Ice Cube is among the rappers who have used his love for storytelling to explore different avenues and find success outside of the music industry.

With the recent news of Paramount Skydance’s acquisition of Cube’s Are We There Yet? franchise, it’s worth noting that what the iconic rapper has created with Cube Vision places him in an entirely different lane from his counterparts.

What is Cube Vision?

Launched in 1995 and originally credited in films as CubeVision, with his then-manager Patricia Charbonnet, the company first gained formal prominence as a corporate entity and production banner thanks to producing partner Matt Alvarez in 1998.

The first major film release for Cube Vision was the 2000 comedy Next Friday, and since then, it has created and released 16 feature films spanning genres such as comedy, action and biographical drama.

In a previous interview with Blavity, Cube credited his love for writing to an elementary school teacher who inspired him to do more of it, ultimately helping him branch out of his comfort zone, which was drawing at the time, and learn to write and speak in front of others.

By the time he reached his early 20s, Cube said the late John Singleton inspired him not only to pursue acting by casting him in his first feature film, Boyz n the Hood.

“Don’t look at it as a one-time thing,” Cube told Blavity when asked what advice he would give to himself during the time that he starred in his first movie. “If you can make it into a career, like, I looked at it as after Boyz in the Hood, I could either be a great actor, or I could be a movie star, and I went for the movie star.”

A movie star who also retains ownership of his creative endeavors.

No stranger to successful film franchises, Ice Cube quickly recognized the value of not only sharing our own narratives but also owning them.

According to The Wall Street Journal, the Friday trilogy, which kicked off in 1995, generated more than $118 million in global box office revenue despite its modest budgets, with additional success coming through VHS and DVD sales, television syndication and streaming royalties.

He previously disclosed that the highly anticipated fourth film in the franchise is underway and will be up to date and authentic to his style as a filmmaker.

“I think if you’re not pushing the edge a little bit, you’re not being as real as you need to be,” Cube said at the time. “So we’re not gonna let society’s norms hold us back from making a funny movie that makes sense for today.”

Another Ice Cube franchise is set to return

The former N.W.A member and Compton, California, native recently revealed that he will reprise his role as Nick Persons in a new chapter of the Are We There Yet? franchise.

According to a press release shared with AfroTech, Skydance Sports, a division of Paramount Skydance, was formed as part of the landmark $8 billion merger of Skydance Media and Paramount Global in August 2025.

The first two films in the Are We There Yet? franchise grossed more than $156 million worldwide.

In the new film in development, Nia Long is set to reprise her role as Nick’s love interest, Suzanne Kingston, and this time his character “faces his biggest challenge yet… Grandkids.”

“We built something special with this franchise. Audiences grew up with Nick Persons, and now Nick’s got grandkids,” Ice Cube said in an statement surrounding the news. “Time flies. Partnering with Skydance to bring this story to a new generation is exactly the kind of move CubeVision was built for, and I am excited for the new partnership.”

Skydance is in early development on Are They Gone Yet?, which is the company’s most prominent comedy acquisition to date.

The latest project is another example of how Ice Cube has built a career around storytelling, expanding from pioneering gangsta rap into filmmaking, sports and beyond.

Today, according to a previous AFROTECH™ report, Ice Cube has an estimated net worth of $160 million, building a fortune around a highly successful career as a rapper, actor and filmmaker, and through his BIG3 professional 3-on-3 basketball league, whose ownership began with his Cube Vision production company.