Martin Lawrencehas a positive update regarding the future of theBad Boysfilm series. April 2025 marks the 30th anniversary of the firstBad Boys,which opened on July 23, 2025, taking the number one spot at the box office, and kicking off a franchise that continues to this day. After a 17-year hiatus followingBad Boys II,Bad Boys for Lifebrought the franchise back with a bang and became one of the last films to succeed at the box office before the COVID-19 pandemic shut down theaters. The fourth film,Bad Boys: Ride or Die, became another box office hit, and fans are eagerly awaiting word on whenBad Boys 5(Bad Boy5maybe?) will arrive.
In an interview withEntertainment Tonight, Lawrence was asked about the future of the action franchise. Lawrence plays Marcus Burnett in theBad Boysfranchise, the Miami Police Department partner and best friend of Will Smith’s Mike Lowrey. Lawrence revealed that while he and Will Smith haven’t discussed any ideas for a fifth movie, it certainly seems that Sony Pictures is working on something, as he mentions that the studio is developingBad Boys 5. Lawrence said:
‘Bad Boys: Ride or Die’ Directors Return With First Look At New Action Thriller
Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah’s return to action is reason enough to be excited.
“It means a great deal to me because that was me and Will’s baby. You know, that’s what we started with. And to get four strong, successful films out of them, we couldn’t ask for much more. And hopefully, as long as the audience wants to see them, we’ll be able to put them out. […]I think we gotta give you five. That’s what I’m thinking. […] Me and [Will Smith] haven’t talked about an idea or nothing, but the studio is.”
Audiences have certainly proven they still want to seeBad Boysmovies.Bad Boys for Lifeopened well above expectations in January 2020, as its $73 million over the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday weekend made it the second-biggest movie opening in January, behindAmerican Sniper. Then, after a disappointing start to the 2024 summer movie season withThe Fall Guy,Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga, andThe Garfield Movieall underperforming,Bad Boys: Ride or Diewas amuch-needed upswing at the box office, grossing $56 million in its opening weekend.
Bad Boys: Ride or Diegrossed $193.5 million domestically and $402 million worldwide, against a $100 million budget. This shows that not only are audiences still very much onboard with theBad Boysfranchise, but it is also one of Sony Pictures' most reliable and consistent moneymakers at the box office. Even with the question of whether the audience would accept Will Smith as a movie starfollowing his infamous Academy Awards slap,Bad Boys: Ride or Dieshowed that the audience still loves Will Smith and, in the right project, they will turn out to see it.
Bad Boys 5is now likely a high priority for the studio, and they probably won’t wait as long as they did betweenBad Boys IIandBad Boys for Life. What will be interesting is how long the franchise can keep going. Despite the franchise’s growing cast of characters, including Vanessa Hudgens, Alexander Ludwig, Jacob Scipio, and Paola Núñez,Bad Boys' success seems dependent on Will Smith and Martin Lawrence, and isn’t a film series that can just be handed down. This was underscored by the television spin-off,L.A.’s Finest, which gave Gabrielle Union’s character fromBad Boys IIthe spotlight. Despite the star power of Jessica Alba, the series only lasted two seasons.
Source:Entertainment Tonight
Bad Boys: Ride or Die
