'Bad Boys for Life', the Hollywood action movie from Belgian directors duo Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah, grossed over $100 million dollars at the worldwide box office after four days.
As the third instalment of the Bad Boys franchise, "Bad Boys III" is an action-comedy starring Will Smith and Martin Lawrence, who both rejoin Miami as detectives 17 years after the last Bad Boys film.
The third Bad Boys grossed over $68 million in the U.S. and Canada, and another estimated $37 million in 39 other countries where the movie has been screened, surpassing the $100 million mark in just four days. The success is, in part, thanks to the long weekend in the U.S. due to Martin Luther King Day.
With over $68 million in the U.S., the movie grossed the second-best result of all time for a film launched in January. Additionally, the Hollywood debut of the Belgian directors is receiving praise from American critics, with generally favourable reviews and 76% fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes. The new directors “blow things up real good,” according to the review for The New York Times
Will Smith, who is not only the lead actor but also the producer of the movie, has repeatedly praised the cooperation with El Arbi and Fallah.
Despite the international success, the duo does not want to turn their backs on Belgium. "We still have edgy stories to tell here. In an ideal world, we can alternate those films with the occasional Hollywood production," they said, reports VRT.
Maïthé Chini
The Brussels Times
