Mo' Better Blues

1990 | Drama, Music, Romance, Summer

Synopsis

Jazz trumpeter Bleek Gilliam makes questionable decisions in his professional and romantic lives.

Scores

Overall Score
61.4
Popularity Percentile (Year)
54.7%
Box Office Percentile (Year)
64.5%
Review Aggregate
71.4

Critic Consensus

60.9% Fresh • 23 critic reviews

Critic reception is mixed, with 61% of 23 logged reviews marked Fresh. Across reviews, critics repeatedly emphasize character-driven, funny, visually striking. Common reservations focus on execution consistency, even when reviewers praise standout elements.

character-drivenfunnyvisually strikingsuspensefulpoliticalgritty

Cast

CastYearReported SalaryInflation AdjustedNotes
Denzel Washington1990$504,000$1,209,000(est)
Spike Lee1990$310,000$744,000(est)
Wesley Snipes1990$233,000$560,000(est)
Giancarlo Esposito1990$191,000$458,000(est)
Robin Harris1990$163,000$392,000(est)
Joie Lee1990$144,000$345,000(est)
Bill Nunn1990$129,000$310,000(est)
John Turturro1990$117,000$282,000(est)
Dick Anthony Williams1990$108,000$260,000(est)
Cynda Williams1990$100,000$241,000(est)

Aggregated Reviews

Rotten Tomatoes critic score71.0
RT critic review count35
Rotten Tomatoes audience score75.0
RT audience rating count5,000
IMDb rating6.7
IMDb votes14,607

Box Office ?

CategoryYearReportedInflation Adjusted
Domestic1990$16,153,593$38,771,095
International1990N/AN/A
Worldwide1990$16,153,593$38,771,095

Earnings / Profitability

Estimated net revenues and net expenses for films based on reported and estimated numbers. This income statement should be considered most viable for the first 24 months after the inital movie's release (ie after most lucrative pay windows).
CategoryYearReportedInflation Adjusted
Revenues
Theatrical Net Revenue1990$8,076,796$19,385,548
Digital Rentals ?1990N/AN/A
Digital Purchases ?1990N/AN/A
Physical Rentals ?1990$30,188,000$72,455,819
Physical Purchases ?1990$16,365,000$39,278,504
TV & Streaming Revenue1990$3,876,862$9,305,063
Total Revenues1990$58,506,659$140,424,934
Expenses
Budget ?1990$10,000,000$24,001,530
Print & Advertising (P&A) ?1990$5,443,000 (est)$13,064,033 (est)
Participations1990$4,681,000$11,235,116
Residuals ?1990$3,622,000$8,693,354
Interest & Overhead1990$2,000,000$4,800,306
Total Expenses1990$25,746,000$61,794,340
Movie Net Profit or Loss1990$32,760,659$78,630,594

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