast including
Sandra Bullock,
Cate Blanchett,
Anne Hathaway,
Mindy Kaling,
Sarah Paulson,
Awkwafina,
Rihanna
Robyn Rihanna Fenty ( ; born February 20, 1988) is a Barbadian singer, businesswoman, and actress. One of the List of music artists by net worth, wealthiest musicians in the world, List of awards and nominations received by Rihanna, her vario ...
, and
Helena Bonham Carter. Its plot follows Debbie Ocean, the sister of
Danny Ocean, who assembles a team of women to orchestrate an elaborate heist at the annual
Met Gala at the
Metropolitan Museum of Art
The Metropolitan Museum of Art, colloquially referred to as the Met, is an Encyclopedic museum, encyclopedic art museum in New York City. By floor area, it is the List of largest museums, third-largest museum in the world and the List of larg ...
in
New York City
New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...
.
The film premiered at
Alice Tully Hall
Alice Tully Hall is a concert hall at the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts on the Upper West Side of Manhattan in New York City. The hall is named for Alice Tully, a New York performer and Philanthropy, philanthropist whose donations assis ...
on June 5, 2018, and was released theatrically in the United States on June 8, 2018, by
Warner Bros. Pictures—exactly eleven years after the release of ''
Ocean's Thirteen'' (2007). It received generally positive reviews from critics, who praised the ensemble cast and stylish direction. A commercial success, the film grossed $298 million worldwide against a production budget of approximately $70 million.
Plot
Newly paroled con artist Debbie Ocean, the younger sister of
Danny Ocean, reunites with her former partner Lou Miller to plan an ambitious new heist. The target is the Toussaint, a $150 million diamond necklace owned by
Cartier, which Debbie intends to steal during the upcoming
Met Gala at the
Metropolitan Museum of Art
The Metropolitan Museum of Art, colloquially referred to as the Met, is an Encyclopedic museum, encyclopedic art museum in New York City. By floor area, it is the List of largest museums, third-largest museum in the world and the List of larg ...
in
New York City
New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...
. To execute the plan, Debbie and Lou assemble a team of specialists: Rose Weil, a struggling
fashion designer facing
IRS
The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) is the revenue service for the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government, which is responsible for collecting Taxation in the United States, U.S. federal taxes and administerin ...
debt; Amita, a skilled jeweler seeking independence from her overbearing mother; Nine Ball, a proficient hacker; Constance, a street hustler and
pickpocket; and Tammy, a suburban mother who
fences stolen goods.
The plan hinges on convincing actress Daphne Kluger, a prominent guest at the Gala, to wear the Toussaint so the team can manipulate its access. Rose is hired as Daphne's stylist and, along with Amita, scans the necklace at Cartier to create a cubic zirconia replica. Tammy secures a temporary position at ''
Vogue'' to gain access to the guest list, while Lou infiltrates the event as a nutritionist. Nine Ball works to create a temporary
blind spot in the museum's security system. Debbie, seeking personal closure, manipulates Daphne into inviting Claude Becker—an
art dealer whose betrayal led to Debbie's incarceration—as her date to the Gala. Lou confronts Debbie about risking the heist for revenge, but Debbie reassures her that it will not jeopardize the plan.
On the night of the Gala, Daphne becomes ill after consuming spiked soup, prompting her to rush to the bathroom. As Cartier's male guards wait outside, Constance removes the necklace unnoticed and passes it to Amita, who quickly disassembles it into smaller pieces. Meanwhile, Tammy "discovers" the replica necklace just in time to avert suspicion. As the event is locked down and searched, members of the team smuggle the real necklace fragments out while Debbie plants one piece on Becker to frame him.
Daphne later reveals she has deduced the heist and asks to join the group in exchange for keeping quiet. Debbie agrees, and Daphne becomes the eighth member of the team. Insurance investigator John Frazier, who has prior history with the Ocean family, is assigned to the case. Although he suspects Debbie, her presence on security footage provides a solid
alibi. Debbie cooperates by arranging for Becker to be implicated; Daphne supplies a photo, and actresses posing as elderly socialites sell the jewels, depositing the money into an account in Becker's name. He is arrested.
As the crew celebrates their success, Lou reveals an additional layer of the heist: during the Gala lockdown, she and The Amazing Yen, a former associate of Danny's, stole a display of royal jewels on loan to the museum, replacing them with replicas crafted by Amita. The value of the jewels exceeds that of the Toussaint, increasing the crew's payout significantly.
With their shares secured, each member goes her own way: Amita moves to
Paris
Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...
, Rose opens her own store, Constance becomes a
YouTuber, Tammy expands her fencing operation, Nine Ball opens a pool hall, Daphne becomes a film director, and Lou embarks on a road trip. Debbie visits Danny's grave and toasts a
martini, content that her brother would be proud.
Cast
The Eight
*
Sandra Bullock as Deborah "Debbie" Ocean, a professional thief and
Danny Ocean's sister
*
Cate Blanchett as Lou Miller, Debbie's partner in crime
*
Anne Hathaway as Daphne Kluger, a famous and egotistical actress
*
Mindy Kaling as Amita, a jewelry maker
*
Sarah Paulson as Tammy, a suburban mom and
fence
*
Awkwafina as Constance, a loudmouthed street hustler and pickpocket
*
Rihanna
Robyn Rihanna Fenty ( ; born February 20, 1988) is a Barbadian singer, businesswoman, and actress. One of the List of music artists by net worth, wealthiest musicians in the world, List of awards and nominations received by Rihanna, her vario ...
as Leslie "Nine Ball" Jordan, a talented hacker
*
Helena Bonham Carter as Rose Weil, a ditzy, disgraced fashion designer
Others
*
Richard Armitage as Claude Becker, an art dealer who framed Debbie for a crime he instigated
*
James Corden as John Frazier, an
insurance fraud
Insurance fraud is any intentional act committed to deceive or mislead an insurance company during the application or claims process, or the wrongful denial of a legitimate claim by an insurance company. It occurs when a claimant knowingly attem ...
investigator
*
Dakota Fanning as Penelope Stern, a celebrity of whom Daphne is jealous
* Nathanya Alexander as Veronica Jordan, Nine Ball's younger sister.
*
Damian Young as David Welch
*
Griffin Dunne as a parole board officer
*
Michael Gandolfini as a bus boy
*
Elliott Gould as Reuben Tishkoff, a wealthy casino owner that Danny knew
*
Gideon Glick as Kyle McCallister, director of the Met's security cameras
*
Qin Shaobo as "The Amazing" Yen, an acrobat who previously worked for Danny
*
Marlo Thomas,
Dana Ivey,
Mary Louise Wilson, and
Elizabeth Ashley appear as mature actresses who help the crew shift their stolen gems
Celebrities who make cameo appearances include
Anna Wintour,
Katie Holmes,
Maria Sharapova
Maria Yuryevna Sharapova (, ; born 19 April 1987) is a Russian former professional tennis player. She was ranked as the world No. 1 in women's singles by the Women's Tennis Association (WTA) for 21 weeks. Sharapova won 36 WTA Tour-level sin ...
,
Serena Williams
Serena Jameka Williams (born September 26, 1981) is an American former professional tennis player. She was ranked as the List of WTA number 1 ranked singles tennis players, world No. 1 in women's singles by the Women's Tennis Association (WT ...
,
Richard Madden,
Kim Kardashian,
Common
Common may refer to:
As an Irish surname, it is anglicised from Irish Gaelic surname Ó Comáin.
Places
* Common, a townland in County Tyrone, Northern Ireland
* Boston Common, a central public park in Boston, Massachusetts
* Cambridge Com ...
,
Adriana Lima,
Desiigner,
Kylie Jenner,
Alexander Wang,
Liu Wen,
Kendall Jenner
Kendall Nicole Jenner (born November 3, 1995) is an American model, socialite and media personality. She rose to fame in the reality television show ''Keeping Up with the Kardashians,'' in which she starred for 20 seasons and nearly 15 years ...
,
Bella Hadid,
Gigi Hadid,
Lily Aldridge,
Olivia Munn,
Jaime King,
Zac Posen,
Hailey Baldwin,
Derek Blasberg,
Sofia Richie,
Heidi Klum,
Kelly Rohrbach,
Lauren Santo Domingo, and
Rainey Qualley.
Matt Damon and
Carl Reiner
Carl Reiner (March 20, 1922 – June 29, 2020) was an American actor, author, comedian, director and screenwriter whose career spanned seven decades. He was the List of awards and nominations received by Carl Reiner, recipient of many awards and ...
reprised their roles as Linus Caldwell and Saul Bloom, but their scenes were removed from the final cut of the film.
Production
Development
Following the release of ''
Ocean's Thirteen'' in 2007, director
Steven Soderbergh
Steven Andrew Soderbergh ( ; born January 14, 1963) is an American film director, producer, screenwriter, cinematographer, and editor. A pioneer of modern Independent film, independent cinema, Soderbergh later drew acclaim for formally inventiv ...
stated there would not be an ''Ocean's Fourteen'', noting that star
George Clooney preferred to conclude the trilogy on a strong note. In December 2008, Soderbergh reiterated that a fourth film was unlikely, this time citing the death of
Bernie Mac, a key cast member in the trilogy. However, in October 2015, it was reported that a female-led
spin-off was in development, with
Sandra Bullock set to star. Early reports indicated that
Helena Bonham Carter,
Cate Blanchett,
Mindy Kaling, and
Elizabeth Banks were in talks to join the cast, although Banks's involvement was later revealed to be speculative and did not materialize.
By August 2016, the core cast had been finalized, with Bullock, Blanchett, Bonham Carter, and Kaling confirmed, and
Anne Hathaway,
Rihanna
Robyn Rihanna Fenty ( ; born February 20, 1988) is a Barbadian singer, businesswoman, and actress. One of the List of music artists by net worth, wealthiest musicians in the world, List of awards and nominations received by Rihanna, her vario ...
,
Awkwafina, and
Sarah Paulson joining shortly thereafter.
Casting
During production, actors
Dakota Fanning and
Damian Lewis were spotted on set. Lewis was originally cast in a key role, but later exited the project due to scheduling conflicts and was replaced by
Richard Armitage. Fanning's casting was confirmed in March 2017. Richard Robichaux was also added to the cast in November 2016.
Matt Damon, who played Linus Caldwell in the ''
Ocean's'' trilogy, stated in November 2016 that he had filmed a cameo for ''Ocean's 8''; however, his scene was ultimately cut from the final version of the film. In January 2017,
James Corden joined the cast as an insurance investigator suspicious of the heist. That same month, a number of real-life celebrities were confirmed to appear as themselves in cameo roles at the
Met Gala, including
Anna Wintour,
Alexander Wang,
Zac Posen,
Derek Blasberg,
Lauren Santo Domingo,
Kim Kardashian,
Kendall Jenner
Kendall Nicole Jenner (born November 3, 1995) is an American model, socialite and media personality. She rose to fame in the reality television show ''Keeping Up with the Kardashians,'' in which she starred for 20 seasons and nearly 15 years ...
,
Kylie Jenner,
Katie Holmes,
Olivia Munn,
Hailey Bieber, and
Zayn Malik.
Filming
Principal photography began on October 25, 2016, in
New York City
New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...
, with scenes filmed around
Manhattan
Manhattan ( ) is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the Boroughs of New York City, five boroughs of New York City. Coextensive with New York County, Manhattan is the County statistics of the United States#Smallest, larg ...
. In March 2017,
Cate Blanchett confirmed that principal photography had been completed. However, in May 2017, it was reported that additional filming would take place on
Staten Island
Staten Island ( ) is the southernmost of the boroughs of New York City, five boroughs of New York City, coextensive with Richmond County and situated at the southernmost point of New York (state), New York. The borough is separated from the ad ...
at the former
Arthur Kill Correctional Facility, which had recently been acquired by
Broadway Stages after an initial rejection.
Music
Reception
Box office
''Ocean's 8'' premiered at
Alice Tully Hall
Alice Tully Hall is a concert hall at the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts on the Upper West Side of Manhattan in New York City. The hall is named for Alice Tully, a New York performer and Philanthropy, philanthropist whose donations assis ...
in
New York City
New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...
on June 5, 2018, and was released theatrically in North America on June 8, 2018, by
Warner Bros. Pictures. The film grossed $140.2 million in the United States and Canada and $157.5 million in international territories, for a worldwide total of $297.7 million, against a production budget of $70 million.
In the United States and Canada, the film opened alongside ''
Hotel Artemis'' and ''
Hereditary'' and was projected to earn between $30 million and $45 million from 4,145 theaters during its opening weekend. Tracking comparisons included the 2016
''Ghostbusters'' reboot and other female-led comedies such as ''
The Heat'' (2013), ''
Spy'' (2015), and ''
Girls Trip'' (2017).
''Ocean's 8'' earned $4 million in Thursday night previews (including $100,000 from early Wednesday screenings) and $15.8 million on its first full day. It went on to debut with $41.6 million, with 69% of its audience being female.
The film earned $19 million in its second weekend, finishing behind ''
Incredibles 2
''Incredibles 2'' is a 2018 American animated superhero film produced by Pixar Animation Studios for Walt Disney Pictures. Written and directed by Brad Bird, it is the sequel to '' The Incredibles'' (2004) and the second full-length instal ...
'', and $11.6 million in its third, ranking third behind ''
Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom'' and ''Incredibles 2''.
Critical response
''Ocean's 8'' received generally positive reviews from critics. On
Rotten Tomatoes
Rotten Tomatoes is an American review aggregator, review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee ...
, the film holds an approval rating of 69% based on 360 reviews, with an average rating of 6.2/10. The site's consensus reads: "''Ocean's 8'' isn't quite as smooth as its predecessors, but still has enough cast chemistry and flair to enjoyably lift the price of a ticket from filmgoers up for an undemanding caper." On
Metacritic
Metacritic is an American website that aggregates reviews of films, television shows, music albums, video games, and formerly books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted average). Metacritic was created ...
, the film has a weighted average score of 61 out of 100 based on 50 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews." Audiences polled by
CinemaScore
CinemaScore is an American market research firm based in Las Vegas. It surveys film audiences to rate their viewing experiences with letter grades, reports the results, and forecasts box office receipts from the data.
Background
Ed Mintz, who ...
gave the film a grade of "B+," matching the scores of ''
Ocean's Eleven'' (2001) and ''
Ocean's Thirteen'' (2007).
Critics praised the film's ensemble cast and style, though some noted shortcomings in narrative depth.
Peter Travers of ''
Rolling Stone
''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason.
The magazine was first known fo ...
'' awarded the film 3 out of 4 stars, calling it "a heist caper that looks gorgeous, keeps the twists coming and bounces along on a comic rhythm that's impossible to resist."
Alonso Duralde of ''
TheWrap'' described it as "slick, charming, and funny," but added that it "never quite kicks into high gear." ''
Variety''
's
Owen Gleiberman called the film "a casually winning heist movie," praising
Anne Hathaway's performance while critiquing underwritten roles for
Cate Blanchett and
Sarah Paulson.
Ty Burr of ''
The Boston Globe
''The Boston Globe,'' also known locally as ''the Globe'', is an American daily newspaper founded and based in Boston, Massachusetts. The newspaper has won a total of 27 Pulitzer Prizes. ''The Boston Globe'' is the oldest and largest daily new ...
'' highlighted Blanchett's presence as a standout, while
Michael Phillips of the ''
Chicago Tribune
The ''Chicago Tribune'' is an American daily newspaper based in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Founded in 1847, it was formerly self-styled as the "World's Greatest Newspaper", a slogan from which its once integrated WGN (AM), WGN radio and ...
'' found the film lacking ensemble cohesion, writing, "It's smooth, and far from inept. But it isn't much fun."
Richard Roeper of the ''
Chicago Sun-Times'' praised the cast's chemistry but noted the absence of a compelling villain or stakes.
Manohla Dargis of ''
The New York Times
''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...
'' expressed frustration that the film incorporated romantic baggage even in a female-led heist, calling some of the narrative "needless filler."
Actor's response
Following the film's release,
Mindy Kaling suggested that some of the criticism stemmed from the lack of diversity among film critics, echoing remarks made by
Meryl Streep on the influence of Rotten Tomatoes. Kaling stated that many critics "come at it from a different point of view" and may not connect with female-led films in the same way.
Several journalists responded critically to that claim. Guy Lodge of ''
Variety'' and other writers pointed out that many negative reviews were also written by female critics, including Emily Yoshida of ''
Vulture'' and
Stephanie Zacharek of ''
Time
Time is the continuous progression of existence that occurs in an apparently irreversible process, irreversible succession from the past, through the present, and into the future. It is a component quantity of various measurements used to sequ ...
''.
Justin Chang of the ''
Los Angeles Times
The ''Los Angeles Times'' is an American Newspaper#Daily, daily newspaper that began publishing in Los Angeles, California, in 1881. Based in the Greater Los Angeles city of El Segundo, California, El Segundo since 2018, it is the List of new ...
'' acknowledged the need for greater diversity in film criticism but cautioned against assuming that critical responses are determined solely by identity, emphasizing instead the importance of varied perspectives. Donald Clarke of ''
The Irish Times
''The Irish Times'' is an Irish daily broadsheet newspaper and online digital publication. It was launched on 29 March 1859. The editor is Ruadhán Mac Cormaic. It is published every day except Sundays. ''The Irish Times'' is Ireland's leading n ...
'' noted that ''Ocean's 8'' still received a "fresh" rating on Rotten Tomatoes and had been rated higher than ''
Ocean's Twelve'' (2004).
Screenwriter Olivia Milch also addressed the pressure surrounding the film's success. In an interview with ''
Refinery29'', she commented, "Because the percentage of films that are either made by women or with female protagonists is so low, there does tend to be this pressure to perform very well... or if you screw up, then you're never going to get the chance again."
Accolades
Home media
''Ocean's 8'' was first released on Digital HD on August 21, 2018, by
Warner Bros. Home Entertainment. The film was subsequently made available on
DVD,
Blu-ray
Blu-ray (Blu-ray Disc or BD) is a digital optical disc data storage format designed to supersede the DVD format. It was invented and developed in 2005 and released worldwide on June 20, 2006, capable of storing several hours of high-defin ...
, and 4K Ultra HD Combo Pack on September 11, 2018. Upon its physical release, the film debuted at number one on the NPD VideoScan First Alert chart for the week ending September 15, 2018, indicating strong home video sales.
See also
*
Films set in New York City
References
External links
*
*
{{Authority control
2018 films
2018 crime thriller films
2010s American films
2010s buddy comedy films
2010s comedy thriller films
2018 crime comedy films
2010s English-language films
2010s female buddy films
2010s heist films
American buddy comedy films
American comedy thriller films
American crime comedy films
American crime thriller films
American female buddy films
American feminist comedy films
American films about revenge
American heist films
American sequel films
Film spinoffs
Films based on works by George Clayton Johnson
Films directed by Gary Ross
Films with screenplays by Gary Ross
Films produced by Steven Soderbergh
Films scored by Daniel Pemberton
Films set in 2008
Films set in 2018
Films set in Manhattan
Films set in art museums and galleries
Films set in New Jersey
Films shot in New York City
Eight
Smokehouse Pictures films
Village Roadshow Pictures films
Warner Bros. films
English-language crime comedy films
English-language crime thriller films
Metropolitan Museum of Art in popular culture
English-language comedy thriller films
English-language buddy comedy films