Will Smith
Gerald Mazzuca/Getty Images (Courtesy of Sony Pictures)
Will Smith snuck into a Los Angeles movie theater on Friday night to watch his new movie, Bad Boys 2, with a paying audience.
The actor documented his night out on social media.
“We’re in Baldwin Hills and we’re heading to the theater,” Smith says in a video of the theater visit. “It’s become a ritual for me when a movie comes out. Friday, Saturday, usually Sunday matinee, I love going to the theater.”
Smith is then seen wearing a mask and watching a movie with fans.
After the film ended, Smith revealed to the shocked audience that he had been watching it with them. The growing crowd seemed excited to see Smith, taking photos and videos. One fan rated the film a “10 out of 10,” to which Smith replied in thanks.
Bad Boys 4: Ride or Die is the fourth film in the hit Bad Boys series and is seen as a possible return for star Will Smith alongside fellow series co-star Martin Lawrence. Bad Boys 4 will be Smith’s first theatrical release since his shocking onstage slap of Chris Rock at the 2022 Academy Awards, which sparked widespread backlash against the superstar and led to a 10-year ban from the film academy’s events. Smith has apologized multiple times for the incident, but has kept a relatively low profile since the slap, before beginning to promote Bad Boys 4 in earnest. The film even features a slapping scene reminiscent of Smith and Rock’s onstage altercation.
The film is off to a strong start at the domestic box office, with estimates Saturday calling for a weekend haul of $53 million. Bad Boys Ride or Die opened with $5.9 million in Thursday night previews and grossed $21.6 million on Friday. Bad Boys Ride or Die has received mostly positive reviews and an A- CinemaScore, which should come as welcome news after a tough start to the summer box office in May.
According to a source familiar with the matter, CAA, which represents Smith, has been calling studio executives in recent weeks for the first time since the punishment to hone potential projects and hopes to announce the actor’s next film soon.
In “Ride or Die,” Smith and Lawrence play Miami cops Mike Lowrey and Marcus Burnett who are on the run and trying to clear the name of their deceased police chief after he is implicated in a drug cartel. “Bad Boys: Ride or Die” is directed by Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah (advertising as Adil & Bilal) from a screenplay by Chris Bremner and Will Beall.
Ride or Die’s predecessor, Bad Boys for Life, also directed by Adil and Bilal, revived the franchise when it was released in January 2020 and grossed $426 million worldwide before the COVID-19 pandemic closed cinemas.