Twenty-three years ago today, Will Smith returned as Mike Lorre bad boys iiSequel to the 1995 hit bad boysWith Martin Lawrence.
The Bad Boys franchise has never received exceptional reviews from critics, and bad boys ii Currently the critics score is only 23% Rotten Tomatoes.
However, the Michael Bay-directed sequel proved commercially successful. It grossed $273.3 million worldwide, including about $138 million at the domestic box office.
On this date in 2003, “Bad Boys II” starring Martin Lawrence and Will Smith premiered in theaters.
Bitesable Facts During the film’s massive highway chase, director Michael Bay pointed cameras directly at the stunt cars and had them deliberately crash into the falling vehicles… pic.twitter.com/xRGPsnItA2– Bite-Size Nostalgia (@landofthe80s) 18 July 2026
Compared to the original film, bad boys ii Leaned heavily into graphic violence, strong language, and over-the-top action, making it a fairly tough R-rated film.
Back in 2003, Smith clarify He believed that children should not watch the film.
“Hopefully if you’re doing your job as a parent the kids won’t watch the movie. Hopefully once someone turns 17 or 18 they can tell the difference between fantasy and reality. Again, make no mistake about it, it’s a hard R, and it’s a dark comedy. There are some things in this movie that are really dark.” Smith said.
He said, “I have never been one to believe that music and television content can make someone do something. My choices in the past were not based on trying to influence children one way or the other.” “It was a personal decision because I didn’t want my grandmother to be angry at me. But I think the movie is clearly fictional, and hopefully parents will make the right decision.”
Despite receiving mixed reviews and not matching the success of the original film, the franchise eventually returned. Seventeen years later, bad boys for Life Premiere in 2020, followed by Bad Boys: Ride or Die In 2024.
The long gap between sequels brought changes behind the camera as well. Bay directed the first two films, while Belgian filmmakers Adil El Arbi and Bilal Fallah directed the two most recent installments of the franchise.
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