‘Bad Boys for Life’ Scores at Super Bowl Weekend Box Office

Bad Boys For Life topped the Super Bowl weekend box office, this time tackling the competition with an estimated $17.6 million, according to Comscore.

That’s three straight wins for the Sony action flick, and brings its total haul in North America to $148 million.

The sequel stars Will Smith and Martin Lawrence in their roles as detectives Mike Lowrey and Marcus Burnett. In this latest installment, the two are framed for corruption and forced to clear the name of their late Captain Conrad Howard, played by Joe Pantoliano.

Elsewhere, Universal’s awards season favorite 1917 added 50 locations and another $9.6 million this weekend for a second place finish.

Dolittle starring Robert Downey Jr. took third with $7.7 million.

Opening in fourth place was United Artists Releasing’s horror film Gretel & Hansel with $6.1 million. The new version of the classic fairytale had a modest $6 million production budget, so its opening wasn’t a complete nightmare. Rounding out the top 5 in its second weekend was Guy Ritchie’s The Gentlemen, with a very close $6 million.

Not even coming close to the top five was The Rhythm Section in tenth place. The action drama starring Blake Lively played in 3,049 theaters, and debuted with a dismal $2.8 million.

The film centers on a woman seeking revenge against the people who orchestrated a plane crash that killed her family. The cast includes Jude Law, Richard Brake, Max Casella, and Sterling K. Brown, with Reed Morano directing.

Critics pummeled the film, giving it a lousy 33 percent score on Rotten Tomatoes. Among the criticism — the movie is “unconvincing” and “can’t keep a beat.”

The Rhythm Section cost a reported $50 million to produce, making its opening even more of a financial miss.

The Paramount Pictures release now claims the title of worst opening ever for a film playing on 3,000 or more screens. New Line Cinema’s Hoot, which debuted with $3.4 million in 2006, previously held that dubious distinction.