‘Bad Boys’ again do well for Sony, topping North America box office

“Bad Boys For Life” which is the third installment in the saga directed by Michael Bay, follows on from “Bad Boys” (1995) and “Bad Boys 2” (2003). Image: courtesy of Columbia Pictures via AFP Relaxnews

Sony’s “Bad Boys for Life” stayed on top of the North American box office over the weekend, while war film “1917” held at second even as it continued racking up honors, industry watcher Exhibitor Relations reported Sunday.

“Bad Boys”, with popular actors Will Smith and Martin Lawrence reprising their roles as two wise-cracking detectives, took in an estimated $34 million (around P1.7 billion) for the three-day weekend, a surprising success for a sequel that kept fans waiting for 17 years.

Universal’s World War I drama “1917” continued its march forward, selling $15.8 million (around P800 million) in tickets to remain in second place while passing the $100 million mark domestically since its release. The Sam Mendes film has piled up the awards, including top honors Saturday from the Directors Guild of America, and is considered an Oscar favorite.

In third place was “Dolittle”, Universal’s take on the beloved children’s book about a veterinarian who can talk to the animals. It took in $12.5 million (around P635 million), a small fraction of its net budget of $175 million (around P8.8 billion), according to Hollywood Reporter. The cast includes Robert Downey Jr., Emma Thompson, Antonio Banderas and Marion Cotillard.

Fourth spot went to new release “The Gentlemen”, an action-comedy from STX that took in $11 million (around P560 million). The Guy Ritchie movie, with a star-studded (and mainly male) cast including Matthew McConaughey, Hugh Grant, Henry Golding and Colin Farrell, tells the story of an American in London who encounters a series of complications when he decides to sell off his lucrative cannabis empire.

And in fifth, down one spot from last weekend, was Sony’s “Jumanji: The Next Level”, at $7.9 million (around P400 million). Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson and Kevin Hart star in the action sequel.

Rounding out the top 10 were:

“The Turning” ($7.3 million)

“Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker” ($5.2 million)

“Little Women” ($4.7 million)

“Just Mercy” ($4.1 million)

“Knives Out” ($3.7 million)
IB/JB

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