Bad Boys proved to be a strong ticket seller.
Sony’s Bad Boys: Ride or Die, the fourth installment in the buddy cop series starring Will Smith and Martin Lawrence, opened well domestically, taking in $56 million from 3,885 theaters. The film also debuted at the international box office with $48.6 million, bringing in $104.6 million worldwide.
The sequel to 1995’s Bad Boys, 2003’s Bad Boys II and 2020’s Bad Boys for Life is notable for being director Smith’s first major film on the big screen since Chris Rock’s onstage assault at the 2022 Oscars. So what can Hollywood learn from Bad Boys as it heads into its fourth instalment? Well, audiences don’t hate Smith, but it’s good to see him back in theaters in a time-tested and generally well-received series.
While Bad Boys 4 won’t solidify any franchise records ( Bad Boys for Life is still the biggest opening of the quartet with $62 million), it’s a bit of a needed encouragement for theater owners. But despite the film’s strong start, ticket sales lagged 26% compared to 2023, according to ComScore, and the deficit for the year worsened over the weekend. After worryingly weak May and June, with big blockbusters such as Universal’s action comedy A Gun for All Cases and Warner Bros.’ sci-fi prequel “Furiosa: The Mad Max Saga” underperforming, Hollywood and theater owners are counting on Bad Boys to continue to gain momentum, with releases such as Pixar’s Inside Out 2 (June 14) and “A Quiet Place: Day One” (June 28) stoking moviegoers through the rest of June and into August.
“With some exciting titles on the docket, the next few weeks will be key in turning the summer business in a positive direction,” said Paul Dergarabedian, senior analyst at ComScore.
Moviegoers embraced “Bad Boys: Ride or Die” better than critics, earning it an A- MovieScore and a mediocre 64% on Rotten Tomatoes. IMAX screens accounted for $5.2 million (9.3%) of domestic ticket sales and $8.2 million of worldwide gross. Adil El Arbi and Bilal Fallah return to direct the fourth film, as Detectives Mike and Marcus investigate corruption within the Miami Police Department. But when a trap leaves them fugitives, the pair are forced to work outside the law to solve the case. Ride or Die cost $100 million to make, so it’s poised for a big theatrical release, but it probably won’t supplant Bad Boys for Life, the highest-grossing film of the series, which grossed $206 million domestically and $426 million worldwide.
“Very few action comedies get to four episodes — the jokes start to run thin and the stories get repetitive — but when they do, they hold up well,” said David A. Gross of Franchise Entertainment Research, a film consulting firm. “Bad Boys’ is in elite company, and the series has room to run.”
Sony had a successful weekend at the box office with a first and second place finish, with “Garfield” Movie coming in second with $10 million. After three weekends in theaters, the animated film “Garfield” has grossed $68.6 million in North America and $192 million worldwide, solid results for a family film with a budget of $60 million.
Another newcomer this weekend, the supernatural horror film The Watchers, directed by Dakota Fanning, languished in fourth place with just under $7 million from 3,351 theaters. It started off with a dismal $4.7 million overseas, but $11.7 million worldwide. The Watchers was not well received by critics or audiences (it received a C- rating and a dismal 29% on Rotten Tomatoes), which explains its poor performance. Ishana Night Shyamalan, daughter of film director M. Night Shyamalan, directed the film for Warner Bros. It tells the story of a 28-year-old artist who gets stranded in a remote forest in Ireland and is then chased by a mysterious creature.
“The Watchers” finished behind Paramount’s children’s film If on the box office charts, earning $8 million from 3,582 locations to place third in its fourth weekend. Directed by John Krasinski and starring Ryan Reynolds, the film got off to a slow start but has since bounced back to earn $93.5 million domestically and $160.7 million worldwide. However, the studio spent $110 million making If, so it still needs above-average revenue to justify its budget.
Disney and 20th Century’s Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes rounded out the top five, earning $5.4 million from 3,155 theaters. The fourth chapter of the Apes reboot series grossed $149 million in North America and $359.8 million worldwide after five weekends on the big screen. This makes it the fourth most successful film of the year. However, it still doesn’t reach the box office gross of its predecessors: Rise of the Planet of the Apes (2011) ($481 million), War for the Planet of the Apes (2017) ($490 million) and Dawn of the Planet of the Apes (2014) ($710 million). Moreover, the latest part cost as much as $160 million. So, despite its good positioning during its theatrical run, Kingdom will need to continue its run on the big screen to stay in the black.
