How Much Will Smith & Martin Lawrence Were Paid For All 4 Bad Boys Movies

Will Smith and Martin Lawrence have starred in the Bad Boys franchise since the ’90s and were paid hefty salaries for their portrayals. With Smith portraying Detective Mike Lowrey and Lawrence playing Detective Marcus Burnett, the pair have made their mark with the Bad Boys franchise grossing over $1 billion at the global box offices. The pair, both celebrated stars, were high earners through their tenure in Hollywood.

The stars and the film saw success after the initial 1995 Bad Boys release, and it bolstered the stars’ earning potential for the next film. While scheduling and creative disputes within the cast and crew almost led to the end of the franchise, both actors returned for the sequels to much-improved salaries. The fourth installment of the franchise finds Will Smith and Martin Lawrence reprising their roles to make more Bad Boys movies, resulting in questions about how much each has been paid.

(Will Smith as Mike Lowre and Martin Lawrence as Marcus Burnett from Bad Boys Ride or Die

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Will Smith Made $22 Million For The First Two Bad Boys Movies

He Made $20 Million From Bad Boys II Alone

At the release of the first Bad Boys movie, Smith was still making a name for himself in Hollywood and was less in demand than his co-star, Martin Lawrence. It is reported that Smith made $2 million for the first film (via Celebrity Worth), a considerably low number compared to his salary for the other Bad Boys films. Even after the wild success of the first film, Bad Boys II took eight years to be released, giving Smith time to grow as an actor.

His reputation and the success of the film garnered him a hefty increase landing him a reported $20M for the sequel role. The massive jump between Bad Boys and Bad Boys II for Will Smith’s salary came due to his status as a certifiable box office draw after Bad Boys, Independence Day, and Men in Black all hit, leading to him making $14M for Enemy of the State. This helped make Bad Boys II Will Smith’s third movie to pay him $20 million, following Ali and Men in Black II.

Will Smith Made $17 Million For Bad Boys For Life

He Took A Small Pay Cut

Will Smith’s Bad Boys for Life salary went down compared to his prior appearance. It is common for actors to make more on sequels, or at least maintain the previous payday. But with Bad Boys for Life taking 17 years to be made, the star’s box office reliability had become less guaranteed. This led Sony to pay Will Smith $17M for his role in Bad Boys for Life (via Yahoo! Finance), which is $3 million less than his base pay for the previous film.

Smith’s reported Bad Boys for Life salary falls in between his smallest and biggest paydays. He made $12.5M for Gemini Man the year before returning to Bad Boys. The actor had previously hauled in $20M for Aladdin, $27M for Bright, and another $20M for Suicide Squad. It’s unknown if Will Smith negotiated for a percentage of Bad Boys for Life‘s $426.5M box office haul. If not, the third film brought Will Smith’s total Bad Boys pay to $39M.

Will Smith Made $25 Million For Bad Boys: Ride Or Die

His Highest Salary In The Franchise

The success of Bad Boys for Life allowed Will Smith to get an even bigger payday for Bad Boys: Ride or Die. The fourth installment gave Will Smith a $25M salary (via Variety), which is a new record for him in the franchise. This means that Will Smith has made $64M from all four Bad Boys movies over the years. That’s an average of $16M per movie.

Movie	Will Smith Salary
Bad Boys	$2 million
Bad Boys II	$20 million
Bad Boys for Life	$17 million
Bad Boys: Ride or Die	$25 million

Bad Boys: Ride or Die now joins a list of Will Smith’s biggest paydays. The $25M salary is the same amount he made on I Am Legend. He did reportedly make $40M from King Richard and After Earth, and he made $71.6M from The Pursuit of Happiness thanks to a combination of his base pay and box office profits. Still, none of these movies compare to Will Smith’s biggest salary when he made over $100M for Men in Black 3.

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Martin Lawrence Made $32M For The First 3 Bad Boys Movies

His Pay Has Fluctuated

Martin Lawrence was one of the highest-paid actors at the turn of the millennium, averaging two movies per year (and running successful TV series) from 1991 to the 2003 release of Bad Boys II. His reputation is what reportedly got him a $6M payday for the original Bad Boys film—$4M more than Will Smith. After returning for the sequel, Lawrence also received a lofty raise matching Smith’s $20M salary.

When Bad Boys for Life was released, Lawrence took home an estimated $6M for his role in the film, making around $11M less than Smith and proving the fickleness of Hollywood. The disparity came as a result of the actor not remaining very active. Bad Boys for Life was his first movie in nine years after a series of misfires and disappointments. The $6M payday brought his total pay for the franchise to $32M.

Martin Lawrence’s Bad Boys 4 Salary Is Not Confirmed

It May Match Bad Boys For Life

Whereas Will Smith’s salary for the fourth film is known, there is no confirmation of how much Martin Lawrence was paid for Bad Boys: Ride or Die. It is expected that the actor made at least as much as he did in Bad Boys for Life, but he also could have received a raise, like Smith did, following the previous film’s success. The potential range for Lawrence’s salary could be between $6M and $15M depending on a variety of factors.