Based on a true story, while 1st Sergeant Charles Monroe King is deployed in Iraq, he keeps a journal of love and advice for his infant son. Sharing this journal with her son, his fiancée, Dana Canedy reflects on her unlikely yet powerful romantic relationship with King.[4]
In January 2018, it was reported that Denzel Washington would direct the film Journal for Jordan from a script by Virgil Williams based on Dana Canedy's memoir.[5] In February 2019, it was reported that Michael B. Jordan would play the lead role.[6] In October 2020, Chanté Adams was cast in the film.[7] As of December 2020, production had begun.[8][9] In February 2021, Robert Wisdom, Johnny M. Wu, and Jalon Christian joined the cast.[10] In March 2021, Tamara Tunie joined the cast.[11]
Release
A Journal for Jordan was originally scheduled by Sony Pictures Releasing for a limited theatrical release on December 10, 2021, before going wide on December 22.[12] In October 2021, the film was pushed to a wide theatrical release on December 25, on Christmas Day, without a limited release.[13] The film had its world premiere at the AMC Lincoln Square Theatre on December 9, 2021.[14] The film was released video-on-demand on January 11, 2022 and on Blu-ray and DVD on March 8, 2022.[15]
Reception
Box office
In the United States, A Journal for Jordan was released alongside American Underdog and the wide expansion of Licorice Pizza, and was projected to gross around $5 million from 2,500 theaters over its first two days of release.[2] It made $1.2 million on its first day and $1 million on its second, debuting to $2.2 million and finishing eighth at the box office.[16] In its second weekend, the film finished ninth with $1.2 million.[17] The film dropped out of the box office top ten in its third weekend, finishing twelfth with $600,880.[18]
Critical response
On review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 39% based on 62 reviews, with an average rating of 5.2/10. The site's critics consensus reads, "A Journal for Jordan's affecting fact-based story stumbles onscreen due to Denzel Washington's undistinguished direction and overly sentimental approach."[19] On Metacritic, it has a weighted average score of 42 out of 100 based on 20 reviews, indicating "mixed or average reviews".[20] Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "A−" on an A+ to F scale.[16]
