WILL Smith’s fans have insisted the actor was never canceled for slapping Chris Rock as his new Bad Boys movie topped the box office.
Bad Boys: Ride or Die marked Will’s career comeback after he accosted Chris onstage at the Oscars in 2022.
The fourth installment in the franchise has claimed the number 1 spot after raking in $56 million domestically and $104.6 million globally in its opening weekend.
The latest Sony offering earned an A- CinemaScore in North America alongside generally positive reviews.
Will and Martin Lawrence returned as Miami cops Mike Lowrey and Marcus Burnett in Bad Boys 4.
The $100 million movie centered around them going on the run after their late police captain was linked to drug cartels, and their attempt to clear his name.
It is the follow-up to Bad Boys for Life, which opened to $62 million domestically in 2022 and earned $426 million at the global box office before theaters were shut due to the pandemic.
Will’s fans flooded social media with praise after the action blockbuster’s success.
“I love how we all collectively agreed that Will Smith was never canceled and we don’t give a f**k about the slap,” one wrote on X, formerly Twitter.
“We didn’t cancel him, but we did give him a time out in the corner. I’m happy to see Will back and doing great,” another added.
“I’m glad this movie is gonna put him back on track with his career and this proves everyone still loves Will Smith we’re human we mess up sometimes,” a third posted.
“Proof that everybody still likes Will Smith,” someone else commented.
Oscars 2022: Will Smith PUNCHES Chris Rock at Oscars and yells ‘keep my wife’s name out of your f**king mouth’
Will caused global outrage when he slapped host Chris Rock at the 94th Academy Awards on March 27, 2022.
The actor hit Chris after the comedian made a joke about his wife, Jada Pinkett Smith’s shaved head.
He then returned to his seat and yelled, “Keep my wife’s name out your f**king mouth!”
Will appeared to poke fun at the incident in a scene in Bad Boys: Ride or Die where his character was repeatedly slapped by Martin Lawrence’s character.
Inside the Will Smith Oscars slap drama
WILL Smith took to the stage at the 94th Academy Awards to slap the awards show’s host, Chris Rock, across the face on March 27, 2022,
While Chris had made a joke about Jada Pinkett Smith’s shaved head while presenting the award for Best Documentary Feature.
Will wasn’t happy with the joke about his wife and came on stage to hit Chris across the face once.
The actor then returned to his seat and shouted profanities at Chris from the audience.
“Keep my wife’s name out your f**king mouth!” Will shouted from his seat.
“I’m going to, okay?” Chris responded before continuing on with the show.
Less than an hour later, Will won the award for Best Actor for his portrayal of Richard Williams in King Richard.
The next day, Will apologized for the incident on social media, calling his behavior “unacceptable” and “inexcusable.”
He went on to resign from the Academy. He was then banned from attending the Oscars or any other Academy event for 10 years.
Marcus hit Mike multiple times to get him to snap out of it when he panicked in the middle of an action scene.
Variety’s chief film critic Owen Gleiberman said the scene “punishes” Will and “makes cruel fun” of the incident, allowing him to “crawl out from the image of it.”
CAREER COMEBACK
Ahead of the movie’s release, The U.S. Sun exclusively revealed that Will is hoping the new installment will jumpstart his Hollywood comeback.
“The slap is still a bit of an elephant in the room and Will is going to tackle it head-on. People love a redemption story and Will has done a lot of work on himself,” an insider said.
The source added that Will has a “huge fan base” who want him “back in the action.”
Chris addressed the slap incident at a comedy event in 2022, saying, “Anyone who says ‘words hurt’ has never been punched in the face.”
He added that he is “not a victim” and wouldn’t “go to the hospital for a paper cut.”
