‘Bad Boys’ Draws on Stars’ Chemistry to Stay Atop Box Office

(Bloomberg) -- Sony Corp.’s “Bad Boys for Life,” fueled by Will Smith and Martin Lawrence’s cop chemistry, held off newcomers from STX Entertainment and Universal Pictures this weekend to hold the No. 1 spot again in North American theaters.

The film -- the third “Bad Boys” installment -- collected $34 million in its repeat win, researcher Comscore Inc. said Monday. Analysts had expected about $28 million.

Key Insights

• “Bad Boys” helped lift the overall box office well above its sluggish performance in the year-earlier period. Box Office Pro had projected that the weekend’s top 10 films would rise 28% to 33% from the same weekend of 2019.

• The outlook for the rest of the year remains downbeat. There are fewer surefire hits slated for release in 2020, and any sober assessment suggests box-office revenue is “going to be down a lot,” said Cowen & Co.’s Doug Creutz. Walt Disney Co. in particular has fewer blockbusters in the offing. Creutz expects the studio’s sales to decline by about 30% from last year. “It might be more than that,” he said.
• Other new releases included STX’s “The Gentlemen,” which landed in fourth place with $10.7 million. Analysts had expected $10 million to $12 million for the Guy Ritchie film, which has garnered generally positive reviews. Matthew McConaughey plays a weed baron in the film, joined by Henry Golding from “Crazy Rich Asians,” Colin Farrell and Hugh Grant.
• Universal’s “The Turning” was sixth place with $7 million in its debut, in line with estimates. Critics on Rotten Tomatoes give the PG-13 horror film a 12% score.

Get More

• See the weekend release schedule.
• See Box Office Pro’s long-range forecast.

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