Will Smith and Martin Lawrence’s highly anticipated return in “Bad Boys: Ride or Die” provided a welcome shot in the arm for the sluggish summer box office. The action-comedy sequel brought in a solid $56 million domestically, exceeding expectations. However, despite the strong debut, the film isn’t quite the box office savior the season craved.
Bad Boys 4 delivers a punch, but Summer Box Office still needs heroes
The bigger story lies with the overall summer movie slump. Year-to-date ticket sales are lagging a significant 26% behind 2023, according to Comscore. While “Bad Boys 4” can’t be blamed for the decline, analysts point to a lack of excitement for other recent releases. Several new titles, including Sony’s “The Garfield Movie,” Paramount’s “IF,” and Warner Bros.’ “The Watchers,” all failed to generate significant buzz, struggling to reach even the single-digit million mark in their opening weekends. Even established franchises like “Planet of the Apes” haven’t managed to recapture the magic of past installments.
The summer of 2023 offered a stark contrast, boasting powerhouses like “Transformers: Rise of the Beasts,” “Spider-Man:Across the Spider-Verse,” and Disney’s live-action “The Little Mermaid” dominating the box office for weeks. These films all secured strong opening weekends and enjoyed healthy legs throughout their runs.”There simply wasn’t enough collective box office muscle to compete with last year’s heavy hitters,” says Comscore analyst Paul Dergarabedian.
Even big-budget films like “The Fall Guy” and “Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga” haven’t lived up to expectations. Both films delivered decent global numbers but underperformed domestically. However, there’s hope on the horizon. Analysts are optimistic that “Bad Boys: Ride or Die” might ignite a spark and kickstart a more sustained summer movie season. Upcoming releases like Pixar’s “Inside Out 2,” “A Quiet Place: Day One,” the juggernaut “Despicable Me 4,” and the highly anticipated team-up of “Deadpool & Wolverine” all have the potential to provide a much-needed boost in the coming weeks.
