

#DAY ONE MOVIE MOVIE#
Night Shyamalan–directed “After Earth.” Starring Smith and son Jaden Smith, the movie was savaged by critics, and remains his worst-rated title, scoring an 11-percent Rotten rating. That moment would come in 2013, after the critical and commercial debacle of the M.
#DAY ONE MOVIE SERIES#
He had seemingly “transcended” race, and for a Black actor, was in rare company.īut life is a series of peaks and valleys, so it was maybe only a matter of time before Smith would have to contend with the reality that he was a mere mortal, not a box office god. Smith quickly became one of Hollywood’s most bankable actors and an international superstar, known for relatively safe, cinematic spectacle with broad appeal. While the other guy’s eating? I’m working.”Īnd all that hard work paid off. You know, while the other guy’s sleeping? I’m working. And where I excel is ridiculous, sickening, work ethic.

“I’ve viewed myself as slightly above average in talent. “I’ve never really viewed myself as particularly talented,” the then-39-year-old actor said to “60 Minutes” in a 2007 profile. Over the following decade, the vast majority of the movies he starred in met those requirements - high budget, high concept projects, typically released in the summer, with the potential to make a lot of money: the “Men in Black” and “Bad Boys” franchises, “Independence Day,” “I Am Legend,” “Enemy of the State,” and even poorly reviewed movies like “Hancock,” which was made for $150 million and grossed over $600 million worldwide. Then the actor reconsidered his career objectives, realizing how important box office was to longevity, and researched what ingredients were necessary to turn movies into blockbusters. Smith’s initial foray into the movie business included supporting roles in “Where the Day Takes You” (1992), “Made in America” (1993), and a co-lead role in “Six Degrees of Separation” (1993): dramas that drew some critical acclaim but yielded very limited box office. Three decades into his career, Will Smith remains one of the most successful actors of his generation and one unafraid to continue to pursue the possibility of blockbuster domination alongside smaller projects only he could make happen.
