Will Smith has scored another box office hit with his on-screen reunion with Martin Lawrence in Bad Boys: Ride Or Die, his first movie since the infamous Oscar night slap of 2022.
According to Variety, the fourth installment of the Bad Boys franchise raked in $56 million at theaters across the U.S., and an additional $48.6 million across the world, for an international grand total of $104.6 million.
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Bad Boys: Ride Or Die now also holds the distinction of having the second-highest opening weekend of any film in Smith and Lawrence’s buddy cop action/comedy franchise, following 2020’s Bad Boys for Life.
The outlet made note of the fact that this was Smith’s first acting role since the incident between him and Chris Rock in March 2022, indicating that industry experts thought the moment may have cost Will a few fans, just as it had other opportunities.
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The first potential loss for Will happened on the night in question, when the rapper-turned-actor nabbed his very first Oscar in the Best Actor in a Leading Role category for his portrayal of Richard Williams in King Richard.
According to the New York Post, the Academy has a strict policy that prohibits any kind of violence, which could have led to the statuette and honor being stripped from him.
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“It’s basically assault,” an insider said. “Everyone was just so shocked in the room, it was so uncomfortable. I think Will would not want to give his Oscar back, but who knows what will happen now.”
Before the Academy could decide on disciplinary action, however, Smith preemptively resigned from the organization and was allowed to retain his Oscar and even be considered for awards in the future, Variety reported at the time.
“The Slap” did have at least one long-term effect on Smith’s life, however.
On March 26, it was revealed that he and wife Jada Pinkett Smith‘s Will And Jada Smith Family Foundation will reportedly be shuttering its doors following a post-Oscars slap decline – though the shutdown was reportedly in the works before 2022 incident.
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According to a report from Variety, tax filings show that after the event, their revenue and donations dropped significantly – from $1.7 million in 2020 and $2.1 million in 2021 to a measly $366,000 in 2022.
A source told the publication that the couple was winding down the foundation, which they founded in 1996, before the Oscars slap. They’re now focusing more on giving the same amount to charitable causes privately and not through a foundation.
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The source pointed to the fact that before the Oscars, the company lowered the payment of their only two staffers in 2021 and that as of 2022, no paid staff worked at the organization.
