The Will Smith Record-Setting Action Movie To Stream Before Bad Boys 4
In 1995, Michael Bay literally struck gold in his feature-length directorial debut when he brought the world the first installment in the Will Smith and Martin Lawrence-led action-comedy, Bad Boys. Since then, the franchise has been unstoppable, and, with a fourth installment just around the corner, it’s time for audiences to go back and revisit the best production to come from the series yet as Bad Boys for Life is now streaming on Hulu.
Not only does the movie have the bragging rights of being the top earner across the franchise, but it was also the number one box office grosser of 2020, something that Bad Boys: Ride or Die will undoubtedly be hoping to beat.
Bad Boys For Life
After nearly two decades away, Michael Bay passed the reins over to directorial duo Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah to give the pair creative freedom on what would become Bad Boys for Life. The movie brought Martin Lawrence’s Marcus Burnett and Smith’s Mike Lowrey back for another epic laugh-out-loud adventure.
Mike finds himself in hot water after the wife and son of an imprisoned Mexican drug lord go after all the people responsible for his arrest – which includes Mike. Best buddies through and through, Mike and Marcus are forced to lean on others outside their bromance to stay alive and get justice.
The Top Movie Of 2020 Because Of…You Know
As the second movie in the franchise, Bad Boys II, dropped in 2003, audiences had been waiting a long time for another set of hijinks and wisecracking remarks from Mike and Marcus. So, when it was announced that Bad Boys for Life was finally going into production, the fandom let out a collective sigh of relief. And, if there were any doubts from the investors and financial side of things, they were all wiped away during the film’s opening weekend.
Expected to be given a run for ticket sales alongside its opening competition of the Robert Downey Jr.-led Dolittle, Bad Boys for Life proved to be the ultimate audience whisperer and raked in a whopping $73.4 million during its first four days in cinemas over the MLK weekend.
Even Without Covid Bad Boys For Life Blew Past All Expectations
This number far surpassed its expected earnings of $48 million, putting the buddy comedy action feature on a trajectory that would ultimately land it as the biggest money maker of 2020, thanks to perfect timing. When all was said and done, and the credits rolled on Bad Boys for Life for one last time in cinemas, the movie had made an impressive $424.6 million against its $90 million production budget.
The Slap Heard Around The World
Of course, with these numbers, it’s not challenging to understand how and why a fourth movie was given the green light. Shortly after the success of Bad Boys for Life, Lawrence and Smith announced that they’d be back to reprise their roles, with Adil and Bilall returning to direct. After hitting a few road bumps – which included the slap heard around the world at the 94th Academy Awards – Bad Boys: Ride or Die was announced to be in production.
The Returning Cast
Along with Martin Lawrence and Will Smith, Bad Boys: Ride or Die brings back a slew of performers from Bad Boys for Life, including Joe Pantoliano, Vanessa Hudgens, and Alexander Ludwig. You can now get caught up on where we left off with Mike and Marcus ahead of the upcoming film’s June 7 arrival as Bad Boys for Life is streaming on Hulu.
