Juice marked cinematographer Ernest R. Dickerson’s feature film directorial debut. Dickerson co-wrote the script with Gerard Brown in 1984, but put the project on hold to pursue his burgeoning cinematography career, as noted in a 24 May 1991 NYT article. By 1991, Dickerson had become the youngest member of the American Society of Cinematographers (ASC), according to the 22 Mar 1991 Screen International.
       When it was first circulated, some studio executives balked at Brown and Dickerson’s script, suggesting that it needed to be more of a comedy. However, the subsequent successes of black-oriented films, namely New Jack City and Boyz N the Hood (1991, see entries), generated renewed interest in Juice and led to Island World Productions’ agreement to fund the $4--$5 million production budget in exchange for worldwide distribution rights. Every major Hollywood studio was said to be interested in domestic distribution rights by the time principal photography was underway, according to a 12 Apr 1991 Screen International item. A bidding war ensued, and Paramount Pictures ultimately won the rights with a promised $10 million prints and advertising budget, as noted in the 8 Aug 1991 HR.
       The six-week shooting schedule began 13 Mar 1991, on location in New York City, according to items in the 3 Mar 1991 LAT and 19 Mar 1991 HR.
       A 19 Jan 1992 LAT article stated that rap music producer Hank Shocklee made his feature film composing debut with Juice. Onscreen credits attribute the original score to “Hank Shocklee and The Bomb Squad.” Shocklee also produced the soundtrack on his S.O.U.L. record label, a newly established joint venture with MCA Records.
       According to an article in the 24 Jan 1992 Long Beach Press-Telegram, Paramount requested a new ending that would “reflect a measure of hope” after seeing an early cut of the film, and Dickerson obliged. It was not stated whether the change required re-shoots.
       Controversy arose over Paramount’s publicity campaign. As noted in the 13 Jan 1992 LAT and 20 Jan 1992 DV, an early poster showed the four principal actors in a bluish haze, with Tupac Shakur holding a handgun. The title appeared in red, amidst the slogan, “Power. Respect. Juice. How far will you go to get it?” Some accused the image of being exploitive, partly because the red and blue tones evoked the colors of the Bloods and Crips, the two major rival street gangs in Los Angeles, CA. Paramount decided to airbrush the handgun out of the poster image; however, the image remained unaltered on soundtrack artwork, as noted in the 26 Jan 1992 LAT. Unaltered copies of the original poster were obtained by Los Angeles television stations and broadcast in news reports, and both the unaltered and new version were run in the 10 Jan 1992 HR. In addition to the poster, theatrical trailers and television advertisements were criticized for emphasizing violence, and drew protests from groups such as the Los Angeles-based Mothers Against Gangs in Communities (MAGIC). Paramount defended the trailers, and maintained that Juice carried an anti-crime, anti-violence message.
       The film opened in 1,089 theaters on 17 Jan 1992, Martin Luther King Day weekend. Due to the precedent of violence associated with openings of similar films, including New Jack City and Boyz N the Hood, Paramount offered to fund extra security measures at movie theaters, and, in some cases, supplied extra prints of the film to accommodate potential overflows. Nevertheless, violence marred opening weekend showings in several cities including Chicago, IL, where a sixteen-year-old girl was killed by a stray bullet outside a theater playing the film, and Philadelphia, PA, where an eighteen-year-old man was shot outside a theater and paralyzed from the chest down. Woundings of young moviegoers were reported in New York City and at an East Lansing, MI, theater, where Saturday showings were subsequently cancelled, according to the 20 Jan 1992 LAT. Other violent incidents were reported in Boston, MA, and Anchorage, AK.
       Critical reception was mixed. While the four lead actors were routinely praised, the script received criticism for its faulty plotting. The 17 Jan 1992 DV review called the film “technically superior” but “narratively flawed.” The film’s opening weekend box-office grosses amounted to an impressive $8 million, and it went on to gross a cumulative $20.1 million.
       The 14 Jan 1993 HR reported that the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees (IATSE) summoned Paramount and Island World to an arbitration over deferred payments allegedly owed to crewmembers who agreed to “council deals,” in which they worked on a deferred basis for below-minimum rates, to be paid in full, with bonuses, after the film made a profit. Although Juice was said to be the sixth most profitable picture of 1992, based on its ratio of production budget to box-office earnings, Island World and Paramount denied owing IATSE members any monies. The outcome of the arbitration could not be determined as of the writing of this Note.
       In 1994, the film was cited in a murder trial in Cardiff, Wales, in which three young gang members claimed to be mimicking Juice when they kicked a young man to death, as noted in the 23 Mar 1994 The Times (London). A fourth young man involved in the incident was found guilty of manslaughter, while the others were convicted of murder.
       Juice marked the feature film acting debut of Khalil Kain.
       The film concludes with the title card: "For Janet and Tamu." End credits include: “Film footage from White Heat courtesy of Turner Entertainment Co.”; and, “Producers wish to thank: Vito DeSario; Trenton Surgical Supply; Michael Concepcion; Matt Ebert; Ali Dee; Gordon Parks; Eugene Gearty; Naomi Simms Beauty Products; Eric Albertson; Pathfinder Press; Elliot Groffman, Esq. & Jeff Levy, Esq.; African Art Source; Sherma Svitzer; MCA Film Music Department; Panasonic Company; Mario Petigny; Plantain Products Company, USA; D. J. Red Alert; Monica Lynch-Tommy Boy Records; Rolet Food Products Company; Lindt Stymist; Danny Holloway; Jessica Lanier; Vinny Brown, WRKS, 98.7 KISS-FM, N.Y.; Manhattan Cable Company; Dialogica; Reebok; Cicena; Nike; John Danna & Sons, Inc.; Eric Banks; Bob Kovloff – Spectrum Entertainment; Fieldcrest Cannon; James Garvey; Thomas Sestak – Kalman Welding; Gaylord Hassan; Arenson Office Furnishings; Simon Deith at R.H. Belam Co., Inc.; Compuweather; Capcom USA; Kamron; City of New York, David Dinkins, Mayor; Mayor’s Office for Film, Theatre and Broadcasting.”
       Stunt performer Gregg Smrz is credited onscreen as "Greg Smrz."