The premiere of Jackpot! brought luck to Los Angeles.
On Tuesday, Aug. 13, several stars of the upcoming Amazon MGM Studios comedy — including Awkwafina, John Cena and Simu Liu — walked the red carpet at the TCL Chinese Theatre to celebrate the Paul Feig-directed film.
Awkwafina wore a sparkling gold dress, while Cena wore a bright orange printed blazer and bright blue pants. Liu complemented both looks, wearing a navy blue suit.
While catching up with PEOPLE at the event, Cena credited Feig as someone who created a fun environment on set.
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“Paul Feig starts with the philosophy that comedies are fun. And I think when you have a fun vibe on set, it doesn’t mean the days are any shorter, but it means you’re trying to make each other laugh. He’s got jokes for days,” says Cena of Feig. “He tries to find the comedy in everything, but he doesn’t sacrifice laughs at heart. He always has a good character journey you can go on.”
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An official synopsis states that the film begins in “the near future” after a new “Grand Lottery” is established in California.
“The catch: kill the winner before sundown to legally claim their multi-billion dollar jackpot.”
“When Katie Kim (Awkwafina, 36) moves to Los Angeles, she mistakenly finds herself with the winning ticket,” the synopsis adds. “Desperate to survive the hordes of jackpot hunters, she reluctantly joins forces with amateur lottery protection agent Noel Cassidy (Cena, 47) who will do everything in his power to get her to sundown in exchange for a piece of her prize.”
“However, Noel must face off with his slick rival Louis Lewis (Liu, 35), who also seeks to collect Katie’s commission at all costs,” the synopsis concludes.
While speaking with PEOPLE, Awkwafina opens up the overall message of the film.
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“Well, I think, you know, it being in 2030, it being in Hollywood, and it being labeled as kind of dystopic is very interesting to me,” she says. “I think it basically depicts a world in which people are just a little bit more greedy than they already are. You know what I mean? And yeah, and kind of a lawless aspect. ”
Boasting a tagline of “You can’t win if you don’t play,” Jackpot! is written by Rob Yescombe. And for Feig, 61, it’s “the Jackie Chan movie I always wished I could make,” he told Entertainment Weekly back in May.
Feig went on to say, “What I love about Jackie Chan movies is that he’s a real, everyman caught in a situation he doesn’t want to be in.”
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Jackpot! begins streaming Thursday, Aug. 15, on Prime Video.
