‘Jackpot!’ ending explained: Does Noel get his superyacht?
Take the money and run
Buckle in, because there’s a new comedy duo in town: John Cena and Awkwafina, who lead Amazon MGM Studios’ latest endeavor, Jackpot!. Now that the film’s available to stream on Prime Video, let’s break down that action-packed (and surprisingly violent) ending, shall we?
Directed by comedy legend Paul Feig, Jackpot! takes place in the not-so-distant future, and sees the citizens of Los Angeles going at each others’ throats for a chance to claim the $3 billion Grand Lottery—which can legally be won by killing the winner, who just so happens to be our protagonist, Katie Kim (Awkwafina). Enter Noel (Cena), a “protection agent” whose singular goal is to get Katie out of this alive in exchange for a 10% cut of her winnings. It’s campy, it’s mindless, it’s silly—don’t take it too seriously.
Along the way, Katie and Noel find themselves in some sticky situations, whether that be squaring up against a studio of murderous yogis, Airbnb hosts, or encountering some Machine Gun Kelly-shaped obstacles (I truly can’t make this up). But our real big bad here is the slimy corporate protection agency CEO Louis Lewis (Simu Liu), Noel’s longtime rival who has some sinister plans to claim Katie’s lottery money for himself. Ultimately, Noel and Katie rue the day, but how does it all go down?
Katie and Noel survive thanks to the power of friendship
In Jackpot!, the rule states that a lottery winner has to survive until sundown in order to earn her winnings. By the time the climax rolls around, Noel and Katie have had a number of close calls, but are separated when The Lewis Protection Company hatches its plan to kill Katie and claim her money for themselves. She gets away thanks to a heroic moment of sacrifice from Noel and makes for the Grapevine, but ultimately turns around just miles away from the border—she has to save her new pal.
Back in Hollywood, Louis gives Katie an ultimatum: her life (and/or money) for Noel’s. However, she plays an Uno reverse on him, holding a cattle gun to her head and threatening to shoot herself if he doesn’t let Noel go. This way, Louis wouldn’t be able to legally obtain the prize. Thankfully, Katie makes it out alive following that intense showdown at the theater by climbing up onto a set piece and setting off one of the grenades in Louis’ pocket, thus blowing him up to pieces. She falls to her safety and into the arms of her adoring fans just as the clock strikes zero.
Johnny Grand (Murray Hill), the kind of lunatic lottery host, is already waiting to hand Katie her overly-large $3.6 billion dollar check, which she splits 50-50 with Noel. Together, the two go on to start a number of charities and businesses, including a (substantially less shady) lottery protection agency, a center for “kids with s***ty parents,” and even a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles-themed pizzeria—copyright suit pending. Noel never cared about getting a superyacht as Katie once suggested, and instead, he received something far more meaningful: friendship. I know, eye roll. But it’s sweet nonetheless.
It’s a by-the-books “happily ever after” for our heroes and an appropriate end to this absolutely bonkers joyride. Because of this, I don’t predict we’ll be seeing a Jackpot! 2 anytime soon, but hey, never say never, right?
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