Where to Watch 'Joy Ride'
Quick Links
At this year’s South by Southwest (SXSW) Festival, critics and audiences fell in love with several new movies including Bottoms, Evil Dead Rise, and Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves. However, no movie at SXSW got a bigger reaction or bigger laughs than Joy Ride (2023). Starring Ashley Park, who originated the role of Gretchen Weiners in Mean Girls on Broadway and recently starred in the Netflix series Beef, Stephanie Hsu, who recently received an Oscar nomination for her role in Everything Everywhere All At Once, Sherry Cola, who stars in Freeform’s Good Trouble, and Sabrina Wu, the famous stand-up comedian and writer on Disney’s Doogie Kameāloha, M.D., Joy Ride looks set to be the biggest comedy of the summer.
Directed by Adele Lim, who previously co-wrote Crazy Rich Asians, Joy Ride follows two childhood best friends, Audrey and Lolo. As adults, Audrey decides to find her birth mother in China and brings Lolo along with her former roommate Kat and Lolo’s cousin Deadeye. However, their international journey soon goes topsy-turvy when they have a dangerous encounter with a drug dealer. For anybody who can’t wait to see the year’s most critically acclaimed comedy, here’s everything we know about how, when, and where you can watch Joy Ride.
Editor's Note: This article was updated on July 25.
Joy Ride (2023)
Release Date July 7, 2023 Director Adele Lim Cast Stephanie Hsu , Ashley Park , Alexander Hodge , David Denman Runtime 92 minutes Main Genre ComedyWhen Was Joy Ride Released?
Joy Ride will be released by Lionsgate Films on July 7, 2023. The movie premiered at SXSW on March 17, 2023.
Is Joy Ride Available on Streaming or VOD?
Unfortunately, Joy Ride will not be available for streaming on the same day as its theatrical release and there is no news on what streaming service it will end up on. However, Lionsgate has struck a deal with Peacock, by which all of Lionsgate's feature films will be released on the platform beginning in 2024. Whichever the streamer, this movie is sure to be released on a service once the theatrical run has been completed. Now, while streaming might not be an option, there is a way to watch the film from the comfort of your home. Joy Ride will be released on VOD on July 28, 2023, so mark that date on your calendars for movie night with the besties! Here's the link to pre-order the movie on Amazon:
Watch the Joy Ride Trailer
The first trailer for Joy Ride was released in March 2023. It opens with two young girls, Audrey and Lolo, meeting on the playground, encountering a racist white kid, hitting him, and immediately creating a lifelong bond. 20 years later, Audrey and Lolo are still joined at the hip and are about to fulfill a lifelong dream of going on an adventure together. Accompanied by Audrey’s college roommate turned glamorous actress, Kat, as well as Lolo’s wild card cousin, Deadeye, the four embark on a journey to China. But when they encounter a seemingly friendly American who is smuggling a backpack full of drugs, their trip takes a turn for the worse.
The second trailer for Joy Ride was released on June 15. Featuring more hijinks, Audrey, Lolo, Kat, and Deadeye travel across China and end up partying with a group of hardcore Chinese businessmen. Filled with plenty of silly moments including a golem impression, a hilarious drug smuggling scene, and a scheme in which the girls impersonate K-Pop stars in order to go through the airport without passports, the second trailer also reveals a lot of the film’s heart. Raunchy throughout, it remains a story about finding your place in the world and how your origin can shape your identity.
Is Joy Ride Still in Theaters?
Yes, indeed. You can enjoy this madcap journey on the big screen as Joy Ride was given an exclusive theatrical release when it premiered, and it's still playing in some theaters.
Will Joy Ride Be Released on DVD and Blu-ray?
Since Joy Ride is being released theatrically rather than on a streaming platform, it is highly likely that it will also enjoy a DVD and Blu-ray release. For now, there is no information about when Lionsgate will release the DVD, but those details will likely be shared a few weeks after its theatrical run is completed.
Find Showtimes for Joy Ride
You can use the links below to find showtimes for Joy Ride at a theater near you:
More Movies Like Joy Ride That You Can Watch Right Now
If this hilarious girls' trip seems like your cup of tea, then you absolutely must check out these three other comedies led by some of the raunchiest women in Hollywood.
Bridesmaids (2011)
No other movie has done more for women in comedy than Bridesmaids. Thanks to this 2011 film, Hollywood realized that an ensemble cast of hilarious and impolite women could win audiences’ hearts and be blockbuster hits. The film follows two best friends since childhood, Annie and Lillian, whose relationship is tested when Lillian becomes engaged. Unable to stop comparing herself to Lillian, Annie begins to feel like a failure and when Lillian introduces her to her new pretty and successful friend, Helen, the fight for maid of honor begins. Starring and co-written by Kristen Wiig, Bridesmaids is filled with iconic, laugh-out-loud moments that you can’t forget.
Girls Trip (2017)
Largely responsible for launching the career of comedian Tiffany Haddish, Girls Trip is one of the wildest vacation movies you’ll ever see. The movie centers on Ryan Pierce, a best-selling author with a seemingly perfect marriage, who may have all the success in the world but desperately misses her best friends from college. She decides to reconnect with them on a trip to New Orleans for the Essence Music Festival and things do not go according to plan. With a cast including Haddish, Regina Hall, Queen Latifah, and Jada Pinkett-Smith, this movie provides great emotional and comedic beats.
Booksmart (2019)
Pretty much the best teen comedy of the past ten years, Booksmart is inventive, hilarious, and heartfelt. Amy and Molly are two overachieving high school seniors who have an Ivy League future set for them. For their entire high school career, they’ve felt that their lack of partying has put them miles ahead of their classmates, but when Molly realizes that many of the popular kids also got into good schools, she realizes they could have done both. Together, Molly and Amy embark on their first and last wild night in high school before they go off to college. Often billed as the female Superbad, this movie is so much more.
ncG1vNJzZmibn6G5qrDEq2Wcp51kxKmx0Z5kraddrK61r8dmoaixXae2pbGO