Bad Boys 4 proves Will Smith fans will always ride or die at the box office

Bad Boys 4 has taken the number one spot at the box office, and it’s just proven that Will Smith is a money-making machine.

Earning $56 million during its domestic opening run, Bad Boys: Ride or Die has shot right into the number one spot at the box office. The Will Smith and Martin Lawrence sequel has received mostly praise from fans, who’ve turned up to the new movie in waves.

Will Smith has already made headlines this weekend for crashing a screening of the film, causing moviegoers to reflect on why he’s such an enduring star. But you only need to look at his filmography to understand his impact on the industry.

Now, Bad Boys has helped him cement a very specific accolade, but an important one. Thanks to its number one status at the box office this week, Smith has now had movies in the number one spot across the last four decades.

But that’s not to say that Smith has had one number one movie at the box office per decade. No, that would be an understatement. Actually, Smith has had multiple top hits in theaters across four consecutive decades, proving that he’s been a star from the beginning.

Bad Boys 4 takes the ranking for the 2020s, but it was Disney’s live-action Aladdin that claimed the prize in the 2010s. Released in 2019, this would become Smith’s highest-grossing movie of all time, earning just over a billion dollars by itself.

In the 2000s, Smith made his entry into the superhero movie world with Hancock. This ended up being number one at the box office after its opening weekend. Of the decade, it was the third highest-grossing opening over the July 4 weekend, just after Transformers and Spider-Man 2. Earlier that year, he had another top hit with Men in Black 2, which stayed in position until the third weekend.

Other number one hits for Smith in the 2000s include Bad Boys II, I, Robot, Shark Tale, Hitch (in North America), The Pursuit of Happyness, I Am Legend, and The Karate Kid (which he produced).

The ’90s was an iconic year for Smith, but it was Independence Day that really brought it home. The sci-fi action movie stayed in the number one spot for three consecutive weeks, and was actually the highest-grossing film of 1996. It also ended up beating Die Hard 2 for the biggest pre-opening for any film, a record the Bruce Willis movie held for six years.

However, it’s worth noting that the first Bad Boys movie also reached the number one spot upon its release. Equally, Men in Black also opened at number one, staying there for three weeks until Air Force One came out. (Wild Wild West also opened at number one, but only in North America.)

By now, it’s more than clear that Smith is cinematic gold. As an actor (both leading and supporting), his movies have pulled in just over $9.7 billion at the box office. Aladdin, Independence Day, Suicide Squad, and Men in Black 3 have all been huge earners, proving that Smith is very valuable when it comes to franchise material.

What’s more, there’s still plenty of potential hits on the way. The long-awaited I Am Legend 2 is still in development but is expected in the near future. There’s also a remake of a hit ’80s comedy in the works, with Smith teaming up with Kevin Hart for an upcoming Planes, Trains & Automobiles movie.

If there’s a lesson to be learned, it’s this: If you put Will Smith in your movie, your odds of hitting number one at the box office are pretty solid.

For more, check out all the best movies of 2024 so far. You can also check out our guides on all the upcoming Marvel movies, or take a look at all the best new TV shows this month.