“We ain’t, go-in nowhere, we ain’t, goin nowhere. We can’t be stopped now, cause it’s Bad Boy for life”
— P. Diddy and the Bad Boy Family
That was a hit song by P. Diddy back in the ’90s, so it’s appropriate that it was used in the trailer for the movie ‘Bad Boys For Life’, which is a revival of a film franchise from the same decade. The Will Smith/Martin Lawrence buddy cop action-comedy is #1 again this week, earning another $34 million, taking its total to $120.6M. ‘Bad Boys II’ made $138.6M during its entire theatrical run back in 2003. ‘Bad Boys For Life’ should whip past that in the coming week.
Like I said last week, I don’t know why certain throwbacks like this are successful, when so many others (‘Terminator: Dark Fate‘, ‘The Predator‘, etc.) are not. But one thing that is certain is that Sony took its time and made sure they were delivering a solid film, and both critics and audiences are showering this one with praise.
And speaking of quality, ‘1917’ continues to perform strongly, earning another $15.8M, bringing its running total to $103.9M. This film, from auteur Sam Mendes, has been fueled by its win at the Golden Globes and its multiple Academy Award nominations. (It’s the clear frontrunner for Best Picture.) The fact that ‘1917’ looks like one seamless shot is a unique gimmick that is drawing some curious viewers.
Both ‘Bad Boys For Life’ and ‘1917’ have crossed the $200M mark at the global box office. Thanks to these two, the January box office is 13% higher this year than last.
Lack of competition is the only thing that can explain why last weekend’s dud, ‘Dolittle’ is hanging in at #3.
This week’s new releases are likewise not making much of an impact. ‘The Gentlemen’, the latest action-comedy from Guy Ritchie, did okay, earning $11M. While Ritchie’s movies have their following, the general target audience for them is older males, and a chunk of that crowd has been stolen away by ‘Bad Boys For Life’, as well as the sleeper ‘Uncut Gems’. While that isn’t a Top Five hit, it is getting strong buzz, particularly for Adam Sandler’s tour de force performance, which many feel was unjustly snubbed by the Oscars. Despite his lack of a nomination, Sandler has a large fanbase and many are curious to see him in an uncharacteristically dark role.
Both critics and audiences are positive, regarding ‘The Gentlemen’, but not glowing. Its Rotten Tomatoes score is 71%, while regular viewers gave it a B+ CinemaScore, and 3½ stars out of 5 via PostTrak.
‘Jumanji: The Next Level’ rounds out the Top Five, meaning that this week’s other new release, ‘The Turning’ is another horror flop. And that’s not just in terms of dollars. Audiences loathe it, giving it a very rare F CinemaScore and ½ a star PostTrak score. You may recall that three weeks ago, the reboot of ‘The Grudge’ got the exact same responses. It looks as though January is where studios dump their terrible horror movies and audiences are not buying it.
Critics weren’t kinder, as ‘The Turning’s RT score is a dismal 18%. It earned a measly $7.3M, falling just outside of the Top Five.
TOP FIVE
- Bad Boys For Life (Sony) – $ 34M
- 1917 (Amblin/Universal) – $15.8M
- Dolittle (Universal) – $12.5M
- The Gentlemen (STX Films/Miramax) – $11M
- Jumanji: The Next Level (Sony) – $7.9M
Next week looks like another slow one. Will ‘Gretel & Hansel’ succeed where ‘The Grudge’ and ‘The Turning’ didn’t? Also opening is revenge drama ‘The Rhythm Section’ which is being heavily advertised, but… looks kinda boring if you ask me.
It’s in February when it looks as though the box office will wake up from its winter hibernation. ‘Birds of Prey’ arrives on February 7, and will be followed by ‘Sonic the Hedgehog’ on February 14.
But before that, check back next week to see how things work out.
Source: Deadline
