MEGA-producer Jerry Bruckheimer is already gunning for a fifth Bad Boys movie – even though the fourth flick just came out on Friday.
Will Smith and Martin Lawrence are back in theaters in Bad Boys: Ride or Die, which had a surprisingly splashy opening weekend.
Bad Boys 4 premiered on June 7, 2024, and pulled huge numbers after weeks of summer releases underperforming.
It earned $56 million at the U.S. box office and $48.6 million abroad, for a global gross of $104.6 million.
The latest installment of the long-running franchise snagged the top spot last weekend, and now Bruckheimer is seeing dollar signs.
Deadline asked Jerry in a new interview, “Are you already in early development on a fifth Bad Boys?”
“We want to see how this one did at the box office,” he replied.
“And I’m sure we’ll have conversations this week.”
‘MILKING IT’
The pull quote was shared by the popular X account DiscussingFilm, and in the comments, fans were wary of the idea.
“There hasn’t been a ‘BAD BOYS’ that I didn’t have a blast watching. Bad Boys 4 was awesome, but 5 feels like milking it honestly,” one fan replied.
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“Dawg slow down, 4 just came outttt,” wrote another.
“If they do make another one, Bad Boys 5 should be the final one. No need to ruin a good thing,” wrote a third.
“Nah. They rode out for the final time 2 times now. Let Mike Lowery live with some dignity,” wrote a fourth.
“Now, this needs to end. It’s turning into Fast and Furious,” wrote a fifth.
SNOOZEFEST SUMMER
Bad Boys 4’s huge weekend win comes after a sleepy summer at the movies so far.
Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga made headlines with its paltry $25.5 million opening weekend.
Family-friendly option The Garfield Movie had a case of Mondays with a poor showing, too.
Even films with big names attached, like Ryan Gosling’s The Fall Guy and John Krasinski’s IF, haven’t fared much better.
So Bad Boys 4 was a relief to Hollywood and those concerned about the future of summer blockbusters – especially since 2023 brought Barbeinheimer.
SLAP IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION
Ride or Die reunites career detectives Mike (Will) and Marcus (Mart) but turns the tables.
This time, the dynamic duo is forced to work on the other side of the law following the revelation of a huge corruption conspiracy that goes all the way to the top.
Ride or Die scored positive reviews, and its box office draw was promising.
With 44 percent of the audience between ages 18 and 34, it shows that Will can pull in young moviegoers.
Black moviegoers made up the largest portion of the audience, with 44 percent.
Moreover, it put Will on the course for a career comeback two years after the infamous Oscars slap.
The action film marks his first theatrical release since King Richard.
That role earned him an Oscar on the same night that he slapped Chris Rock at the 2022 Academy Awards.
The infamous slap is even addressed in the new movie.
In a scene, Will’s character, Mike, is having a panic attack.
His detective partner Marcus (Martin) helps him snap out of it by slapping him repeatedly in a comedic moment.
Ride or Die is also arguably the first film of the summer to premiere above expectations.
It’s the second-highest domestic gross of the season behind Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes, which debuted at $58 million.
Will was banned from attending the Oscars for 10 years after the slap, but was allowed to keep his award.
BAD BOYS HISTORY
The first Bad Boys movie premiered in 1995.
The Michael Bay-directed film was a commercial success and jumpstarted a franchise with movie releases across three decades.
Eight years later, Bad Boys II was released in 2003.
The second film introduced Syd, played by Gabrielle Union, and is a fan-favorite.
In 2020, the third installment in the Bad Boys series dropped. The movie is called Bad Boys for Life.
Bad Boys also launched a TV spinoff called LA’s Finest. The show premiered in 2019 and aired for two seasons.
Union reprised her role in the series alongside Jessica Alba.
Besides Martin and Academy Award-winner Will, Bad Boys: Ride or Die features a star-studded cast.
Vanessa Hudgens reprises her role as Kelly in the fourth Bad Boys movie. She also starred in Bad Boys for Life.
Tiffany Haddish and DJ Khaled appear and the cast is rounded out by Alexander Ludwig and Paola Nuñez.
Sony, the studio that distributes Bad Boys: Ride or Die, has not yet revealed when the movie will be available for streaming.