Coming to America
Coming to America
Questions
When did Coming to America come out and who directed it?
It was released on June 29, 1988, by Paramount Pictures, and was directed by John Landis.
Whose idea was the movie?
The story was created by Eddie Murphy, and the screenplay was written by David Sheffield and Barry W. Blaustein.
What is the movie about?
A wealthy African crown prince from the fictional nation of Zamunda travels to Queens, New York, hoping to find an independent woman who will love him for himself rather than his royal status or wealth.
What is the name of the fictional country Prince Akeem is from?
Zamunda. Eddie Murphy plays Prince Akeem Joffer, its crown prince.
Who else stars in it?
The cast includes Arsenio Hall as Akeem’s aide Semmi, James Earl Jones as King Jaffe Joffer, John Amos as Cleo McDowell, Madge Sinclair as Queen Aoleon Joffer, and Shari Headley as Lisa McDowell.
How many different characters did Eddie Murphy play?
Four. Besides Prince Akeem, Murphy played soul singer Randy Watson of the band Sexual Chocolate, the elderly Jewish barbershop customer Saul, and the barbershop owner Clarence.
Did Arsenio Hall play more than one role too?
Yes, four in all. Along with Semmi, Hall played the rally speaker Reverend Brown, the barber Morris, and an extremely ugly girl at a club.
Who did the makeup for all those characters?
Rick Baker designed the elaborate makeup effects for Murphy’s and Hall’s multiple characters, which earned the film an Academy Award nomination for Best Makeup at the 61st Academy Awards.
Is that Samuel L. Jackson robbing the restaurant?
Yes. Samuel L. Jackson appears as the hold-up man, an armed robber at McDowell’s.
Is a young Cuba Gooding Jr. really in this movie?
Reportedly yes. Cuba Gooding Jr. made his film debut as a boy getting a haircut around the time Akeem and Semmi arrive in Queens.
Is there a connection to Trading Places?
Yes. Don Ameche and Ralph Bellamy reprise their roles as Mortimer and Randolph Duke from Landis’s 1983 film Trading Places, now homeless after that film’s events, and Akeem gives them money. A piece of the Trading Places score plays during the scene.
How well did the movie do at the box office?
It was a big hit, earning well over $288 million worldwide against a $36 million budget, and became the third highest grossing U.S. film of 1988.
Was there a lawsuit over the movie?
Yes. Art Buchwald sued Paramount in the case Buchwald v. Paramount, claiming the filmmakers took his 1982 script treatment about an African potentate visiting America. Buchwald prevailed.
Was there ever a sequel?
Yes. Coming 2 America was released on March 4, 2021, on Amazon Prime Video. A TV pilot had also aired back on July 4, 1989, on CBS Summer Playhouse but was not picked up.