A few years back the heaviest Hollywood hitters (actor-wise) were Tom Cruise, Tom Hanks, and Mel Gibson. Nowadays it’s guys called Ben Stiller and Johnny Depp — both of whom are trying to catch up with the $4.4 billion dollar man: Will Smith.
Seems that, according to MSNBC, Mr. Smith is in a class completely by himself. (They say his movies make more than Adam Sandler‘s and Will Ferrell‘s combined … and that’s pretty damn amazing.) Crossing demographics is what Will Smith seems to do best: "He’s the black Jimmy Stewart," says an industry insider. "He invites the white community in, yet he’s credible with the black community."
Unlike many of his high-profile and mega-bankable colleagues, Smith crosses genres as easily as he demolishes the box office. Comedies, action flicks, sci-fi adventures, dramatic films… The guy gets his finger in a lot of different pies. And he’s consistent, too. (He hasn’t had a real bomb since "Wild Wild West" — and even that flick managed to gross over $220 million worldwide.
For the record, here are the worldwide numbers for Will Smith’s last several movies:
"The Pursuit of Happyness" (2006) — $302m
"Hitch" (2005) — $368m
"Shark Tale" (2004) — $363m
"I, Robot" (2004) — $347m
"Bad Boys 2" (2003) — $273m
"Men in Black 2" (2002) — $441m
"Ali" (2001) — $87m
"The Legend of Bagger Vance" (2000) — $39m
"Wild Wild West" (1999) — $222m
"Enemy of the State" (1998) — $250m
"Men in Black" (1997) — $589m
"Independence Day" (1996) — $816m
"Bad Boys" — (1995) $141m
Not bad for a kid from Philadelphia.
Sources: MSNBC.com, Box Office Mojo
