Jun 10, 2024 - Economy

"Bad Boys 4" warms up cool summer at the theaters

Hope King

two actors in sunglasses, Will Smith and Martin Lawrence, standing in front of a large movie poster — Will Smith and Martin Lawrence at the Miami premiere for "Bad Boys: Ride Or Die." Photo: Manny Hernandez/Getty Images

"Bad Boys: Ride or Die" gave the summer box office a badly needed jolt over the weekend.

Why it matters: Domestic ticket sales so far this year are down 24% over the same period last year and down 42% from 2019, Comscore says, per The Hollywood Reporter.

Zoom in: "Bad Boys: Ride or Die" is the fourth title of the nearly 30-year-old franchise starring Will Smith and Martin Lawrence.

Clearing $56 million in ticket sales in the U.S. and Canada, "Ride or Die" surpassed expectations of $30 million to $45 million.

Zoom out: There have been more than 300 titles released so far this year, each averaging about $9.1 million — compared to $15.1 million at the end of last year and $12.5 million in 2019, per Box Office Mojo.

"Dune: Part Two" is currently this year's biggest release, pulling in more than $282 million domestically.

The intrigue: The nearly two-hour "Bad Boys" feature is Smith's first since slapping Chris Rock two years ago at the Oscars — an incident that continues to divide some fans, but clearly hasn't deterred all audiences, nor marketers.

Sony's marketing strategy relied heavily on Smith, rather than hiding the star, the NYT notes.

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"Bad Boys 4" warms up cool summer at the theaters

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