<P> The film premiered in Los Angeles on September 24, 2012 . Released on September 28, 2012 in the United States, the film received positive reviews from critics . It became a sleeper hit and earned over $115 million worldwide, becoming the second - highest - grossing music comedy film of all time behind School of Rock . It is the first film in the film series and was followed by two sequels, Pitch Perfect 2 (2015), directed by Elizabeth Banks, and Pitch Perfect 3 (2017). Screenplays for all three are by Kay Cannon . </P> <P> At a 2011 national a cappella competition, Barden University's all - female a cappella group, the Barden Bellas, perform well until Aubrey Posen (Anna Camp) projectile vomits on the audience during her solo . They are publicly humiliated, losing the competition . Four months later, newly arrived Barden freshman Beca Mitchell (Anna Kendrick) has no desire to attend college, but she is forced to do so by her father (John Benjamin Hickey), a professor at the university, with whom Beca has a strained relationship . Wishing she could instead pursue a career as a music producer in Los Angeles, Beca spends her time making mash - up mixes of songs and takes up an internship at the school radio station, where she gets to know fellow freshman Jesse Swanson (Skylar Astin). </P> <P> When Beca's father discovers she has not been attending classes, he comes to her with a proposition: if she joins a club and still does not want to remain at college after one year, he will allow her to leave college, and he will pay for Beca to move to Los Angeles to pursue her music career . After some persuasion from Chloe Beale (Brittany Snow) the co-leader of the Bellas along with Aubrey, she reluctantly joins the Barden Bellas . Aubrey does not initially approve of recruiting Beca, but yields nonetheless due to a desperate need for members and Beca's talent . Beca joins alongside a group of other women who do not fit the Bellas' typical mold: Cynthia - Rose (Ester Dean), Stacie Conrad (Alexis Knapp), Lilly Onakuramara (Hana Mae Lee), and Fat Amy (Rebel Wilson). Jesse is also revealed to have joined the Bellas' all - male rival group, the Treblemakers, but his roommate Benji (Ben Platt) was rejected after being called weird by Bumper (Adam DeVine). </P> <P> The Bellas participate in the southeastern regional competition at Carolina University where, at Aubrey's insistence, they perform the same medley that helped the Bellas advance to the finals the previous year . In spite of their old set list, the group manages to place second, thanks to Fat Amy putting her own spin on her solo, which sends them to the semi-finals . Unfortunately, disaster strikes for Beca when the Treblemakers cause an uproar with an old a capella group after the competition . The Bellas try to intervene, but Beca and Fat Amy accidentally smash a window with the trophy, which alerts a police officer standing outside who then arrests her . Jesse kindly waits for Beca outside the police station, but makes matters worse by getting her father involved in the situation, who is furious and tells Beca that he will no longer pay for her to move to Los Angeles because of the incident . This infuriates Beca, which turns her budding friendship with Jesse sour . In the meantime, Beca suggests to the Bellas to try to be more daring, but Aubrey insists that they will win with the repertoire the group has always used in the past . </P>

What is the boy group in pitch perfect called