Sony’s franchise action film helps theaters regain momentum after a poor May
The box office is finally starting to pick up thanks to Sony/Columbia’s “Bad Boys: Ride or Die,” which faced fears from some exhibition sources that it would succumb to the recent slump in the theatrical market but has instead broken it with a $56 million opening weekend from 3,885 locations in North America with a $104.6 million global start.
While a bit below the $62 million 3-day opening weekend earned by “Bad Boys For Life” in January 2020, it beats pre-release projections, which had topped out at $50 million and had been revised down to the low $40 million range in the leadup to release. Some movie theater owners who spoke to TheWrap were concerned that the $100 million franchise action film could do even worse based on lagging presales.
Instead, “Bad Boys 4” has enjoyed robust walk-up traffic, with movie theater sources telling TheWrap that an estimated 70% of tickets sold for the film have been day-of purchases. The film’s core Black audience comprised 44% of its opening day audience, with 50% being under the age of 35.
