Bad Boys: Ride or Die is about to enter theaters and the only question in my mind is if Will Smith‘s Oscar 2022 controversy will end the long-running Bad Boys franchise.
It has been more than two years since Smith caused one of the biggest controversies in Hollywood. If you don’t remember let’s recap a bit, on the night of Oscar 2022 popular comedian Chris Rock came out to present an award and made a throwaway and truthfully harmless joke about Smith’s wife Jada Pinkett-Smith and that’s when Smith got up on the stage and slapped him. If that wasn’t bizarre enough, Smith went on to win the Best Actor award and the night went on like nothing had happened.
The whole internet was outraged by Smith’s action and he even attempted to apologize to the comedian and his fans but the damage had already been done. Smith’s reputation was in ruins and many of his upcoming projects were put on hold or canceled including Smith’s big-budget Netflix sci-fantasy Bright 2.
Even now when all this time has passed, the moment is still fresh in everybody’s mind and that’s why the question popped into my head when I first saw the trailer for Bad Boys: Ride or Die. Will “the slap” destroy the Bad Boys franchise’s future or has the public finally forgiven Smith?
In my opinion, it has been enough time and Smith needs to get back to what he does best, but if the upcoming Bad Boys fails (I hope it doesn’t) how much of the blame for its failure will be attributed to Smith’s actions? While, there is a big possibility that Bad Boys: Ride or Die won’t do as well as previous Bad Boys films, just because of the current theatrical market, and “the slap” will just add to the reason for its failure.
I hope that the film is successful not just because I am a big Will Smith but also because the industry needs a bit of hope right now. With most recent releases failing miserably at the box office aside from Dune: Part Two and Godzilla X Kong: The New Empire, Hollywood needs a big win right about now.
So in conclusion, I think “the slap” won’t be why most people won’t go to see Bad Boys: Ride or Die in theaters as enough time has passed and in my opinion, the general didn’t care enough to begin with. If the film doesn’t let down its audience in the entertainment department, I think Bad Boys: Ride or Die could be a hit or it could end up like The Fall Guy, in the end only the people will decide.