Bad Boys for Life Officially Certified Fresh on Rotten Tomatoes
Less than a week since the sequel made its debut, and just days after it set box office records, [...]
Less than a week since the sequel made its debut, and just days after it set box office records, Sony Pictures' Bad Boys for Life is now officially "Certified Fresh" on Rotten Tomatoes. Sitting pretty with a score of 77% on the critical aggregator, the film is the new king of the franchise from the critical perspective. Both of the two Michael Bay directed movies that preceded it are much lower, and both rated "Rotten," with 1995's Bad Boys rated at 42% and Bad Boys II rated at 23%.
Perhaps the most surprising thing about Bad Boys for Life's "Fresh" status is that it marks just the third movie that Will Smith has starred in to be "Certified Fresh." Smith's other films to reach the milestone is an exclusive club that also includes last year's Spies in Disguise and 1997's Men In Black. The 2005 film Saving Face which he produced is also "Certified Fresh." For his co-star Martin Lawrence it's only the second film he has appeared in to be given the distinction, with 1989's Do the Right Thing his only other "Certified Fresh" feature film.
In terms of box office, Bad Boys for Life is doing outstanding as well, debuting to $73 million over the four day holiday weekend, setting a record for the holiday and for biggest opening in the month of January as a whole with $62.5 million across the three day weekend. Currently sitting at $122 million worldwide as of yesterday, a sequel has already been put into development. Writer Chris Bremner, who worked on the new sequel/reboot, has been hired by the studio to pen the script for the next film. Both Will Smith and Martin Lawrence are expected to return.
It was previously reported that there won't be a large gap of time between Bad Boys for Life and the in-development fourth film, like there was between Bad Boys II and Bad Boys for Life. There was an eight year gap between the first two films, followed by a 17 year gap between the second and third. The longer of the two gaps was due to several factors, including budget concerns and finding the right story. Based on the money being made by the newest installment, and the much smaller budget than its predecessor, the only issue this time around should be the story.
The new film also stars Vanessa Hudgens, Alexander Ludwig, Charles Melton, Paola Nunez, Katie del Castillo, Nicky Jam, DJ Khaled, and Joe Pantoliano. It was directed by Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah.