Bad Boys 4: Ride or Die, the follow-up to 2020’s Bad Boy 4 Life, is a hit. The highly anticipated film stars Will Smith and Martin Lawrence reprising their respective roles as Miami Detective Mike Lowrey and Marcus Miles Burnett and was hit theaters nationwide on Friday (June 7).
According to Deadline, the fourth film in a franchise—which started with the 1995 release of Bad Boys—grossed $56 million domestically in its opening weekend, almost twice as much as Sony’s $30 million internal expectation and well above industry estimates of $45 million to $50 million.
Fans are eating it up, too. On Twitter (X), the overall consensus is overwhelmingly positive. Comments like, “Bad Boys 4 is up there with Bad Boys 2. Every action scene is a spectacle, the jokes deliver, the call backs to the previous films feel authentic. I didn’t want it to end” and “Bad Boys 4 is amazing!! I loved the callbacks and character development! Reggie is the man and has one of the best redemption arcs that I’ve ever seen on film!” are pouring in online.
Those claiming Will Smith’s “slap heard around the world” would impact the film’s success were clearly wrong. It seems Smith’s infamous Oscars slap made some of his fans root even harder for the veteran actor/rapper. As one person wrote, “YALLLLLL BAD BOYS 4 IS GOOD AS SHITTTT!!! WILL SMITH CAN SLAP CHRIS ROCK LIKE 10 THOUSAND TIMES IF WE CAN GET LIKE 10 MORE OF THESE FILMS.”
YALLLLLL BAD BOYS 4 IS GOOD AS SHITTTT!!! WILL SMITH CAN SLAP CHRIS ROCK LIKE 10 THOUSAND TIMES IF WE CAN GET LIKE 10 MORE OF THESE FILMS pic.twitter.com/s0hzKQwy2a
— Amizo (@AfricanKhaIeesi) June 7, 2024
Fans are also praising Will Smith’s press campaign for the film, which included several Black-owned outlets. And that’s not all. On opening day, Smith snuck into a Los Angeles theater and watched the film alongside an unsuspecting audience. He only revealed himself after the credits rolled. Footage of the moment was promptly posted on TikTok, filmed by someone waiting outside the screening.
“Hey, I’m glad y’all enjoyed that,” Smith, dressed inconspicuously in all-black, said, as heads turned and people began screaming. Check out the clip below.
Seen Bad Boys 4 tonight and why Will Smith pop out on us lol! pic.twitter.com/HyjRbvF3nW
— KhariJonesJr (@Kharijonesjr) June 8, 2024
