‘Bad Boys: Ride or Die’ is an ode to Will Smith

Actor Will Smith is the king of summer movie hits. There’s Smith and then there’s everyone else. We can start with Independence Day ($817 million worldwide) and go on down the line to Suicide Squad ($749 million) to Men in Black ($589 million) to Hancock ($629 million) to I, Robot ($353 million). 

With this string of success, Smith is the most bankable actor when it comes to delivering blockbuster summer movies. And we didn’t include all the Bad Boys films that Smith has managed to squeeze in with those other high-profile successful projects he’s worked on and starred in. 

Summertime, a theme of one of Smith’s biggest music hits, is all about relaxing, going to the movies, and having fun. When you watch Bad Boys: Ride or Die, that’s what you’re getting. You’re going to have fun. 

You get an opportunity to sit back and soak in all the hilarious one-liners Smith and Martin Lawrence provides throughout the film and watch how the chemistry between the two actors continues to mesh and grow like vintage wine. The longer you have these two men on screen together, the better the results are.

Don’t get me wrong. There’s plenty of action to keep Bad Boys: Ride or Die moving along at a brisk pace. But this movie is a comedic action-adventure look at the buddy-buddy relationship between Det. Mike Lowrey (Smith) and Det. Marcus Burnett (Lawrence). This film comes at the right time. 

With a couple of other big-time projects flailing at the box office, Bad Boys: Ride or Die has been the one something, at least through the first weekend of its release, that the movie industry needed to kick off the summer: a big, loud, bang-for-your-buck thriller.  

Bad Boys: Ride or Die delivers many times over in this category. This is where Smith has excelled throughout his movie-magic career. There’s nothing like a two-hour (1 hour, 55 minutes) jolt of Will Smith to get the needle pointed in the right direction.     

We’ve been waiting for Smith to return. We’re happy to welcome him back. Smith has returned with a big splash with Bad Boys: Ride or Die. It is the fourth installment of the Bad Boys string of movies that stars Smith and Lawrence. 

Like the other previous films, Smith and Lawrence do it up big with funny moments, and plenty of action. They even pay homage to “The Slap” in a wise-cracking way that will have you laughing right out of your seat.  

For the skeptics and the haters, Smith still looks good and has that Mike Lowrey dash of charisma and swagger that makes the Bad Boys series enjoyable to watch. 

In addressing the elephant in the room where some people wonder if Smith still had his star power two years after the much ado about his slap against Chris Rock at the 2022 Academy Awards, Bad Boys: Ride or Die answers that question rather emphatically.  

That would be yes. And hell yes! According to Box Office Mojo, Bad Boys: Ride or Die raked in more than $104 million ($104,600.00) worldwide in its opening weekend in theaters. 

Here in the United States, the film made $56 million, exceeding even the most positive estimates due to the cautionary tale of waiting to see if the public is still buying a Smith movie project as a can’t-miss opportunity. 

Despite a 10-year ban slapped on him by the folks who handle the Oscars, fans gave the Academy Awards a strong rebuke to show they are still drawn to and believe in Smith to deliver the goods and see him as a box-office draw. 

By already riding the wave of a $104 million opening weekend, Bad Boys: Ride or Die has already surpassed its production budget of $100 million. Now that’s star power. Once again, Smith is proving he is that guy when it comes to the summer blockbuster. 

Ryan Gosling not so much. Gosling is the star of The Fall Guy. This flick was released on May 3 and has struggled to gain the average moviegoer’s attention and is slowly climbing the expectation ladder. 

According to sources, The Fall Guy cost roughly $130 million to make. As of June 9, The Fall Guy has cleared $85 million domestically and $165 million globally. Bad Boys: Ride or Die has hit the century mark in roughly four days and in fewer theaters (4,002 to 3,885). 

Bad Boys: Ride or Die is a glorious shoutout to Smith. Smith has had to lay low outside of the film Emancipation for the last two years. He doesn’t have to do that anymore now that the success of Bad Boys: Ride or Die has come to fruition.   

Top Image Caption: Will Smith and Martin Lawrence star in Columbia Pictures BAD BOYS: RIDE OR DIE. Photo by: Frank Masi