‘Bad Boys: Ride or Die’ Rides Alone on a Record-Low June Weekend

Theaters will live to fight another day. “Bad Boys: Ride or Die” (Sony) provided more than half of the gross this weekend, taking #1 with $56 million. That isn’t a record for the franchise (with previous films at lower ticket prices), but it is a critical victory for the industry at a time it desperately needs them.

Will Smith’s first wide release since his catastrophic Oscar behavior in 2022 represents a triumph for star power, franchise filmmaking, action titles, and titles that draw from minority audiences (over two thirds for the weekend were Black and Latino). Most of all, it was a vital sign that underperformance for highly touted summer films isn’t a given.

In the face of rising industry panic, an under-$40 million opening for “Ride or Die” (its 2020 predecessor opened to $62 million) could have ratched the doom and despair to toxic levels. Instead, it blew past tracking projections (that’s rare) of around $50 million at best. For once, weekend estimates increased after Thursday previews (and an A- Cinemascore).

In some utopian future, we can move past the glass half-full/half-empty caveats. That won’t be this weekend, though. The weekend’s total gross of $104 million is the weakest June weekend since the $98 million grossed in 2001. Adjusting to current prices, that is about $195 million today.

The problem is that “Ride or Die” rides alone. “The Watchers,” the Ireland-set fantasy horror film directed by Ishana Shyamalan (daughter of M. Night), which Warner Bros. reportedly acquired for $30 million, opened to an abysmal $7 million (good enough for fourth place, a problem in itself). June is supposed to have multiple openings with hit potential. Exactly 40 years ago, both “Ghostbusters” and “Gremlins” debuted (the former narrowly took first place); the already-opened “Indiana Jones” and “Star Trek” sequels were right behind.

It will be months before we’re beyond the strike-impacted product shortages. Until then, we hope for the green shoots like “Ride or Die” and the promise of “Inside Out 2” (Disney) next weekend, and “A Quiet Place: A New Day” (Paramount) on June 28.

A good sign for the family-oriented “Inside Out” sequel is the family films that took second and third place with drops of less than 30 percent. “The Garfield Movie” (giving Sony the top two slots) and “IF” (Paramount) should see at least modest profits.

After “The Watchers,” no openings grossed over $6 million. Two of the new releases were single-day Fathom presentations of the first two installments in the “Lord of the Rings” trilogy (in “Extended Edition” form), which grossed a combined $4.3 million. (“The Return of the King” shows Monday and the series will be screening again the next two weekends.)

The bleakest news comes from “Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga” (WB). It fell 61 percent in its third weekend to #6 at $4.2 million, with a domestic total of around $70 million likely.

Grosses dropped 38 percent this weekend, with year to date now down about 26 percent from last year. As the half-year mark nears, that would project to a $6.7 billion total. That’s important in context of the good “Bad Boys” result.

The specialized world remains mostly dormant. Two New York-only openings got some attention. “Tuesday” (A24) with Julia Louis-Dreyfus confronting a death-portending talking bird did about $26,000. In one theater, “I Used to Be Funny” (Utopia), with “Shiva Baby” star Rachel Sennott as a struggling comic, did $15,000.

Animated Oscar nominee “Robot Dreams” (Neon) had a modest expansion to seven theaters and grossed $54,000. The 1998 German “Run Lola Run” (Sony Pictures Classics) managed a minor $154,000 in 275 theaters.

The Top 10

1. Bad Boys: Ride or Die (Sony) NEW – Cinemascore: A-; Metacritic: 54; Est. budget: $100 million

$56,000,000 in 3,885 theaters; PTA (per theater average): $14,414; Cumulative: $56,000,000

2. The Garfield Movie (Sony) Week 3; Last weekend #1

$10,000,000 (-29%) in 3,959 (-149) theaters; PTA: 2,526$; Cumulative: $68,613,000

3. IF (Paramount) Week 4; Last weekend #2

$8,000,000 (-24%) in 3,582 (-201) theaters; PTA: $2,233; Cumulative: $93,520,000

4. The Watchers (WB) NEW – Cinemascore: C-; Metacritic: 48; Est. budget: $30 million (acquisition price)

$7,000,000 in 2,890 theaters; PTA: $2,089; Cumulative: $7,000,000

5. Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes (Disney) Week 5; Last weekend #4

$5,400,000 (-40%) in 3,155 (-295) theaters; PTA: $1,712; Cumulative: $149,773,000

6. Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga (WB) Week 3; Last weekend #3

$4,245,000 (-61%) in 2,984 (-800) theaters; PTA: $1,423; Cumulative: $58,709,000

7. The Fall Guy (Universal) Week 6; Last weekend #5; also on PVOD

$2,700,000 (-36%) in 2,410 (-416) theaters; PTA: $1,120; Cumulative: $85,120,000

8. The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the King (Warner Bros.) FATHOM REISSUE

$2,401,000 in 1,529 theaters (Saturday only); PTA: $1,570; Cumulative: (adjusted) est. $503,400,000

9. The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (Warner Bros.) FATHOM REISSUE

$1,915,000 in 1,529 theaters (Sunday only); PTA: $1,252; Cumulative: (adjusted) est. $529,915,000

10. The Strangers: Chapter 1 (Lionsgate) Week 4; Last weekend #6; also on PVOD

$1,840,000 (-50%) in 2,016 (-511) theaters; PTA: $913; Cumulative: $30,369,000

Other specialized/independent titles

Films (limited, expansions of limited) are listed by week in release, starting with those opened this week; after the first three weeks, only films with grosses over $5,000 are listed. Metacritic scores and initial film festivals recorded.

Tuesday (A24) NEW – Metacritic: 77; Festivals include: Telluride 2023

$25,665 in 2 theaters; PTA: $12,833

I Used to Be Funny (Utopia) NEW – Metacritic: 73; Festivals include: South by Southwest 2024

$15,054 in 1 theater; PTA: $15,054

Run Lola Run (Sony Pictures Classics) REISSUE

$153,908 in 275 theaters; PTA: $560

Robot Dreams (Neon) Week 2

$53,624 in 7 (+5) theaters; PTA: $7,661; Cumulative: $100,419

Haikyuu!! The Dumpster Battle (Sony) Week 2

$820,000 in 1,119 (no change) theaters; PTA: $733; Cumulative: $5,784,000

In a Violent Nature (IFC) Week 2

$640,000 in 1,266 (-160) theaters; PTA: $506; Cumulative: $3,642,000

Ezra (Bleecker Street) Week 2

$370,093 in 1,145 (-175) theaters; PTA: $323; Cumulative: $1,573,000

Summer Camp (Roadside Attractions) Week 2

$315,805 in 1,325 (-462) theaters; PTA: $238; Cumulative: $2,061,000

Babes (Neon) Week 4

$235,000 in 438 (-670) theaters; Cumulative: $3,237,000

I Saw the TV Glow (A24) Week 6

$261,181 in 227 (-65) theaters; Cumulative: $4,200,000

Evil Does Not Exist (Sideshow/Janus) Week 6

$41,900 in 76 (-9) theaters; Cumulative: $713,718

Civil War (A24) Week 9; also on PVOD

$78,464 in 75 (-160) theaters; Cumulative: $68,600,000

Wicked Little Letters (Sony Pictures Classics) Week 10; also on PVOD

$12,533 in 17 (-11) theaters; Cumulative: $4,954,000