NEW YORK (AP) 鈥� the fourth installment in the Will Smith-Martin Lawrence action comedy series, opened with an estimated $56 million in theaters over the weekend, handing Hollywood a much-needed summer hit and Smith his biggest success since he slapped Chris Rock at the Academy Awards.
Expectations were all over the map for 鈥淩ide or Die鈥� given and Smith鈥檚 less certain box-office clout. In the end, though, the Sony Pictures release came in very close to, or slightly above, its tracking forecast.
鈥淩ide or Die,鈥� produced by Jerry Bruckheimer and directed by Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah, is Smith鈥檚 first theatrical test since earned him . The 鈥淏ad Boys鈥� film was in development at the time and ultimately went forward with about a $100 million production budget.
Smith starred in but that film 鈥� released in late 2022 鈥� was shot before the slap and received only a modest theatrical release before streaming.
This time around, Smith largely avoided soul-searching interviews looking back on the Oscars and instead went on a whistle-stop publicity tour of red carpets from Mexico to Saudi Arabia, where he attended what was billed as the country's first Hollywood premiere. The 55-year-old Smith, who for years was one of Hollywood's most bankable stars, appeared on 鈥淭he Tonight Show With Jimmy Fallon," the YouTube series 鈥淗ot Ones" and on Friday, made a surprise appearance at a Los Angeles movie theater.
Given that 鈥淏ad Boys鈥� trailed May disappointments like and 鈥� both of which struggled to pop with ticket buyers despite very good reviews 鈥� the 鈥淩ide or Die鈥� opening counts as a critical weekend win for the movie business.
鈥淭he fact that a movie overperformed is the best possible news,鈥� said Paul Dergarabedian, senior media analyst for Comscore. 鈥淚t seems like all we鈥檝e 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.鈥�
鈥淩ide or Die鈥� still didn鈥檛 quite manage to match the opening of the previous 鈥淏ad Boys鈥� film: 2020鈥檚 鈥淏ad Boys for Life.鈥� That movie, released in January 2020, debuted with $62.5 million. After the pandemic shut down theaters, it was the highest grossing North American release of that year, with $204 million domestically.
鈥淩ide or Die鈥� added $48.6 million internationally. Though reviews were mixed (64% on Rotten Tomatoes), audiences gave the film a high grade with an 鈥淎-鈥� CinemaScore. Black moviegoers accounted for 44% of ticket buyers, the largest demographic.
In the film, which comes 29 years after the original, Smith and Lawrence reprise their roles as Miami detectives. The plot revolves around uncovering a scheme to frame their late police captain (Joe Pantoliano). In one of the movie's most notable scenes, Lawrence slaps Smith and calls him a 鈥渂ad boy.鈥�
Movie theaters will need a lot more than 鈥淏ad Boys: Ride or Die,鈥� though, to right the ship. Ticket sales are down 26% from last year and more than 40% below pre-pandemic totals, according to Comscore. A big test comes next weekend with the release of Pixar鈥檚 鈥淚nside Out 2.鈥� After sending several Pixar releases straight to Disney+, the studio has vowed a lengthy, traditional theatrical rollout this time.
鈥淭he Garfield Movie,鈥� slid to second place. Also from Sony, the family animated comedy collected $10 million in ticket sales over its third weekend, bringing its domestic gross to $68.6 million.
The weekend's other new wide release, 鈥淭he Watchers," failed to click with moviegoers. The horror film, directed by Ishana Night Shyamalan, daughter of M. Night Shyamalan, is about a stranded 28-year-old artist in Ireland. Following poor reviews, the Warner Bros. release grossed $7 million in 3,351 theaters.
That allowed 鈥淚f,鈥� the Ryan Reynolds imaginary friend fantasy, to grab third place in its fourth weekend of release, bringing the Paramount Pictures cumulative domestic total to $93.5 million. Rounding out the top five was 鈥淜ingdom of the Planet of the Apes,鈥� which added $5.4 million in its fifth weekend of release. It has grossed $150 million domestically and $360 million worldwide.
Estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to Comscore. Final domestic figures will be released Monday.
1. 鈥淏ad Boys: Ride or Die,鈥� $56 million.
2. 鈥漈he Garfield Movie," $10 million.
3. 鈥淚f,鈥� $8 million.
4. 鈥淭he Watchers,鈥� $7 million.
5. 鈥淜ingdom of the Planet of the Apes,鈥� $5.4 million.
6. 鈥淔uriosa: A Mad Max Saga,鈥� $4.2 million.
7. 鈥淭he Fall Guy,鈥� $2.7 million.
8. 鈥淟ord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring,鈥� $2.4 million.
9. 鈥淟ord of the Rings: The Two Towers,鈥� $1.9 million.
10. 鈥淭he Strangers: Chapter 1,鈥� $1.8 million.
Jake Coyle, The Associated Press
