Bob Marley: One Love made its debut as part of the 2024 movie schedule this past week, and it seems that like the beloved musician himself, the biopic can really draw a crowd. Box office expectations for the film were initially moderate, yet One Love is absolutely crushing amid its opening weekend. What’s been particularly sweet about the buzz surrounding the film, though, is that the press tour has given the iconic singer’s loved ones a chance to reflect on him and his impact. One of his sons, Ziggy Marley, did just that when he shared his favorite memory of his late father.
Ziggy Marley – who has created a vast musical legacy of his own – was barely a teenager when his father passed away from cancer at the age of 36. Despite that, he was still able to take in a number of experiences with his prolific papa. Marley shared one of those when he appeared on CNN’s King Charles alongside Kingsley Ben-Adir, who plays Bob in the film. When asked about his favorite memory of his father, Ziggy admitted that all of the memories he has of him are “special moments.” With that said, he recalled taking a trip with Bob to Zimbabwe, and what the singer described sounds like a truly surreal and poignant experience to have had as a kid:
One of the most memorable things we did – we took trips with him. We went to Zimbabwe, [me] and my brother Stephen, we went to Zimbabwe to celebrate the independence from British rule. And, during that trip, [it] was [our] first time in Africa. We were in the hotel room, and the guys that were fighting for freedom came to visit him, and they brought the grenades and they brought the guns. And they were showing him, and they were telling him how his music helped motivate them to fight against the colonial powers.
I’m getting chills just thinking about this entire meeting and can certainly understand why it still stands out in the “Believe in Yourself” singer’s mind. On the one hand, it speaks to the influence of one of the greatest musicians the world has ever known. And, on the other, it’s a general testament to the power of music. That’s a reason why the memory remains in Ziggy Marley’s heart and mind today, as he went on to say:
And, as a kid, that kinda made an impression on me of how music can be so powerful.
Bob Marley: One Love, which has received mixed reviews, is proving to be just as powerful at the box office. It was reported to have earned more than $27.7 million domestically at the box office this past weekend. The film released on Valentine’s Day and, since then, it’s managed to haul in $51 million here in the states. Ultimately, the movie still has to make back its $70 million budget, but this promising start could bode well for the remainder of its theatrical run.
This production has been in the works for a few years now, and it was when director Reinaldo Marcus Green was hired that the Bob Marley biopic finally took a major step forward. Green spoke with our own ReelBlend podcast about how he sought to dig into who the “Redemption Song” singer was. He also spoke to our own Eric Eisenberg about how his experiences working on King Richard impacted his work on his latest feature. Per CinemaBlend’s review of One Love, this is a film that focuses greatly on the message than the man’s life (for better and for worse).
The financial success and critical reception aside, it’s just lovely that the Marley family is able to keep the memory of their patriarch alive. Ziggy and his relatives have certainly done that over the years, and I hope that they continue to speak of Bob, his artistry and his humanity as time goes on.
You can head to your local cinema to see Bob Marley: One Love now.