MIAMI (WSVN) - South Florida rolled out the red carpet for the premiere of the new action movie “Bad Boys: Ride or Die.”
The highly anticipated sequel puts South Florida in the spotlight, as parts of it were filmed in downtown Miami.
After months of people standing on the sidewalks of Miami to catch a glimpse of the stars, they can finally see the movie on the big screen.
The stars of the movie, Will Smith and Martin Lawrence, appeared on the red carpet on Wednesday night ahead of the big premiere at the Silverspot Cinema, located along Southeast Third Street.
“This is where we got started. You know, Martin and I made our careers on the first ‘Bad Boys’ here in Miami,” said Smith.
The duo said their performance in this latest film takes the cake.
“We just got better like fine wine,” said Lawrence.
“Like fine wine!” said Smith.
The charismatic duo took over the streets of South Florida, doing stunts on the bridges of Fort Lauderdale as they filmed the action movie.
Months later, they cruised down the red carpet.
The fourth movie in the franchise returned to the streets of Miami with some star-studded appearances from local stars, including Miami’s biggest athletes.
“Jimmy Butler is reportedly considering leaving the Miami Heat,” said a newscaster in the film.
“I want to be a bad boy,” said Jimmy Butler.
Jimmy Butler and Lionel Messi made guest appearances in the movie.
Miami Heat fans, however, prefer Jimmy sticks to the hardwood.
“Bad boys don’t just kick the door open, they kick it and you gotta say something cool,” said Will Smith (as Mike Lowrey).
“You had me at hello” said Jimmy Butler.
“Did he do a romantic comedy quote?” said Will Smith (as Mike Lowrey).
Unfortunately, Butler’s good boy performance did not make the final cut.
Messi also tried to join the team of bad boys.
“Hey, man,” said Will Smith (as Mike Lowrey).
“Bad boys?” said Messi.
Back at the Silverspot, moviegoers swarmed the stars as they walked down the carpet.
“Miami is the third bad boy,” said Smith.
But before arriving on the carpet, Smith and Lawrence threw the first pitch at the Marlins game.
Also on the red carpet was cast member Gabriel “G-Rod” Rodriguez, who is a full-time bad boy.
Born and raised in Miami, he’s known for his stunts in the movie, but now he’s got the gear on to prove it.
“So my tricep snapped,” said Rodriguez.
Rodriguez said he broke his tricep while filming.
“It was intense, but no regrets. I had surgery three weeks ago,” said Rodriguez.
One could say that the arm brace adds to the realistic effect of the movie.
But for sure, nothing is fake about these stars’ love for the city of Miami.
“Whenever we’re shooting and whenever we’re creating, we want it to feel like a love letter to Miami. We want the people who love Miami to feel like the bridge traffic was worth it,” said Smith.
For those who can’t make it to the premiere on Wednesday, the movie will open in theaters on Friday.
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