Will Smith and Martin Lawrence’s Bad Boys: Ride or Die has received clearance to roll into China. The Sony Pictures film will hit Chinese cinemas on June 22, according to both the studio and local press reports in Beijing. The film opens theatrically in North America on June 7.
The new film is the fourth installment in the long-running Bad Boys franchise, following Bad Boys for Life (2020), which revived the movie series after a 17-year hiatus and was a worldwide hit with $426 million in total ticket revenue. Bad Boys for Life earned just $3 million in China, but it was released there amid the challenges of the pandemic.
Bad Boys 4 is helmed by Bad Boys for Life directors Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah, the Belgian duo who infamously had their $90 million Batgirl feature for Max shelved for a tax break by Warner Bros. Discovery in 2022.
The plot to Bad Boys 4 is driven by corruption within the Miami PD, with Captain Conrad Howard (Joe Pantoliano) accused of working with the drug cartels for years. Detectives Mike Lowrey (Smith) and Marcus Burnett (Lawrence) put together a team to clear Howard’s name but become outlaws in the process.
The cast also includes Vanessa Hudgens, Alexander Ludwig, Paola Núñez, Eric Dane and Welsh actor Ioan Gruffudd. Franchise regulars Joe Pantoliano as Captain Conrad Howard and John Salley as Fletcher also return.
Full critical reviews for Bad Boys 4 won’t drop till closer to the film’s release, but first reactions began to emerge from fans after a series of early screenings were held across the U.S. two weeks ago.
Other upcoming U.S. releases in China include A24’s Civil War and Warner Bros‘ Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga on June 7 and Pixar’s Inside Out 2 on June 21.
