Why ‘Bad Boys’ is Dominating Tubi and You Need to Watch It Now!

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The “Bad Boys” film franchise experienced an unforeseen resurgence with “Bad Boys For Life” in 2020, leading not only to another sequel, “Bad Boys: Ride or Die” in 2024, but also attracting a new group of fans. Remarkably, 30 years after its initial release, the original movie is now sitting atop the streaming charts.

In 1995, Michael Bay, then known more for directing commercials and music videos like Meat Loaf’s “I’d Do Anything for Love (But I Won’t Do That)” video inspired by Beauty and the Beast, directed the action movie Bad Boys. Despite not receiving universally positive reviews at its release, the film’s box office success demonstrated Bay’s ability to draw a crowd, marking his first feature-length directorial venture. This movie, with its grand, boisterous style, was typical of Bay’s work seen later in films like the original Transformers, Pearl Harbor, and Armageddon.

Bad Boys” was produced at a cost of approximately $23 million, eventually earning over $141 million globally. Interestingly, Michael Bay would receive almost the total gross as the budget for “Bad Boys II,” but let’s save that tale for another day. The film enjoyed both financial success and audience approval, yet critics had mixed feelings about Bay’s boisterous action-packed production. On Rotten Tomatoes, it scored 43%, with a general consensus that while the leads Smith and Martin Lawrence displayed excellent chemistry, Bay tended to overshadow their performances with excessive action sequences and explosions rather than focusing on a compelling narrative.

The ‘Bad Boys’ Franchise Continues to Deliver

Critics often lose sight of what viewers expect from a movie, especially action fans. While it’s nice to have a plot that isn’t as simple as something a 10-year-old might come up with during recess, the truth is that if a film delivers big action sequences, intense violence, and a satisfying resolution for the good guys, it will usually be well-received by many viewers.

The case is similar for the film “Bad Boys”. After its success, Bay resumed directing for a sequel in 2003. However, this sequel received an even worse Tomatometer score of 23%, but managed to retain the initial movie’s audience rating of 78%. Despite a budget of $130 million and earning over $230 million at the box office, the disappointing performance of the second installment seemed to put an end to plans for another sequel.

The adage “a change is as refreshing as rest” seemed to hold true for the franchise in 2020, with the arrival of Bad Boys for Life. The switch from Bay to directing duo Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah proved fruitful, resulting in an unexpected triumph across all aspects. The delayed sequel garnered impressive ratings of 76% from critics and a remarkable 96% from audiences. It also managed to transform its $90 million investment into a staggering $426.5 million globally, making it one of the last major blockbusters to hit cinemas before the Covid pandemic. The latest addition, Bad Boys: Ride or Die, has mirrored these successes, with another $400 million gross and a 97% audience approval rating.

Ride or Die, has followed suit, with another $400 million gross and a 97% audience rating.

By June 2024, both Smith and Lawrence expressed their readiness for a fifth movie if there’s a compelling storyline involved. Producer Jerry Bruckheimer showed interest in another film for the series, but noted that its production largely hinged on the success of the latest release at the box office. With the performance of the recent addition to the franchise now known, the only thing left to determine is when Bad Boys 5 will be officially greenlit?

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2025-01-16 18:33