| Bad Boys: Ride or Die | |
|---|---|
_poster.jpg) Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | |
| Written by |
|
| Based on | Characters byGeorge Gallo |
| Produced by | |
| Starring | |
| Cinematography | Robrecht Heyvaert |
| Edited by |
|
| Music by | Lorne Balfe |
Production companies | |
| Distributed by | Sony Pictures Releasing |
Release dates |
|
Running time | 115 minutes[1] |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $100 million[2] |
| Box office | $404.2 million[3][4] |
Bad Boys: Ride or Die is a 2024 Americanbuddy copaction comedy film starringWill Smith andMartin Lawrence. The fourth installment of theBad Boys film series, and the sequel toBad Boys for Life (2020), it was directed byAdil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah and written by Chris Bremner andWill Beall. In addition to the duo,Joe Pantoliano,Vanessa Hudgens,Alexander Ludwig,Paola Núñez,Jacob Scipio,John Salley andDJ Khaled also reprise their roles from previous installments.Tasha Smith joins the cast as Theresa Burnett replacingTheresa Randle, who played the character in the first three films, along with new cast members that includesEric Dane,Ioan Gruffud,Melanie Liburd, andRhea Seehorn. The story followsMiamidetectives Mike Lowrey and Marcus Burnett, who are attempting to clear the name of their lateCaptain Conrad Howard after he is falsely accused of conspiracy.[5][6]
Following the opening weekend box-office success ofBad Boys for Life,Sony announced plans for a fourthBad Boys installment, with Bremner returning to write the script; however, in April 2022, production for the film was reportedly halted due to theincident with Smith slapping Chris Rock at the2022 Academy Awards ceremony and the subsequent investigation. Eventually, it was announced that the film was in pre-production in February 2023, withprincipal photography beginning on April 3, 2023 inAtlanta, Georgia and ending on March 4, 2024.
Bad Boys: Ride or Die premiered atCoca-Cola Arena inDubai on May 22, 2024, and was released in theUnited States on June 7 bySony Pictures Releasing under itsColumbia Pictures label. The film grossed $404.2 million worldwide against a production budget of $100 million and received mixed reviews from critics.
Four years after the death of Isabel Aretas,[b]MPD Detective Mike Lowrey marries his physical therapist, Christine. During the reception, his partner, Detective Marcus Burnett, suffers a heart attack and goes into a coma, where he experiences a vision of the late Captain Conrad Howard telling him it is not his time.
When Marcus wakes up, he believes he cannot die. Soon after, a news report reveals that Captain Howard was tied to corruption with the drug cartels. With Captain Howard's legacy being posthumously tarnished, Mike and Marcus are determined to prove his innocence with the help of Captain Rita Secada and her new boyfriend, mayoral candidate Adam Lockwood. Mike and Marcus visit Mike's son, Armando Aretas, who is incarcerated for Howard's murder. Armando tells them that Howard was not corrupt but knew who was, so the corrupted officials hired him and his mother to kill Howard because he was close to exposing the corruption and offers to help them identify the person responsible for Howard's murder.
When the conspirators try to access Captain Howard's computer, a fail-safe, pre-recorded video is sent to Mike and Marcus, warning them of corruption within federal and state law enforcement. Howard uses the phrase "Coke bottle" as a code phrase, and it is revealed that he gave information to their former hacker colleague Fletcher. They go to Fletcher's club to retrieve the "files", a QR code hidden in wall art that unlocks a second video from Captain Howard. However, assassins hired by the conspirators tail them to the club and kill Fletcher.
Meanwhile, Armando is attacked by several conspirators disguised as prisoners, but he fends them off. Mike and Marcus arrange for Armando to be air-lifted to a more secure location inMiami. However, the conspirators sneak on board and kill the pilot and guards, causing the helicopter to crash. Mike, Marcus, and Armando survive but are branded as fugitives by the conspirators. When the conspirators put out a bounty, the three are hunted by both law enforcement and opportunistic criminals. Conrad's daughter,U.S. Marshal Judy Howard, swears vengeance on Armando for killing her father.
With the assistance of AMMO (Advanced Miami Metro Operations) members Dorn and Kelly, Mike and Marcus uncover the video clues behind the murder and setup. Armando identifies the man who hired him to kill Captain Howard as James McGrath, a formerArmy Ranger assigned toDEA Intelligence inSouth America. While undercover, McGrath got captured by the cartel and was tortured until he gave up his associates and has been working with them ever since. McGrath orchestrates the kidnapping of Christine and Callie, Judy's daughter. He then sends his men to get Marcus' family, but Marcus'Marine son-in-law, Reggie, single-handedly kills all of them. Rita, Dorn, and Kelly apprehend Lockwood after learning he works for McGrath.
Using Lockwood as bait, the team engages in a fierce gunfight with McGrath's men at a former alligator-themed amusement park to rescue Christine and Callie. Later on, during the fight, Lockwood attempts to betray the team by wounding Dorn and Kelly before fleeing, but Rita shoots down the plane and stops him. Refusing to shoot him, she kicks him into the water, causing him to be devoured by an alligator. Mike confronts McGrath, who holds both Christine and Marcus hostage at gunpoint. McGrath then presents Mike with an ultimatum: pick Christine or Marcus to die. Mike, alluding to Marcus' newfound belief that he "cannot die", shoots Marcus in his bulletproof vest. The chaos allows Christine and Marcus to break free before Mike shoots McGrath dead. Amidst the chaos, Judy finds Armando and Callie. Judy prepares to kill Armando, but Callie tells her mother that he saved her life. Begrudgingly grateful for his heroic act, Judy shows mercy to Armando and allows him to escape.
Afterward, Mike, Marcus, and Howard are cleared of all charges, and the corruption is exposed. Mike and Marcus' families then celebrate by having a picnic in the park, with Mike and Marcus cooking food on a public grill with Reggie.
Michael Bay, who directed the first two installments, makes acameo appearance as aPorsche driver, after previously cameoing in the second and third films.
Following the opening weekend box-office success ofBad Boys for Life (2020), Sony announced plans for a fourthBad Boys installment, with Chris Bremner returning to write the script.[10][11]
In April 2022, it was reported that development for the fourth film was being put on hold in light of theincident with Will Smith slappingChris Rock at the2022 Academy Awards ceremony. However, the following month Sony head chairmanTom Rothman confirmed the fourth film was still in development, despite the previous report.[12][13] In February 2023, Smith announced that he and Lawrence would reprise their roles for the film, which was in pre-production, withAdil & Bilall returning to direct.[14][15] In March 2023, it was revealed thatVanessa Hudgens would reprise her role as Kelly fromBad Boys for Life.[7] In April 2023, it was announced thatEric Dane had been cast, reportedly as the villain, and thatPaola Núñez andAlexander Ludwig would also reprise their roles fromBad Boys for Life.[16] The same month,Ioan Gruffudd joined the cast.[17] In May 2023, it was announced thatRhea Seehorn had joined the cast.[18]Bad Boys: Ride or Die was originally the working title by co-director Adil El Arbi, before it was confirmed in early 2024.[19]
Despite his character's death early on in the previous film,Joe Pantoliano returned as Captain Conrad Howard thanks to Will Smith insisting on bringing him back to the writers, with producerDoug Belgrad contacting Pantoliano to reprise the role even though Smith haven't kept him informed about his plans for Howard.[20]
Principal photography began on April 3, 2023, inAtlanta, Georgia andMiami, Florida.[21][22] On May 22, 2023,TMZ released behind the scenes clips of Will Smith and Martin Lawrence filming scenes of the movie in Atlanta.[23] Filming was suspended in July due to the2023 SAG-AFTRA strike.[24] In March 2024, it was revealed thatJacob Scipio would reprise his role as Armando Aretas from the previous film.[25] Filmingwrapped on March 4.[26]
Asaf Eisenberg andDan Lebental served as editors on the film.[27]
Lorne Balfe, who composedBad Boys for Life, has returned to compose the fourth film.Sony Classical has released the soundtrack, coinciding with the film's release date.
The soundtrack for the film was released byEpic Records on June 7, 2024, featuring its lead single,Black Eyed Peas andEl Alfa’s "Tonight", featuringBecky G. Several artists were also featured on it, includingSean Paul,Flo Milli,Bia,Myke Towers,Shenseea, andJID, among others.
The first trailer of the film was released on March 26, 2024.[28] The final trailer for the film was released on May 16.[29] On May 28,Jimmy Butler of theMiami Heat andLionel Messi ofInter Miami featured in another trailer.[30]
The world premiere ofBad Boys: Ride or Die was held atCoca-Cola Arena inDubai, United Arab Emirates, on May 22, 2024,[31][32] and it was released in the United States on June 7, 2024. It was originally scheduled to be released on May 24, 2019,[33] but it was moved up to July 3, 2019,[34] before being pulled from the schedule. In July 2023, it was announced that the film would be released on June 14, 2024.[35] In February 2024, the release date was moved up a week to June 7.[36][37]
Sony Pictures Home Entertainment announced thatBad Boys: Ride or Die was released on Digital HD and platforms on July 23, 2024,[38] and released onUltra HD Blu-ray,Blu-ray, andDVD on September 24, 2024.[39] It includes a blooper reel, deleted scenes, and a brand-new after credits scene.
Bad Boys: Ride or Die grossed $193.6 million in the United States and Canada, and $210.6 million in other territories, for a worldwide total of $404.2 million.[3][4]
In the United States and Canada,Ride or Die was released alongsideThe Watchers, and was initially projected to gross around $40 million from 3,850 theaters in its opening weekend.[40] After making $21 million on its first day, including $5.88 million from Thursday night previews, weekend estimates were raised to $52 million. It went on to debut to $56.5 million, topping the box office.[41] 72% of opening weekend tickets were sold day-of, while 50% of the audience was under 35, with 44% being Black, 26% Hispanic and Latino, 18% Caucasian, and 12% Asian American/other.[42] In its sophomore weekend the film made $33.7 million (an "amazing" drop of just 40%, the best of the series), finishing in second behind newcomerInside Out 2.[43]
On thereview aggregator websiteRotten Tomatoes, 65% of 250 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 6.0/10. The website's consensus reads: "Will Smith and Martin Lawrence remain good company even whenBad Boys strains to up the ante, proving there's still life left in this high-octane franchise."[44]Metacritic, which uses aweighted average, assigned the film a score of 54 out of 100, based on 50 critics, indicating "mixed or average" reviews.[45] Audiences polled byCinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "A–" on an A+ to F scale, making the film the first installment in the series not to earn an A.[42]PostTrak reported a 90% overall positive score, with 84% saying they would definitely recommend it.[42]
TheBBC was more mixed, stating, "Critics are sometimes told that we shouldn't analyse Hollywood blockbusters, we should just switch off our brains and enjoy them. Well, not many films are as dependent on our brains being on standby asBad Boys: Ride or Die. The plot is nonsensical, the grenade-dodging stunts are even more nonsensical, and the internal logic is non-existent: the assertion that Marcus has to avoid stressful situations after his heart attack is forgotten within 30 seconds. But the film is fun enough in its chaotic, grungy, rough and ready way."[46]
| Award | Date of ceremony | Category | Recipient(s) | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NAACP Image Awards | February 22, 2025 | Outstanding Motion Picture | Bad Boys: Ride or Die | Nominated | [47] |
| Outstanding Actor in a Motion Picture | Martin Lawrence | Won |
On June 7, 2024, Smith and Lawrence toldEntertainment Weekly that they would be open to return for a fifth film in the franchise, as long as the younger cast members do more stunts and there is a story involving their characters worth being told, with Lawrence also noting it would depend on whether the fans demanded more films.[48] On June 11, 2024, producer Jerry Bruckheimer noted that there had been discussions for a fifthBad Boys film, but they are primarily waiting to see howBad Boys: Ride or Die performs at the box office.[49]
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