Smokey and the Bandit II the Bandit to sober up, since Big Enos has raised the stakes to $400,000. Frog abandons her second attempt at marrying Buford T. Justice's son Junior. She is initially persuaded more by the money than her love for Bandit. She buys him a 1980 Pontiac Trans Am named "Son of Trigger," powered by the Pontiac 301 Turbo, by trading in Junior's car. A race ensues as the trio once again tries to outrun and outwit Justice and Junior. They make it to Miami with little trouble, even fooling a Florida Highway Patrol speedtrap along the way. Their cargo is in
Smokey and the Bandit on vinyl, cassette and 8-track through MCA Records. "Smokey and the Bandit" was a sleeper hit. The film premiered at Radio City Music Hall in New York City where it performed badly. It then opened in just the South of the United States over the Memorial Day weekend and grossed $2,689,851 in 386 theatres. By the end of June it had played in major Southern markets including Charlotte, Atlanta, Jacksonville, New Orleans, Memphis, Dallas and Oklahoma City grossing $11.9 million. It opened in other Northern states at the end of July. With an original budget of $5.3 million (cut to