Box Office: ‘Bad Boys: Ride or Die’ Makes $5.9 Million in Previews

It might take some “Bad Boys” to save this summer’s bad box office start.

Will Smith and Martin Lawrence‘s “Bad Boys: Ride or Die” has made $5.875 million in Thursday previews at the box office so far.

Sony and Columbia’s fourth “Bad Boys” movie, and the follow-up to 2020’s surprise hit “Bad Boys for Life,” is expected to open between $45 million and $50 million this weekend. However, Sony has a smaller estimate at $30 million. The more conservative projection could be overly cautious due to the growing number of summer films, such as “Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga,” “IF” and “The Fall Guy,” that have failed to connect with theatergoers.

With the summer box office far behind previous years’ grosses, theater owners are hoping for some relief sooner rather than later — and hopefully “Bad Boys: Ride or Die” is their answer. It also marks Smith’s first major film since he infamously slapped Chris Rock on stage at the 2022 Oscars, leaving many to wonder if the controversy will affect his box office prospects. The film cost $100 million to produce, but if it follows in line with the previous movie, it should be successful at the box office.

The franchise’s third film, “Bad Boys for Life,” earned $6.4 million in Thursday previews in January 2020 ahead of a $62 million opening weekend. It went on to become the highest grossing movie of the year with $426 million globally after theaters shut down during the pandemic.

Smith and Lawrence’s Detectives Mike Lowrey and Marcus Burnett are back with another dangerous mission. This time they must exonerate their late police captain, who was posthumously framed for working with drug cartels. The cast includes Vanessa Hudgens, Tiffany Haddish, Alexander Ludwig, DJ Khaled and more.

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Also opening this weekend is “The Watchers,” the directorial debut of M. Night Shyamalan’s daughter Ishana Night Shyamalan. The supernatural horror is expected to open with around $10 million and made $1 million in previews.

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