DAILY DOSE OF HOPE – BLOG – NAIMA LETT
Why Didn’t We See Will Smith’s After Earth?
© NaimaLett.com/blog

© Sony’s After Earth starring Will Smith & Jaden Smith

Will Smith’s film After Earth opened at $27.5 million in 3rd place.
That’s a 1st (in 20 years).

For indie filmmakers like Tyler Perry/Madea, a $27.5 million opener is a major success.

But for 2-time Academy Award nominee Will Smith, who produced and co-starred in After Earth and actually conceived the film idea as a trilogy vehicle for his son Jaden while producing the re-make of The Karate Kid in China, $27.5 million is a hugely-discussed failure.

Most Bankable Star

The reason for this perceived difference is that Will Smith has been Hollywood’s “most bankable” star for over a decade.

Here are some of the numbers reported before After Earth.

Will Smith has been the:
– only actor with 8 consecutive films (which he stars) opening at #1 in US
– only actor with 8 consecutive blockbusters: films grossing over $100 million in US
– only actor with 10 consecutive films grossing over $150 million internationally
– 16 of his 20 fiction films grossed over $100 million worldwide
– 4 of his films grossed over $500 million worldwide
– $6.36 billion = total global box office gross of his films

That’s a lot of bank.

So, Why Didn’t We Go?

There’s a lot of speculation out there as to why only $27.5 million worth of tickets were bought this weekend for a film that cost $130 million, including the hit/miss record lately of director M. Night Shyamalan, but I think the biggest reason that audiences didn’t go to see After Earth was the story simply wasn’t very appealing.

When I saw the trailer, I wasn’t moved. I didn’t want to see Will and Jaden, with questionable accents, fight digitized baboons from the future. And they looked so sad and serious.

Will’s Appeal

Will’s appeal has always been his likability. As one reviewer noted, “Lighten up. Will Smith, you’ re supposed to be fun.”

Will’s interview and reunion with Alphonso Ribeiro that I shared in the post, Best, Fun Reunion!, was hilarious and amassed almost 15 million hits on YouTube. Why? Because that’s the Will Smith his audience wants to see. Will still has the top grossing romantic comedy of the last decade, Hitch, which grossed over $179 million. Will’s core appeal is the fact that he makes us smile.

© Fresh Prince Will Smith and Alphonso Ribeiro aka Carlton reunite and dance.

Transitions

Will transitioned from 6 years on The Fresh Prince of Bel Air to box office superstar fighting aliens because he had a quality that allowed audiences to laugh with him or root for him. This doesn’t mean he couldn’t do serious roles for Oscar consideration i.e. Ali and Pursuit of Happyness. But it means that this last attempt lost the Will Smith who audiences want to pay $13-20 to see.

Plus, there have been so many strange articles about family rearing and millions given to Scientology. Folks are tired. It might be great to take the Denzel route and enjoy your family and a normal life and only do press tours when there’s a film coming out.

Comeback

The theologian in Ecclesiastes 3:1 surmises that “There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens.” Maybe this isn’t the season for a somber science fiction father/son flick about fighting the elements of a post-apocalyptic earth.

If nothing else, this prepares Will for a major comeback! Which shouldn’t be that hard with Bad Boys 3, Hancock 2 and I, Robot 2 set to come out over the next few years.

What do you think about After Earth?
Did you see the film?
If not, why didn’t you go?
Naima

Rev. Naima Lett, D.MIN, ABD
Author of coming release Confessions of a Hollywood Christian

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