Bad Boys 4 Almost Certainly Won't Break Will Smith's 2 Biggest Box Office Records

Summary Bad Boys 4 is unlikely to surpass Will Smith's Disney hit Aladdin in box office earnings.

The violent, R-rated Bad Boys series lacks the universal appeal of Smith's family-friendly movies.

Bad Boys: Ride Or Die faces a tough challenge in surpassing Smith's highest-grossing franchises.

While Bad Boys 4 is likely to be a big hit for its star Will Smith, the long-awaited sequel almost certainly won’t break two career records that the actor set years ago. Will Smith has one of the most impressive box office runs in cinematic history despite the actor weathering his fair share of high-profile flops. For every underperforming movie like Wild Wild West, Gemini Man, or Winter’s Tale, Smith has enjoyed a string of successes such as I Am Legend, Hancock, I, Robot, Hitch, and Shark Tale. This illustrious lineup doesn’t even mention the Bad Boys movies, a highly profitable action-comedy franchise.

The Bad Boys series, alongside the Men in Black franchise, cemented Smith’s status as a blockbuster superstar in the ‘90s. 2024’s upcoming Bad Boys: Ride Or Die proves that the franchise is still going strong four years after 2020’s Bad Boys for Life became the biggest box office hit of the series so far. Judging by Bad Boys for Life’s impressive $426 million payday, it could easily be assumed that Bad Boys: Ride Or Die could become Smith’s biggest hit ever. However, the success of the actor’s earlier movies makes this difficult to imagine.

Bad Boys 4 Becoming Will Smith's Highest Grossing Movie Is Unlikely

Smith’s Biggest Movie Is A Family-Friendly Disney Hit

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Bad Boys: Ride Or Die will need to earn over $1 billion to become Smith’s biggest movie ever thanks to 2019’s live-action Disney remake Aladdin. Directed by Guy Ritchie, this family-friendly live-action version of the classic cartoon was a huge hit at the box office. Unlike Aladdin's remake, Bad Boys: Ride Or Die is a violent, R-rated action movie. The sequel doesn’t have the same universal audience appeal, so, while there are a lot of reasons to be excited about Bad Boys: Ride Or Die, its chances of becoming Smith’s most financially successful movie are minimal.

Independence Day also earned over $800 million upon its 1996 release, whereas Suicide Squad made over $700 million in 2016. As such, Bad Boys for Life’s $426 million success isn’t even close to the biggest hit in Smith’s career. When taken as a unit, the Bad Boys trilogy has earned a total of over $840 million across its three outings. Although this is impressive, it will still be tough for Bad Boys: Ride Or Die to dethrone one of Smith’s earlier franchises as the most financially successful series of his career. Here, family-friendly appeal again proves key to Smith’s success.

Bad Boys 4 Won't Make Bad Boys Will Smith's Biggest Franchise At The Box Office

The Bad Boys Series Is Unlikely To Outdo The Men in Black Movies

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1997’s Men in Black earned $579 million, while its sequel Men In Black II made $441 million. In 2012, Men In Black 3 took home $654 million, giving the sci-fi comedy series a lifetime gross of $1.15 billion. Bad Boys: Ride Or Die would need to earn over $310 million to outdo the Men in Black franchise and, even then, there’s a catch. Although Smith didn’t appear in the critically derided reboot, 2019’s Men In Black: International earned $253 million. With that in mind, Bad Boys: Ride Or Die would technically need an astounding $553 million to become Will Smith’s biggest series.