It will be a battle of the boys at the box office this weekend as STX’s action drama “The Gentlemen” takes on reigning champ, Sony’s “Bad Boys for Life.”
“Bad Boys for Life,” the third installment in the Will Smith and Martin Lawrence-led franchise, beat expectations over the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday, bringing in $62.5 million over the weekend and $73 million during its first four days in theaters. The film, which has enjoyed strong word of mouth, could add another $28 million to $30 million during its sophomore frame.
Though “Bad Boys for Life” is expected to take the top prize again, “The Gentlemen” will vie for a similarly male audience. From director Guy Ritchie, “The Gentlemen” should earn around $10 million when it debuts in 2,100 theaters. That would be a solid start, since STX shelled out $7 million to buy North American rights from Miramax. VVS Film is distributing in Canada. Entertainment Film, Roadshow and Miramax are handing its rollout overseas, where the movie has made $18.4 million to date.
Matthew McConaughey stars in “The Gentlemen” as an American expat looking to cash out of the marijuana empire he built in London. Charlie Hunnam and Henry Golding also star.
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For moviegoers looking for a scare, Universal and DreamWorks are launching “The Turning,” a thriller about a nanny tasked with taking care of two disturbed orphans. The movie, based on a spooky 1989 ghost tale, is on track for a single-digit debut. The cast includes Mackenzie Davis, Finn Wolfhard and Brooklynn Prince.
January looks to close out on a quieter note, but box office experts already feel bullish about the year ahead, especially since ticket sales are up 12% from 2019, according to Comscore. For now, theater owners are gearing up for “Birds of Prey” to hit the big screen in February. Warner Bros.’ supervillain spinoff starring one Harley Quinn (Margot Robbie) is heading for a solid start around $50 million.