John Cena and Awkwafina return to the world of action comedies in the first Jackpot! trailer. Awkwafina leads the star-studded cast as Katie, an aspiring actor who moves to 2030 Los Angeles and finds herself the winner of the Grand Lottery, though doesn’t realize this pits her as the target for anyone to kill her by sundown and claim her multi-billion dollar jackpot. Cena stars in Jackpot! as Noel Cassidy, a lottery protection agent who works to keep Katy alive from a variety of foes, including his high-profile rival, Simu Liu’s Louis Lewis.

With just over a month remaining until the movie’s release, Amazon MGM Studios has unveiled the first Jackpot! trailer.

The video, as seen above, introduces viewers to Awkwafina’s bright-eyed Katie as she quickly learns the dangers of the near-future California city’s Grand Lottery and the various foes looking to kill her. The trailer also highlights the buddy comedy chemistry between Awkwafina and Cena throughout the movie, as well as the latter’s various fighting skills he uses to protect her.

Jackpot Could Redeem Cena’s 2023 Action-Comedy Flop

Though Awkwafina has retained a largely Fresh streak on Rotten Tomatoes over the past five years with her leading roles, Cena has endured a decidedly up-and-down trend of critical reviews, ranging from the highs of The Suicide Squad and Bumblebee to the lows of Vacation Friends 2 and Hidden Strike. But one of the bigger disappointments in his recent filmography that Jackpot can more than make up for is the 2023 action-comedy, Freelance. Co-starring Alison Brie, the movie was one of the worst-reviewed of Cena’s career, currently sitting at a 10% approval rating from critics. Check out how Freelance‘s RT scores compare to other recent Cena efforts below:

One of the biggest reasons why Jackpot! could put Cena back on the right track in the world of action comedies is having Paul Feig in the director’s chair. While primarily best known for his work in the comedy genre, Feig has previously found success for blending humor with exciting action, particularly through the buddy comedy formula with the Sandra Bullock and Melissa McCarthy-led The Heat. Given Feig himself is on the hunt for a Rotten Tomatoes redemption following the muted responses to Last Christmas and The School for Good & Evil, returning to a genre he’s found success in before could prove a welcome return to form.

The other major benefits both Cena and Feig have heading into Jackpot!‘s release is their collaboration with both Awkwafina and Simu Liu. Both actors have already found success together with the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, but the former, in particular, has frequently garnered acclaim in buddy-centric comedies, including the recently released Quiz Lady, which she also produced, and Kung Fu Panda 4, getting to play opposite Jack Black once again after Jumanji: The Next Level. With so many promising creatives behind the title and a unique concept driving it, Jackpot! could be more than just a crowdpleasing adventure.

Source: Amazon MGM Studios