# Bad Boys for Life
**Bad Boys for Life** is a 2020 American action comedy and the third installment of the Bad Boys film series, reuniting [Will Smith](https://www.edgepedia.org/will-smith) and [Martin Lawrence](https://www.edgepedia.org/martin-lawrence) as Miami detectives Mike Lowrey and Marcus Burnett under the direction of [Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah](https://www.edgepedia.org/adil-el-arbi-and-bilall-fallah).[1](https://www.bfi.org.uk/film/c619405b-b290-54e0-a2f3-d2ffbe867b20/bad-boys-for-life) • [2](https://www.sonypictures.com/movies/badboysforlife) Released in the United States on January 17, 2020, it earned $424,471,663 worldwide on a $90,000,000 production budget and became the highest-grossing North American release of 2020 after the COVID-19 pandemic shut theaters in March.[3](https://www.the-numbers.com/movies/franchise/Bad-Boys) • [4](https://apnews.com/article/8331a0c6ec78edc60d5e4a3034514e42)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Release | January 17, 2020 (United States); January 31, 2020 (Japan)[5](https://www.boxofficemojo.com/franchise/fr692555525/) • [6](https://www.sonypictures.jp/corp/press/2019-10-18) |
| Directors | Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah[1](https://www.bfi.org.uk/film/c619405b-b290-54e0-a2f3-d2ffbe867b20/bad-boys-for-life) |
| Producers | Jerry Bruckheimer, Will Smith, and Doug Belgrad[1](https://www.bfi.org.uk/film/c619405b-b290-54e0-a2f3-d2ffbe867b20/bad-boys-for-life) |
| Running time | 124 minutes[1](https://www.bfi.org.uk/film/c619405b-b290-54e0-a2f3-d2ffbe867b20/bad-boys-for-life) |
| Box office | $62,504,105 opening weekend; $204,417,855 domestic; $424,471,663 worldwide on a $90,000,000 budget[3](https://www.the-numbers.com/movies/franchise/Bad-Boys) |
| Reception | 76% Tomatometer (270 reviews); 59 Metascore; A CinemaScore[7](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/bad_boys_for_life?fullsite=true) • [8](https://popcorngap.com/movie/bad_boys_for_life) • [9](https://mr.kuchewar.com/bad-boys-franchise/) |
| Franchise rank | First among the four Bad Boys films in domestic gross[5](https://www.boxofficemojo.com/franchise/fr692555525/) |
## Spoilers
### Premise and cast
The story follows the wife and son of a Mexican drug lord on a vengeful quest to kill everyone involved in his trial and imprisonment, including Miami Detective Mike Lowrey. When Mike is wounded, he teams with his partner Marcus Burnett and AMMO, a special tactical squad, to bring the culprits to justice; the old-school, wisecracking cops must learn to work with their new elite counterparts to take down the cartel that threatens their lives.[7](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/bad_boys_for_life?fullsite=true) [Jacob Scipio](https://www.edgepedia.org/jacob-scipio) plays Armando Armas, the vengeful son; the character returns as Mike's estranged, incarcerated son in the 2024 sequel.[7](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/bad_boys_for_life?fullsite=true) • [10](https://time.com/6986217/will-smith-bad-boys-ride-or-die/)
The supporting cast includes [Vanessa Hudgens](https://www.edgepedia.org/vanessa-hudgens), Alexander Ludwig, Charles Melton, Paola Nunez, Kate Del Castillo, Nicky Jam, and [Joe Pantoliano](https://www.edgepedia.org/joe-pantoliano).[11](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jKCj3XuPG8M) The screenplay is by [Joe Carnahan](https://www.edgepedia.org/joe-carnahan) and Chris Bremner, from a story by Peter Craig, Joe Carnahan, and Chris Bremner.[11](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jKCj3XuPG8M)
## Production
[Jerry Bruckheimer](https://www.edgepedia.org/jerry-bruckheimer) produced the film with Will Smith and Doug Belgrad.[1](https://www.bfi.org.uk/film/c619405b-b290-54e0-a2f3-d2ffbe867b20/bad-boys-for-life) Sony Pictures hired the directing duo Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah, whom Variety had named among its ten directors to watch in 2018, taking over a series that [Michael Bay](https://www.edgepedia.org/michael-bay) had directed in 1995 and 2003.[6](https://www.sonypictures.jp/corp/press/2019-10-18) [Principal photography](https://www.edgepedia.org/principal-photography) began in mid-January 2019 in Miami and Atlanta, with Mike Gunther and his team handling second-unit action direction.[12](https://www.backstage.com/resources/detail/productionlisting/bad-boys-for-life-86825/) • [13](https://www.5150action.com/bad-boys-for-life/)
## Box office
**Opening.** Bad Boys for Life opened at number one on January 17, 2020, taking $62,504,105 in its first weekend in 3,775 theaters.[5](https://www.boxofficemojo.com/franchise/fr692555525/) That debut exceeded the openings of both earlier installments: [Bad Boys II](https://www.edgepedia.org/bad-boys-ii) opened at $46,522,560 in 2003 and the original Bad Boys at $15,523,358 in 1995.[3](https://www.the-numbers.com/movies/franchise/Bad-Boys)
**Totals.** The film held well after its debut, reaching $204,417,855 domestically and $424,471,663 worldwide, roughly 3.3 times its opening weekend.[3](https://www.the-numbers.com/movies/franchise/Bad-Boys) • [8](https://popcorngap.com/movie/bad_boys_for_life) When the pandemic closed theaters two months after release, its $204 million domestic total stood as the highest-grossing North American release of 2020.[4](https://apnews.com/article/8331a0c6ec78edc60d5e4a3034514e42) It remains the franchise's domestic leader at $206,305,244, ahead of Bad Boys: Ride or Die ($193,573,217), Bad Boys II ($138,608,444), and Bad Boys ($65,807,024).[5](https://www.boxofficemojo.com/franchise/fr692555525/)
## Reception
Critics responded well. The film holds a 76% Tomatometer from 270 reviews on Rotten Tomatoes, where the critics consensus credits the action and the leads' charisma with reinvigorating the long-dormant franchise.[7](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/bad_boys_for_life?fullsite=true) It earned a Metascore of 59 on Metacritic and an A CinemaScore from opening audiences.[8](https://popcorngap.com/movie/bad_boys_for_life) • [9](https://mr.kuchewar.com/bad-boys-franchise/)
## Legacy
The film's success produced a direct sequel, Bad Boys: Ride or Die (2024), with Smith, Lawrence, producer Jerry Bruckheimer, and the same directors returning.[14](https://apnews.com/article/96f15b1a89b784d2e64420727437181d) The directors have said no plan for a fourth film existed while making this one; the box-office result changed that.[15](https://extra.ie/2024/06/03/entertainment/movies-tv/bad-boys-ireland) Ride or Die also built on characters introduced in Bad Boys for Life, including Armando and the AMMO team.[10](https://time.com/6986217/will-smith-bad-boys-ride-or-die/) • [16](https://www.thereadingorder.com/bad-boys-movies-in-order/amp/)
## References
1. [Bad Boys for Life (2020), British Film Institute](https://www.bfi.org.uk/film/c619405b-b290-54e0-a2f3-d2ffbe867b20/bad-boys-for-life)
2. [BAD BOYS FOR LIFE, Sony Pictures Entertainment](https://www.sonypictures.com/movies/badboysforlife)
3. [Box Office History for Bad Boys Movies, The Numbers](https://www.the-numbers.com/movies/franchise/Bad-Boys)
4. ['Bad Boys: Ride or Die' boosts Will Smith's comeback and the box office with $56 million opening, AP News](https://apnews.com/article/8331a0c6ec78edc60d5e4a3034514e42)
5. [Franchise: Bad Boys, Box Office Mojo](https://www.boxofficemojo.com/franchise/fr692555525/)
6. [『バッドボーイズ フォー・ライフ』日本公開日決定, Sony Pictures Japan](https://www.sonypictures.jp/corp/press/2019-10-18)
7. [Bad Boys for Life, Rotten Tomatoes](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/bad_boys_for_life?fullsite=true)
8. [Bad Boys for Life (2020), PopcornGap](https://popcorngap.com/movie/bad_boys_for_life)
9. [Bad Boys (franchise), kuchewar](https://mr.kuchewar.com/bad-boys-franchise/)
10. [There's Something Different About Will Smith, Time](https://time.com/6986217/will-smith-bad-boys-ride-or-die/)
11. [BAD BOYS FOR LIFE - Official Trailer, Sony Pictures Entertainment (YouTube)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jKCj3XuPG8M)
12. [Bad Boys for Life Production Listing, Backstage](https://www.backstage.com/resources/detail/productionlisting/bad-boys-for-life-86825/)
13. [Bad Boys For Life, 5150 Action](https://www.5150action.com/bad-boys-for-life/)
14. [Will Smith, Martin Lawrence reteaming for 'Bad Boys' sequel, AP News](https://apnews.com/article/96f15b1a89b784d2e64420727437181d)
15. [Exclusive: Bad Boys Ride or Die directors have dreams of bringing the franchise to Ireland, Extra.ie](https://extra.ie/2024/06/03/entertainment/movies-tv/bad-boys-ireland)
16. [Bad Boys Movies in Order: Complete Watch Guide, The Reading Order](https://www.thereadingorder.com/bad-boys-movies-in-order/amp/)
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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 › Franchise and series entries as standalone works › Action, thriller, and crime series film entries › Entries released 2020s and later*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 30, 2026; Oct 3, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Sep 30, 2026; Oct 3, 2026; Oct 25, 2026; Nov 1, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license