The Culture

Will Smith's Incredible Comeback

By H. Alan Scott

On Friday, I pondered whether Will Smith's post-slap comeback film, Bad Boys: Ride or Die, would be a success, and guess what? It was. A big one. The film pumped some much-needed life into Smith's career and the box office over the weekend, taking in $56 million. Not only does this prove Hollywood is ready to forgive Smith for the Oscar's slap, but it also might be a sign that the curse of the summer box office is over.

Let's start with the slap. Nothing makes Hollywood say "I'm sorry" more than money, and Will Smith delivered on that front. The fact that Bad Boys did as well as it did shows that Hollywood is not only ready to forgive Smith, but also throw more work his way. The actor has more than 10 projects in some state of development, including a sequel to Hancock, so it's clear we're going to see a lot more of Smith in the years to come. And can I be honest? I'm so glad Smith is back. He's such a unique talent that always seems to deliver. I mean sure, is his marriage to Jada Pinkett Smith weird? Yes. But hopefully, they'll stop talking so much about that and just go back to being what we want them to be, movie stars. (Not to be rude or anything, but we legit don't care about their marriage or even thoughts on most issues. Just make movies. Thanks!)

On the box office front, the success of Bad Boys is so, so needed. Ticket sales have been down at an alarming rate, all due to the 2023 writer and actor's strike and just a lack of interest from audience goers. It seems post-pandemic, more and more people would rather watch films at home than at the movie theater, likely due to costs and just convenience. (And I get it, I like watching movies at home, but nothing compares to seeing a movie in a movie theater. Something needs to be done to save that experience.) The real test now is how will Bad Boys continue to do? Doing well the first week is great, so did other films recently released, but then they started to peter out in the weeks that followed. Time will tell on that front, but I can tell you this, Hollywood is going to make sure you know Will Smith is back so that you keep going to the movies! That's because there are a slew of other films coming out that are banking on riding the coattails of Bad Boys' success, including Inside Out 2, A Quiet Place: Day One and Twisters. I'll be watching how these do, and you know I'll be telling you all about it.

Let's go over what else is poppin' in the world of pop culture...

• Another day, another, "Are Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck breaking up?" story. They just keep piling on more and more tea for us to speculate. This week's tea: TMZ reported they're selling their $60 million dollar Los Angeles home. If Barbara Walters were alive, she'd buy the house just to get them to give her an interview. Like, we all just want to know what's up.
• Country music star Maren Morris came out as bisexual this weekend in a post on Instagram. Posting for Pride, the singer said, "happy to be the B in LGBTQ+ happy pride." Good for her.
• Are you watching this season of Real Housewives of New Jersey? If you are, then you know all about this reunion news. In a break from tradition, they're splitting up the reunion because of tensions with the cast. Knowing that makes each episode leading up to it an event, because a big fight is clearly on the way. Every Sunday I tune into Bravo being like, "Is it today? Will I find out why they can't reunion together? Oh please let it be today." I'm obsessed.

That's it for me today. Keep scrolling for more entertainment news. I'll be back with more on Wednesday.