Box Office: ‘Bad Boys: Ride or Die’ Buddies Up to $21.6 Million Opening Day
variety.comJ. Kim Murphy The boys are back in town. Sony and Columbia’s “Bad Boys: Ride or Die” got off to a solid start at the box office with $21.6 millionfrom 3,885 locations across Friday and preview screenings.
The movie also gets a revenue boost from Imax and other premium large format auditoriums. The action sequel, directed by Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah, is now looking at an opening of $53 million through the three-day frame in North America.Sony had initially projected a debut of $30 million heading into the weekend, going way below industry estimates of $45 million to $50 million.
The studio seems to have made a cautious lowball, considering “The Fall Guy” and “Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga” have given the summer box office a run of high-profile titles debuting below expectations. “Ride or Die” will likely come in short of the $62.5 million domestic debut earned by Will Smith and Martin Lawrence’s series predecessor, 2020’s “Bad Boys for Life.” That entry more than tripled its opening through its run, finishing with an impressive $204 million at the domestic box office.
With COVID pandemic lockdowns kicking in shortly thereafter, that film ended up as the highest grossing North American release of 2020.
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