Will Smith And Martin Lawrence’s ‘Bad Boys: Ride Or Die’ Impresses At The Box Office With A $104.6M Debut
Will Smith and Martin Lawrence are making waves at the box office.
The on-screen duo are back for the latest installment of their hit “Bad Boys” franchise. Released on June 7, 2024, “Bad Boys: Ride or Die,” produced by Jerry Bruckheimer and directed by Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah, takes fans on the journey of characters Mike Lowrey (Smith) and Marcus Burnett (Lawrence), who are tasked with resolving a mounting case against their late police captain Conrad Howard (Joe Pantoliano). “Bad Boys: Ride or Die” maintains the franchise’s balance of action and comedy as fans watch the cop duo navigate a new story.
“This movie, in really beautiful ways, is the culmination of all three,” Smith said during an interview with Hot 97. “For fans who have been down from the first one, I promise you there’s a moment in this movie where you stand up out of your seat and throw your hands in the air with the level of perfection of the call-back that we have. It’s as good as it’s ever been done… It is incredible. I am hyped for people to see it.”
“Bad Boys: Ride or Die” is generating impressive box office numbers given its $100 million production budget, Forbes notes. Since its June 7 release, the film has grossed $104.6 million globally, including $48.6 million internationally, Variety reports. The movie has yet to be released in Italy (June 13), Japan (June 21), or China (June 22). Its predecessor, “Bad Boys for Life,” earned $62.5 million in its 2020 debut and $204 million domestically.
According to ABC News, Black moviegoers turned out in large numbers to support “Bad Boys: Ride or Die,” making up 44% of the audience, the film’s largest demographic.
“The fact that a movie overperformed is the best possible news,” explained Paul Dergarabedian, senior media analyst for Comscore, per ABC News. “It seems like all we’ve been doing over the past few weeks and almost since the beginning of the year, with a couple of exceptions, is try to figure out why seemingly well-marketed, well-reviewed movies have underperformed. This ignites the spark that the industry has been waiting for.”