Weekend Box Office: ‘Bad Boys For Life’ Exceeds Expectations While ‘Dolittle’ Does Little For Audiences
Ride together, die together, blow up the box office together:Bad Boys for Lifeis a hit. The third entry in the action franchise exceeded expectations at the weekend box office, taking in 83% more than initially projected. But whileBad Boyshad a good weekend,Dolittledid not. TheRobert Downey Jr. film flopped, givingCatsdistributor Universal Pictures another box office body blow.
Bad Boys for Lifeis full of surprises. Not only is the latest entry featuringWill SmithandMartin Lawrencesurprisingly good, it’s also a surprise hit. According toDeadline, the threequel is headed for a $73.4 million 4-day haul, and is currently sitting on $68M – 83% more than the $40 million tracking projection that was being bandied about last week. Good word-of-mouth and the excitement of seeing Smith and Lawrence crack jokes while killing a bunch of people likely helped draw a larger-than-expected crowd.
The same could not be said forDolittle, which will likely end up $29.5 million after four days. The family-friendly flick cost an estimated $175 million to make, and is unlikely to come anywhere close to breaking even. This is the second box office disaster in a row for Universal Pictures following the failure ofCats.WhileBad Boysexperienced better-than-expected reviews,Dolittlewas torn apart by critics.
The upcoming weekend sees the release ofThe Turning, which is another title from Universal Pictures. The horror film underwent a bumpy behind-the-scenes process, starting out as a film calledHauntedset to begin production in 2016 as a passion project for producer Steven Spielberg. But Spielberg pulled the plug five weeks before shooting, and the project underwent an overhaul, adding a new cast and a new director. WillThe Turningfind an audience this weekend? We’ll find out soon enough. The other new release of the weekend is Guy Ritchie’sThe Gentlemen, which seems unlikely to be much of a hit.
You can see the current top 10 movies at the box office below.
1. Bad Boys for Life
2. Dolittle
4. Jumanji: The Next Level
5. Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker
6. Just Mercy
7. Little Women
8. Knives Out
- Like a Boss
