Box Office Report for the Week of June 9

Over the past week, there’s been this narrative that Will Smith‘s career has been stained due to the Oscars slap, which occurred over two years ago, and that he may not be able to make a true ‘comeback,’ even though he hasn’t released a film in cinemas since his Oscar-winning turn in King Richard. Maybe in 2022, but Smith has more than recognized how unacceptable his behavior was that day and has frequently apologized for his actions. It’s fair to say that most people have forgiven him and moved on, and the current box office tally for Bad Boys: Ride or Die proves that audiences are not only ready to welcome Smith back into the fold but also support him in his future endeavors.

The film not only exceeded Sony’s initial $45-50 million opening expectations but made its entire budget back in three days, with a global tally of $104 million and a domestic cume of $56 million. It also sends a powerful message to David Zaslav, whose canceled Batgirl film was directed by the same filmmakers who helmed the current Bad Boys installment, Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah. Their cinematic style is incredibly compelling, and the DC offshoot might have made a few bucks in cinemas rather than sitting on the digital shelves for no one to see it (I also don’t believe it’s unreleasable after seeing the latest Bad Boys film…these guys can make movies!)

Meanwhile, Ishana Night Shyamalan‘s The Watchers hasn’t had the best of starts, unable to outpace Garfield and IF with a $7 million tally. But since it might not have cost much, Warner Bros. may be able to turn a profit on it, as audiences see what she’s cooking while awaiting the main attraction, M. Night Shyamalan‘s Trap, in August.

Hopefully, the success of Bad Boys will also lay the ‘IS CINEMA DEAD????’ narrative to rest (until the next big budget film flops) after several ‘summer’ movies severely underperformed in its first month. No, the sky isn’t falling, but studios must spend less on their productions for better profitability. A perfect example: the latest Bad Boys cost $100 million. It already made all of its budget back in its opening weekend, and the momentum will continue for some time, as there will be no ‘big’ action-driven blockbuster until A Quiet Place: Day One releases. The last Bad Boys film, Bad Boys for Life, cost $90 million. Sony moderately increased the budget, and the results paid off in the long run.

It’s been a relatively slow year so far; there’s no denying it. But one has to remember that a few months ago, a historic double strike delayed many film and television productions to 2025, and the industry is just now recovering from its effects. The summer season didn’t go off on quite the hot start (minus Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes), but the next few weeks should be interesting: Inside Out 2, A Quiet Place: Day One, Horizon: An American Saga, Despicable Me 4, Twisters, Deadpool & Wolverine, some real exciting stuff on the horizon (pardon the pun) for all types of movie fans.

Here is the full list of the top ten films of the weekend:

1. Bad Boys: Ride or Die (Sony): $56.0M – 3,885 theatres
2. The Garfield Movie (Sony): $10.0M (-29%) – 3,959 theatres
3. IF (Paramount): $8.0M (-24%) – 3,582 theatres
4. The Watchers (Warner Bros): $7.0M – 3,351 theatres
5. Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes (Disney): $5.4M (-40%) – 3,155 theatres
6. Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga (Warner Bros): $4.2M (-61%) – 2,984 theatres
7. The Fall Guy (Universal): $2.7M (-36%) – 2,410 theatres
8. The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (Warner Bros): $2.4M – 1,529 theatres
9. The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (Warner Bros): $1.9M – 1,529 theatres
10. The Strangers: Chapter 1 (Lionsgate): $1.8M (-50%) – 2,016 theatres

Source: Comscore