Bad Boys for Life comes for everyone at the box office, steals top spot with $59.2 million
Will Smith and Martin Lawrence‘s big return in Bad Boys for Life was too good to say no to at theaters this weekend.
The third installment of the action comedy made an estimated $59.2 million, beating Robert Downey Jr.‘s Dolittle ($23 million) and last week’s number one 1917, now in third ($22.1 million). Rounding out the top five are Jumanji: The Next Level ($10 million), and Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker ($8.4 million).
After 17 years without detectives Mike Lowrey (Smith) and Marcus Burnett (Lawrence), the duo are back on the big screen with the city of Miami as their background once again. As usual, something threatens to break up the pair’s friendship but is it finally time for them to go their separate ways? Lowrey needs Burnett now more than ever, as his life lay in the balance.
The Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah directed title also co-stars Paola Nuñez and Kate del Castillo, who most recently played rabid enemies in Telemundo’s La Reina Del Sur 2, Vanessa Hudgens, Alexander Ludwig, Nicky Jam, and Joe Pantoliano.
Here’s how Bad Boys 3 ranks amongst its predecessors at the box office during opening weekend, not accounting for inflation:
Bad Boys (1995) — $15.6 million
Bad Boys II (2003)— $47 million
Bad Boys for Life (2020)— $59.2 million
EW gave the film a B- saying, “It’s all silly in that very Michael Bay way, and in some moments genuinely thrilling. It’s also gleefully, almost cartoonishly violent — piling up bodies as casually as Call of Duty, and letting the camera linger while they bleed.”
Moviegoers were much more into the franchise’s big return, they gave it an A via Cinemascore. Not only that, but thanks to positive reviews and excitement, there’s a fourth installment already greenlit.
Robert Downey Jr. is far from his popular Iron Man superhero role in his latest project, Dolittle, and fans noticed. The beloved actor is the latest star to breathe life into animal whisperer Doctor Dolittle, based on the character created by Hugh Lofting.
In the film, the famed doctor and veterinarian has become a hermit after the loss of his wife several years before. A series of events convinces John Little to head out on an epic adventure of rediscovery. The fantasy adventure co-stars Antonio Banderas, Michael Sheen, Jim Broadbent, and Joanna Page. Top stars also contributed their voices to many of the Dolittle’s animals including, Emma Thompson, Selena Gomez, Rami Malek, John Cena, Kumail Nanjiani, Octavia Spencer, and Tom Holland.
All of that talent couldn’t help the film, mostly panned by critics. EW gave the film a C- saying, “No one on board seems to trust that the books’ original stories, beloved for generations, could possibly hold 21st-century attention spans — and so they toss it all in, determined to keep that Tilt-a-Whirl spinning till the end.”
Cinemascore reports moviegoers liked it a bit more, they gave it a modest B.
Overall, box office is up 11.1 percent year-to-date, according to Comscore. Check out the Jan. 17-19 numbers below:
Bad Boy for Life— $59.2 million
Dolittle— $23 million
1917—$22 million
Jumanji: The Next Level— $10 million
Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker—$8.4 million
Just Mercy—$6 million
Little Women—$6 million
Knives Out—$4.3 million
Like a Boss—$4.1 million
Frozen 2— $4.2 million
Related content:
Martin Lawrence on his struggles with fame and return to the spotlight
Will Smith and Martin Lawrence are back together in Bad Boys for Life trailer
Sam Mendes and Roger Deakins get in the trenches of their stunning 1917 collaboration
Where are the Star Wars characters left off at the end of The Last Jedi
A guide to Star Wars callbacks and parallels in The Rise of Skywalker
Michael B. Jordan felt a responsibility to play “real life superhero” in Just Mercy
