The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
‘Bad Boys’ stays atop box office
Third installment of series draws on stars’ chemistry.
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.
The film — the third “Bad Boys” installment — collected $34 million in its repeat weekend as No. 1, researcher Comscore Inc. estimated Sunday. Analysts had expected about $28 million.
“Bad Boys” helped lift the overall box office well above its sluggish performance in the year-earlier period. Box Office Pro has projected that the weekend’s top 10 films will 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 $11 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 $7.3 million in its debut. Analysts had expected $7 million. Critics on Rotten Tomatoes give the PG-13 horror film a 12% score.