“Bad Boys for Life” sees the return of Smith and Lawrence in another cinematic adventure full of action and comedy but this time with a twist: Mike and Marcus are on the run this time. The ensemble also includes Vanessa Hudgens, Alexander Ludwig, Paola Nuñez, Rhea Seehorn, Tiffany Haddish, and Joe Pantoliano.
Arbi and Fallah delivered the goods with 2020’s “Bad Boys for Life.” Despite Michael Bay not being in the director’s chair for the third entry in the franchise, it was met with surprisingly great reviews and opened to $65.5 million, eventually pulling in $426.5 million worldwide. Its $206.3 million domestic gross made it the highest-grossing Hollywood movie of 2020 since theaters around the country shut down for most of the year due to the pandemic. Sony was eager to get another entry going with the core creative team returning.
The big question mark this time is Will Smith. While he remains a popular A-list star, this is the first big theatrical release that Smith has been attached to since his now-infamous slapping of Chris Rock at the Oscars in 2022. Has enough time passed in the eyes of the moviegoing public? If so, this could be Smith’s first true theatrical hit of the pandemic era. He did win Best Actor for his work in “King Richard,” but the movie itself was kneecapped at the box office because of the pandemic and its HBO Max release.
Current projections have this film opening a little lower than its predecessor. Even so, if it can get to $300 million worldwide, Sony can easily call this a win. A $50 million opening – give or take – would set it up to do precisely that. Especially since the following weekend’s big releases are “Inside Out 2” and “The Watchers.” One is firmly aimed at family audiences, and the other is a mid-budget horror movie. If all goes well, this should/could be one of the bigger R-rated hits of the year.
“Bad Boys: Ride or Die” hits theaters on June 7, 2024.
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