Movies News Talk
Smith was still establishing himself in Hollywood and less in demand than his co-star, Martin Lawrence, at the opening of the first Bad Boys film. According to Celebrity Worth, Smith made $2 million for the first movie—a shockingly low sum given his pay for the other Bad Boys films. Bad Boys II took eight years to premiere, giving Smith time to develop as an actor even after the original movie had enormous success.
His name and the popularity of the movie helped him to get a big raise fetching him a reputed $20M for the sequel part. After Bad Boys, Independence Day, and Men in Black all hit, Will Smith's standing as a certifiable Box Office draw caused a significant pay difference between Bad Boys and Bad Boys II. He made $14M for Enemy of the State. Following Ali and Men in Black II, this helped make Bad Boys II Will Smith's third film paying him $20 million.
Will Smith's Bad Boys for Life pay dropped from his previous appearance. Actors often make more on sequels, or at least keep the old salary. But with Bad Boys for Life taking 17 years to be produced, the star's Box Office dependability had grown less assured. This resulted in Sony paying Will Smith $17 million for his performance in Bad Boys for Life (via Yahoo! Finance), $3 million less than his base salary for the prior movie.
Smith's rumored Bad Boys for Life remuneration falls between his smallest and largest paydays. He made $12.5M with Gemini Man the year before coming back to Bad Boys. For Aladdin, the actor had already brought in $20 million; for Bright, $27 million; and still another $20 million for Suicide Squad. Whether Will Smith negotiated for a cut of Bad Boys for Life's $426.5M Box Office profit is unknown. If not, the third movie brought Will Smith's whole Bad Boys compensation to $39M.
Bad Boys for Life's popularity let Will Smith secure an even more larger paycheck for Bad Boys: Ride or Die. Via Variety, the fourth installment paid Will Smith $25 million, a fresh record for him in the franchise. From all four Bad Boys films throughout the years, Will Smith has thus grossed $64M. That comes to $16M on average per film.
Ride or Die now adds to a list of Will Smith's highest payouts. He earned the same $25 million for I Am Legend. Thanks to a mix of his base income and box office earnings, he did allegedly earned $40M from King Richard and After Earth and $71.6M from The Pursuit of Happiness. Still, none of these films match Will Smith's highest pay when he made over $100M for Men in Black 3.
Running popular TV shows from 1991 to the 2003 release of Bad Boys II, Martin Lawrence was among the most paid actors at the turn of the millennium averaging two movies annually. His popularity is what apparently brought him a $6 million payout for the original Bad Boys movie—$4 million more than Will Smith. Lawrence also got a nice boost commensurate with Smith's $20 million pay upon returning for the sequel.
Lawrence brought home an estimated $6M for his performance in Bad Boys for Life, so confirming the volatility of Hollywood and less than Smith. The actor's lack of highly active participation caused the difference. His first film in nine years following a string of misfires and disappointments was Bad Boys for Life. His overall franchise salary from the $6M payday came to $32M.
While Will Smith's pay for the fourth movie is known, it is not clear how much Martin Lawrence received for Bad Boys: Ride or Die. Though he may have gotten a raise, like Smith did, following the success of the last movie, the actor is anticipated to have made at least as much as he did in Bad Boys for Life. Depending on a lot of variables, Lawrence's pay might fall anywhere from $6M to $15M.
Sources: Variance, Yahoo! Finance, Celebrity Worth
Since the '90s, Will Smith and Martin Lawrence have starred in the Bad Boys series and received large compensation for their performances. Smith plays Detective Mike Lowrey and Lawrence plays Detective Marcus Burnett, and together the Bad Boys series garnering over $1 billion at the worldwide box offices has left its mark. Over their careers in Hollywood, the pair—both recognized stars—were high earners.
Following the first Bad Boys release in 1995, the movie and the cast saw popularity and helped to increase their earning potential for the next project. Although creative conflicts and scheduling among the cast and crew almost brought about the death of the franchise, both performers returned for the sequel with much-better pay. The fourth film in the series sees Martin Lawrence and Will Smith returning to perform additional Bad Boys films, raising issues on their pay scale.