Will Smith is officially back as ‘Bad Boys’ tops North American box office

Will Smith marked his first major film hit since his infamous Oscars slap as ‘Bad Boys: Ride or Die’ debuted atop the North American box office, in a sign audiences are ready to welcome back the actor.Sony&#039;s fourth installment of the action comedy series took home an estimated US$56 million (around N$1.050 billion), industry watcher Exhibitor Relations reported, making it a major step in Smith’s career rehabilitation after he slapped Chris Rock at the Academy Awards in 2022."&#039;Bad Boys&#039; is in elite company and the series has room to run. These are excellent numbers," analyst David A Gross of Franchise Entertainment Research said.The success is a welcome departure from Smith&#039;s 2022 action release ‘Emancipation’, where his role as a runaway slave in the American Civil War failed to resonate with audiences and flopped at the box office.Globally, &#039;Bad Boys&#039; debuted worldwide with US$104.6 million (around N$1.960 billion) worldwide and had an impressive opening weekend in North America. It snatched first place from Sony&#039;s family-friendly ‘The Garfield Movie’, starring Chris Pratt as the lazy, lasagna-loving feline, which dropped to second place with US$10 million (around N$187 million) in ticket sales for the Friday-through-Sunday period.In third and taking in US$8 million (around N$150 million) was Paramount&#039;s ‘If’, which follows Cailey Fleming as a young girl who, along with neighbour Ryan Reynolds, embarks on an adventure to reconnect forgotten made-up playmates with their children.Warner Bros horror film ‘The Watchers’ opened in fourth place at US$7 million (around N$131 million), while 20th Century&#039;s action sci-fi ‘Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes’ ranked fifth at US$5.4 million (around N$101 million).

Will Smith is officially back as ‘Bad Boys’ tops North American box office

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Namibian Sun 2025-08-06

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Will Smith is officially back as ‘Bad Boys’ tops North American box office

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Namibian Sun 2025-08-06

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