Sony/Columbia’s “Bad Boys: Ride or Die” has faced uncertain box office prospects in the run-up to its release but got some hopeful signs on Thursday as it grossed $5.9 million from preview screenings.
The fourth installment of Will Smith and Martin Lawrence’s buddy cop action series earned just slightly less than the $6.4 million preview total of “Bad Boys for Life,” which went on to earn a $62 million 3-day opening on MLK weekend in 2020.
“Ride or Die” was never projected to earn that much, but pre-release projections had been on a downward slope over the past couple of weeks, sliding down to $40-45 million. Some exhibition sources told TheWrap they feared a lower opening than that, but this start suggests “Bad Boys 4” could avoid that fate, particularly if walk-up traffic from longtime fans is strong this weekend.
Reviews for “Bad Boys 4” have been mildly positive, standing at 66% on Rotten Tomatoes. With a $100 million budget, the film will need to leg out throughout June and will particularly need to perform well next weekend as a Father’s Day alternative to Disney/Pixar’s family film “Inside Out 2,” which will try to post the biggest opening of 2024 so far with a projected $90 million start.
Leave a Reply