Los Angeles, California – “Bad Boys: Ride or Die” showed strong performance in previews, raking in $5.875M on its opening day. This amount is only 8% less than its predecessor, “Bad Boys for Life,” which earned $6.36M during its preview screenings. The successful start of “Bad Boys: Ride or Die” comes amidst a challenging movie market, with limited film releases due to strikes and a lack of major blockbuster hits apart from Disney/20th Century Studios’ “Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes.”
Audience reception for the film has been overwhelmingly positive, with a 5-star rating and 88% positivity on Screen Engine/Comscore’s PostTrak. Additionally, the Rotten Tomatoes audience score stands at an impressive 97%. Demographics for the film’s audience on opening night included 36% Black, 29% Hispanic and Latino, 20% Caucasian, 10% Asian, and 4% other, with men over 25 making up 40% of the viewership followed by women over 25 at 38%.
“Bad Boys: Ride or Die” grossed $23.6M on its first day, leading to a projected 3-day total of $62.5M and a 4-day total of $73M. The film’s performance is notable considering the 17-year gap between sequels and the fact that it opened on Martin Luther King Jr. weekend. Projections indicate that “Bad Boys: Ride or Die” could surpass $40M in total box office earnings.
In contrast, New Line’s “The Watchers,” directed by Ishana Shyamalan, garnered $1M in preview screenings across 3,000 locations. However, the film received negative reviews, with a 29% Rotten Tomatoes rating and lackluster PostTrak exits. Despite a fairly even distribution among age demographics, with men over 25 accounting for 36%, women under 25 at 24%, women over 25 at 20%, and men under 25 at 20%, the film’s weekend projection was only $8M-$10M.
On the same day, other notable box office performances included “Garfield Movie” at $1.5M, “IF” at $1.2M, “Furiosa” at $730K, “Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes” at $825K, and “Fall Guy” at $437K. Additionally, “Jesus Thirsts: The Miracle of the Eucharist” earned $602K in 1,098 theaters over two days, totaling $2.4M in its opening week.
Overall, the box office landscape is seeing a mix of successes and challenges, with “Bad Boys: Ride or Die” emerging as a frontrunner in a market starved for compelling content.