'Bad Boys: Ride or Die' Has Solid Opening Weekend
by EG
The theater business continues to be brutal this summer, with ticket sales lagging far behind last year's level. This week's top movie, Bad Boys: Ride or Die, performed above expectations, and if it has long, strong run at the box office, it may turn a profit. But it's a modest bright spot in a summer season that has yet to produce any true hit movies. Read on for details.
Via Variety.
Turns out, Bad Boys are good for ticket sales.
Sony’s “Bad Boys: Ride or Die,” the fourth entry in the Will Smith and Martin Lawrence-led buddy cop series, started strong with $56 million from 3,885 theaters in its domestic debut. The film also opened at the international box office with $48.6 million, bringing its worldwide tally to $104.6 million.
The sequel to 1995’s “Bad Boys,” 2003’s “Bad Boys II” and 2020’s “Bad Boys for Life” is notable as Smith’s first major film to grace the big screen since he assaulted Chris Rock on stage at the 2022 Oscars. So what should Hollywood take away from “Bad Boys” in its fourth go-around? Well, audiences haven’t soured on Smith — though it helps that he returned to theaters in a time-tested and generally well-received franchise.
Although it’s not cementing any franchise records (“Bad Boys for Life” remains the biggest opening of the quartet with $62 million), “Bad Boys 4” is providing a little needed encouragement to movie theater owners. Yet despite the film’s solid start, the year-to-date deficit has worsened over the weekend as ticket sales now lag 26% behind 2023, according to Comscore. It’s been a concerningly slow May and June with underperforming blockbusters like Universal’s action comedy “The Fall Guy” and the Warner Bros. sci-fi prequel “Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga.” So, Hollywood and exhibitors are hoping that “Bad Boys” will continue to have momentum and heat up moviegoing in the remainder of June — with releases like Pixar’s “Inside Out 2” (June 14) and “A Quiet Place: Day One” (June 28) — through August.
“With some exciting titles on the docket, the next few weeks will be key in turning the summer business in a positive direction,” says senior Comscore analyst Paul Dergarabedian.
Moviegoers were more receptive than critics to “Bad Boys: Ride or Die,” which landed an “A-” CinemaScore but so-so 64% on Rotten Tomatoes.
Get the rest of the story at Variety.