Bad Boys for Life Showbiz and Celebrity Breaking News

Will Smith was still a Fresh Prince back in 1995 when the first Bad Boys feature film rolled around, and maybe that goes somewhere to explaining his loyalty to the franchise. Outside Men In Black, Smith hasn’t exactly embraced the franchise life despite being such a huge box office draw.

After skipping “Independence Day 2” and the latest reboot of “Men in Black,” returning to the “Bad Boys” franchise — which began 25 years ago — was a simple decision for Will Smith.

“Bad Boys for Life” is the sort of thing I suspect we’re going to be seeing more and more of: the sequel to a long-done franchise that may now be an all-too-obvious cash grab and infusion of movie-star brand enhancement, but doesn’t play like one. Will Smith and Martin Lawrence bring their A game; they never let us feel like they’re going through the motions. The marks may be standard issue, but they hit them with fury and flair.

The franchise could have looked differently.

In this week’s edition of the Variety Movie Commercial Tracker, powered by the always-on TV ad measurement and attribution company iSpot.tv, Universal Pictures claims the top spot in spending with “Dolittle.”

In this week’s edition of the Variety Movie Commercial Tracker, powered by the always-on TV ad measurement and attribution company iSpot.tv, Universal Pictures claims the top spot in spending with “1917.”