# Bad Boys (1995 film)
**Bad Boys** is a 1995 American buddy-cop action comedy directed by [Michael Bay](https://www.edgepedia.org/michael-bay) in his feature directorial debut, starring [Will Smith](https://www.edgepedia.org/will-smith) as Detective Mike Lowrey and [Martin Lawrence](https://www.edgepedia.org/martin-lawrence) as Detective Marcus Burnett, two Miami narcotics officers who must recover $100 million of confiscated heroin stolen from police custody.[1](https://www.sonypictures.com/movies/badboys) Produced by Don Simpson and Jerry Bruckheimer for Columbia Pictures, it opened in the United States on April 7, 1995 and grossed about $141 million worldwide on a budget reported between $19 million and $23 million.[2](https://www.boxofficemojo.com/title/tt0112442/) • [3](https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/Bad-Boys) The film launched a franchise that continued with *Bad Boys II* (2003), *Bad Boys for Life* (2020), and *Bad Boys: Ride or Die* (2024).[4](https://www.the-numbers.com/movies/franchise/Bad-Boys)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Release | April 7, 1995 (domestic wide release, Sony Pictures); Los Angeles opening April 7, New York the week of April 7[3](https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/Bad-Boys) • [5](https://catalog.afi.com/Film/55733-BAD-BOYS?cp=1&cxt=Filmography1&pos=3&sid=85abd09e-d0bd-4c92-b433-e2c02798d780&sr=0.1339755) |
| Director / producers | Michael Bay's feature directorial debut; produced by Don Simpson and Jerry Bruckheimer[1](https://www.sonypictures.com/movies/badboys) • [6](https://www.gamespot.com/gallery/bad-boys-22-easter-eggs-and-trivia-from-the-ultima/2900-3485/) |
| Lead cast | Will Smith (Mike Lowrey), Martin Lawrence (Marcus Burnett), Téa Leoni (Julie Mott), Tchéky Karyo (Fouchet)[5](https://catalog.afi.com/Film/55733-BAD-BOYS?cp=1&cxt=Filmography1&pos=3&sid=85abd09e-d0bd-4c92-b433-e2c02798d780&sr=0.1339755) |
| Writers | Screenplay by Michael Barrie, Jim Mulholland, and Doug Richardson, from a story by George Gallo[5](https://catalog.afi.com/Film/55733-BAD-BOYS?cp=1&cxt=Filmography1&pos=3&sid=85abd09e-d0bd-4c92-b433-e2c02798d780&sr=0.1339755) |
| Box office | $65,807,024 domestic, $75,600,000 international, $141,407,024 worldwide; opening weekend $15,523,358 in 2,132 theaters[2](https://www.boxofficemojo.com/title/tt0112442/) • [3](https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/Bad-Boys) |
| Budget | $19,000,000 per Box Office Mojo; $23,000,000 per The Numbers[2](https://www.boxofficemojo.com/title/tt0112442/) • [3](https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/Bad-Boys) |
| Ratings | MPAA R; Rotten Tomatoes 46% from 70 reviews; Metacritic 41 from 24 critics[3](https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/Bad-Boys) • [7](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/1062483-bad_boys) • [8](https://www.metacritic.com/movie/bad-boys/) |
## Spoilers
### Plot
Miami narcotics detectives Mike Lowrey and Marcus Burnett lose $100 million worth of confiscated heroin when it is stolen from police custody. The drugs were the career-making bust of their unit, and the narcotics division of the Miami Police Department faces shutdown unless the pair recovers them.[1](https://www.sonypictures.com/movies/badboys) The theft is engineered by the French mastermind Fouchet ([Tchéky Karyo](https://www.edgepedia.org/tcheky-karyo)), who is shown early in the film cold-bloodedly killing a young woman, giving the audience a strong interest in his downfall.[9](https://www.sfchronicle.com/movies/article/Chemistry-Keeps-Bad-Boys-From-Blowing-Up-3038022.php)
The detectives' lead is Julie Mott ([Téa Leoni](https://www.edgepedia.org/tea-leoni)), a witness to a murder connected to the theft, and the investigation turns deadly when the murderers go after her.[1](https://www.sonypictures.com/movies/badboys) To win her trust, the partners are forced to switch identities: Marcus, the family man, masquerades as the bachelor Lowrey and moves into his apartment to guard the witness, while Lowrey moves in with Marcus's family.[9](https://www.sfchronicle.com/movies/article/Chemistry-Keeps-Bad-Boys-From-Blowing-Up-3038022.php) The Spanish release synopsis gives the recovery deadline as 72 hours, while the Rotten Tomatoes synopsis says Internal Affairs gives the detectives five days.[10](https://www.sonypictures.de/filme/bad-boys-harte-jungs) • [7](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/1062483-bad_boys)
### Franchise and legacy
The film's success spawned a series. *Bad Boys II* followed in 2003 with a $130 million budget and $273.3 million worldwide; *Bad Boys for Life* (2020) grossed $424.5 million worldwide; and *Bad Boys: Ride or Die* (2024) grossed $400.5 million worldwide, each far exceeding the original's $141.2 million.[4](https://www.the-numbers.com/movies/franchise/Bad-Boys) The original's worldwide gross was about 6.1 times its reported $23 million production budget.[3](https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/Bad-Boys)
The film is regularly cited as a defining entry in the buddy-cop genre. A 2026 streaming guide wrote that Bay's debut "redefined the action-comedy genre in 1995," prioritizing the leads' rapport and high-speed spectacle over a complex script, with the leads' constant improvisation encouraged by Bay to punch up the dialogue.[17](https://www.tomsguide.com/entertainment/streaming/5-movies-like-the-wrecking-crew-to-watch-after-the-prime-video-buddy-action-comedy) Bay and Smith were later set to reunite on the Netflix thriller *Fast and Loose*, a project that did not proceed after Bay left it.[18](https://www.gamesradar.com/entertainment/thriller-movies/transformers-director-michael-bay-may-return-to-helm-a-new-version-of-the-franchise-after-leaving-netflix-crime-thriller-fast-and-loose/)
## Production
**Development and casting.** In early development the film was titled *Bulletproof Hearts*, and the story was originally set in New York City; director Michael Bay opted to film in Miami, Florida instead.[11](https://www.joblo.com/what-happened-to-bad-boys/) Bay specifically pushed for Will Smith to be cast, seeing potential in him as a major Hollywood star; before *Bad Boys*, Smith was best known for the sitcom *The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air*.[6](https://www.gamespot.com/gallery/bad-boys-22-easter-eggs-and-trivia-from-the-ultima/2900-3485/) A scholarly account of 1990s Hollywood describes the film as the vehicle through which Smith transitioned from television sitcom fame to Hollywood action films, and notes that its slick, consumption-oriented style recalled 1980s productions such as *Miami Vice* and *Lethal Weapon*.[12](https://tile.loc.gov/storage-services/master/gdc/gdcebookspublic/20/20/71/84/98/2020718498/2020718498.pdf)
**Budget and schedule.** Bay was given a tight leash: GameSpot reports a $17 million budget and a shooting schedule so compressed that any scene unfinished by the end of a day was either left in the movie as shot or cut.[6](https://www.gamespot.com/gallery/bad-boys-22-easter-eggs-and-trivia-from-the-ultima/2900-3485/) The production history site JoBlo reports an estimated budget of $19 million but notes that Bay contradicted himself on the DVD commentary, first saying $17 million and later saying he had only $9 million; lack of funding was a consistent problem throughout production.[11](https://www.joblo.com/what-happened-to-bad-boys/) Bay once gave the studio $25,000, one fourth of what he earned for directing, so that the climactic action scene could be filmed again at Opa-Locka Airport.[11](https://www.joblo.com/what-happened-to-bad-boys/)
**Shooting.** [Principal photography](https://www.edgepedia.org/principal-photography) ran from June 27, 1994 to August 31, 1994.[11](https://www.joblo.com/what-happened-to-bad-boys/) Miami locations included the Biltmore Hotel, The Tides Hotel on [South Beach](https://www.edgepedia.org/south-beach), and Opa-Locka Airport; the police station was filmed on the second floor of the Alfred DuPoint building in downtown Miami, police headquarters at the Dade County Courthouse, and the heroin-lab scenes on a cargo ship docked on the [Miami River](https://www.edgepedia.org/miami-river-florida).[11](https://www.joblo.com/what-happened-to-bad-boys/) Bay later credited the production hardships on *Bad Boys* with birthing the chaotic run-and-gun editing style that became a trademark of his filmmaking.[13](https://www.fandango.com/movie-news/interview-michael-bay-on-how-bad-boys-the-rock-and-armageddon-helped-shape-him-as-a-filmmaker-752403)
## Reception
**Box office.** The film opened at number one on the domestic chart, generating $15,523,358 in its opening weekend in 2,132 theaters.[3](https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/Bad-Boys) It went on to earn $65,807,024 domestically (46.5% of the total) and $75,600,000 internationally, for a worldwide total of $141,407,024.[2](https://www.boxofficemojo.com/title/tt0112442/) The Numbers lists a slightly different worldwide figure, $141,237,842, against a $23 million production budget, and reports an opening weekend share of 23.7% of the total gross and a 4.23 multiple of the biggest weekend.[3](https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/Bad-Boys) In Spain, where the film was released as *Dos policías rebeldes* on October 10, 1995, it sold 1,264,377 admissions and grossed €3,734,226.78.[14](https://sede.mcu.gob.es/CatalogoICAA/en-us/Peliculas/Detalle?Pelicula=55495&q=true)
**Critical response.** Reviews divided over the same qualities. Roger Ebert, the [Chicago Sun-Times](https://www.edgepedia.org/chicago-sun-times) critic and 1975 [Pulitzer Prize](https://www.edgepedia.org/pulitzer-prize) winner, gave the film two stars, writing that it "tries with all the energy at its command to redeem an exhausted story with sheer technique" and calling the plot a jigsaw puzzle assembled from *48 HRS.*, *Internal Affairs*, *Beverly Hills Cop*, and *Lethal Weapon*.[15](https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/bad-boys-1995) Mick LaSalle of the [San Francisco Chronicle](https://www.edgepedia.org/san-francisco-chronicle) praised the chemistry of the leads, writing that as long as Smith and Lawrence were on screen together "things breeze along," but found the identity-switch subplot beaten to death.[9](https://www.sfchronicle.com/movies/article/Chemistry-Keeps-Bad-Boys-From-Blowing-Up-3038022.php) Peter Travers of Rolling Stone scored it 63 and wrote that the two leads "achieve something a budget can't buy: an easy, natural rapport that makes you root for them."[8](https://www.metacritic.com/movie/bad-boys/) On Metacritic the film scored 41 out of 100 from 24 critics, classified as mixed or average, with 21% positive, 54% mixed, and 25% negative reviews; Rotten Tomatoes later recorded a 46% Tomatometer from 70 reviews, with the consensus that the stars' chemistry is too often drowned out by set pieces and explosions.[8](https://www.metacritic.com/movie/bad-boys/) • [7](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/1062483-bad_boys) Audiences were warmer: opening-night audiences gave the film an A CinemaScore.[16](https://movie.guru/bad-boys-movie-review)
**Runtime.** Sources disagree on the running time: the AFI Catalog lists 106 minutes, [Box Office Mojo](https://www.edgepedia.org/box-office-mojo) lists 1 hour 59 minutes, and Ebert's review gives 126 minutes.[5](https://catalog.afi.com/Film/55733-BAD-BOYS?cp=1&cxt=Filmography1&pos=3&sid=85abd09e-d0bd-4c92-b433-e2c02798d780&sr=0.1339755) • [2](https://www.boxofficemojo.com/title/tt0112442/) • [15](https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/bad-boys-1995)
## References
1. [BAD BOYS, Sony Pictures Entertainment](https://www.sonypictures.com/movies/badboys)
2. [Bad Boys (1995), Box Office Mojo](https://www.boxofficemojo.com/title/tt0112442/)
3. [Bad Boys (1995), Box Office and Financial Information, The Numbers](https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/Bad-Boys)
4. [Bad Boys Franchise Box Office History, The Numbers](https://www.the-numbers.com/movies/franchise/Bad-Boys)
5. [Bad Boys (1995), AFI Catalog](https://catalog.afi.com/Film/55733-BAD-BOYS?cp=1&cxt=Filmography1&pos=3&sid=85abd09e-d0bd-4c92-b433-e2c02798d780&sr=0.1339755)
6. [Bad Boys: 22 Easter Eggs and Trivia from the Ultimate '90s Action Movie, GameSpot](https://www.gamespot.com/gallery/bad-boys-22-easter-eggs-and-trivia-from-the-ultima/2900-3485/)
7. [Bad Boys, Rotten Tomatoes](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/1062483-bad_boys)
8. [Bad Boys Critic Reviews, Metacritic](https://www.metacritic.com/movie/bad-boys/)
9. [Chemistry Keeps 'Bad Boys' From Blowing Up, San Francisco Chronicle, April 7, 1995](https://www.sfchronicle.com/movies/article/Chemistry-Keeps-Bad-Boys-From-Blowing-Up-3038022.php)
10. [BAD BOYS – HARTE JUNGS, Sony Pictures Germany](https://www.sonypictures.de/filme/bad-boys-harte-jungs)
11. [What Happened to Bad Boys?, JoBlo](https://www.joblo.com/what-happened-to-bad-boys/)
12. [When Disaster Strikes at the Box Office, Library of Congress](https://tile.loc.gov/storage-services/master/gdc/gdcebookspublic/20/20/71/84/98/2020718498/2020718498.pdf)
13. [Interview: Michael Bay on How 'Bad Boys,' 'The Rock' and 'Armageddon' Helped Shape Him as a Filmmaker, Fandango](https://www.fandango.com/movie-news/interview-michael-bay-on-how-bad-boys-the-rock-and-armageddon-helped-shape-him-as-a-filmmaker-752403)
14. [Dos policías rebeldes (Bad Boys), ICAA Film Database, Spanish Ministry of Culture](https://sede.mcu.gob.es/CatalogoICAA/en-us/Peliculas/Detalle?Pelicula=55495&q=true)
15. [Bad Boys movie review, Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times, April 7, 1995](https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/bad-boys-1995)
16. [Bad Boys (1995), movie.guru](https://movie.guru/bad-boys-movie-review)
17. [5 movies like 'The Wrecking Crew' to watch after the Prime Video buddy action comedy, Tom's Guide](https://www.tomsguide.com/entertainment/streaming/5-movies-like-the-wrecking-crew-to-watch-after-the-prime-video-buddy-action-comedy)
18. [Michael Bay may return to helm a "new version" of the franchise after leaving Netflix crime thriller Fast and Loose, GamesRadar](https://www.gamesradar.com/entertainment/thriller-movies/transformers-director-michael-bay-may-return-to-helm-a-new-version-of-the-franchise-after-leaving-netflix-crime-thriller-fast-and-loose/)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Films and standalone screen works › Individual films by title and year › Action and adventure films (individual works) › Action comedies › Action comedies, 1970s to 1990s*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 3, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 3, 2026; Oct 25, 2026; Nov 1, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
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