The Bling Ring

In December 2011, it was reported that Sofia Coppola was developing a screenplay for a film based on the Bling Ring burglaries, to be directed and produced by herself. Her father, Francis Ford Coppola, executive produced the project through his American Zoetrope production company.[10] In April 2012, it was announced that financing had been set up with NALA Films, and Roman Coppola would also serve as a producer.[11]

Emma Watson joined the cast of the film on February 29, 2012,[12] and on March 1, Taissa Farmiga was reported to have joined the main cast.[13] Also in early March, The Hollywood Reporter confirmed the casting of Leslie Mann and Israel Broussard.[14] On March 16, Claire Julien joined the cast, and Katie Chang and Georgia Rock were also confirmed for roles.[15] That same month, Carlos Miranda was cast in a supporting role.[16] In late March, Kirsten Dunst and Paris Hilton were both confirmed to make cameos in the film, as themselves.[17][18] Gavin Rossdale was spotted on the set of the film on March 27, 2012.[19]

Production primarily took place in and around Los Angeles, California in March and April 2012; notably in West Hollywood, Lynwood, and Venice.[20] Paris Hilton, who was a victim during the actual Bling Ring robberies, and Kirsten Dunst, both made cameo appearances in the film.[21] Some scenes were shot in the celebrity victims' homes and at the Century Regional Detention Facility in Lynwood, California.[22]

In January 2013, A24 acquired domestic distribution rights to the film.[27] The film opened the Un Certain Regard section of the 2013 Cannes Film Festival on May 16.[6][28] The film is Coppola's third in a row that deals heavily with the famous, following Marie Antoinette and Somewhere, a drama about a renowned actor and his 11-year-old daughter. About the premiere in Cannes, she said, "It seems like the perfect setting for The Bling Ring when you see people walking around in their heels. It's a glamorous place, so it feels appropriate." The film closed the 39th Seattle International Film Festival on June 9, 2013.[29][30]

The Bling Ring was released via digital download on September 6, 2013, and on DVD and Blu-ray on September 17, 2013, by Lionsgate Home Entertainment. The extras include a behind the scenes making of the film, an interview with Coppola, and a tour of a crime scene by Bling Ring target Paris Hilton.[31]

In its debut weekend in the United States, the film opened in five theaters with $214,395, for a per-theater average of $42,879.[32] It was Coppola's best opening per-theater average, beating out Lost in Translation's intake of $40,221 for each of 23 locations in 2003. The following weekend, The Bling Ring expanded to 650 theaters, making $2 million for a per-theater average of $3,080.[33] The film went on to gross $5.8 million domestically and $20 million worldwide.[4]

The Bling Ring received mixed reviews from critics. Review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes gives the film a 59% approval rating, based on reviews from 204 critics, with a weighted average of 6.3/10. The website's critical consensus reads, "While it's certainly timely and beautifully filmed, The Bling Ring suffers from director Sofia Coppola's failure to delve beneath the surface of its shallow protagonists' real-life crimes."[34] Metacritic has assigned the film an average score of 66 out of 100, based on 40 reviews from mainstream critics, indicating "generally positive reviews".[35] The film has drawn comparisons to the Day-Glo cinematography of Harmony Korine's Spring Breakers, which was also released under A24 Films.[36]

Emma Watson's performance received critical acclaim.

Owen Gleiberman of Entertainment Weekly had a positive opinion, writing, "Watching The Bling Ring, the audience is invited to understand the impulses of these child-woman thieves, even as Coppola stands firmly apart from their craziness and sees them for who they are."[37] Robbie Collin of The Daily Telegraph stated, "Everything comes together for the good here: visuals, performances, raucous soundtrack, Coppola's teasing flirtation with, yet ultimate lack of commitment to, some kind of concrete morality."[38] Todd McCarthy of The Hollywood Reporter stated, "Coppola's attitude toward her subject seems equivocal, uncertain; there is perhaps a smidgen of social commentary, but she seems far too at home in the world she depicts to offer a rewarding critique of it."[39]

Watson's performance as Nicki Moore was critically acclaimed. Richard Roeper called her "comedic gold," [40] while Gleiberman wrote that Watson "proves that her willingness to take chances is only growing and that she's an actress serious enough to turn a line like 'Your butt looks awesome!' into something that reveals character." Cath Clarke of Time Out commented positively on Watson, saying, "The real story here isn't the good-girl-goes-bad stunt casting; it's that Watson can act. Against the odds, the Harry Potter star gives a sharp, knowing smart performance as Nicki."[41] Peter Travers of Rolling Stone wrote, "Watson is sensational as Nicki, an underage club girl and actress wanna-be, who lives in a universe of Valley Girl narcissism eons away from Hogwarts."[42] Even critics who gave the film overall negative reviews singled out Watson for praise, with Peter Howell of the Toronto Star stating, "The undistinguished young cast of The Bling Ring has just one standout, and that's Emma Watson, who plays one of the most vacuous of the juvenile thieves. We know her best as the brainy Hermione Granger from the Harry Potter movies, and she can obviously do brainless equally well."[43] Joe Neumaier of New York Daily News wrote, "Watson, though, does a great imitation of hollow-eyed gaze; her character is the one who tries to parlay notoriety into success (everyone else can, she figures). The one-time Harry Potter star captures the slack-jawed fan only too well."[44]