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Forbes: "MIB3 disappoints at Box Office"
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It used to be, for about a decade, that Will Smith was a sure thing at the box office– especially on holiday weekends. “Independence Day,” plus the first two “Men in Black” movies, set off July 4th fireworks when they were released. As recently as July 4, 2008 Smith had a blockbuster in “Hancock,” which was sort of awful but a smash hit nonetheless.
But times change, so do tastes, and movie stars have to realign themselves. “Men in Black 3,” which opened yesterday in as many theatres as Sony could find, is not getting a lot of great box office prognosis. The low is seen at $75 million for the four day Memorial Day weekend. The high–and this would be very lucky– is at $85 million.
That’s not a lot considering “MIB3″ cost at least $250 million. Also, the box office totals are artificially inflated by 3D ticket prices. These 3D movies are like baseball players on steroids trying to claim new home run records. The numbers look good in the announcements, but when things calm down, you can see it’s fewer fans at higher prices.
Smith had a happy go lucky vibe for years with audiences. But things changed in December 2008 with a terrible movie called “Seven Pounds.” The film was a dud. Smith took on a kind of Messianic presence–suddenly he knew how to save the world. It was the character, but it bled through to the actor. Something went terribly wrong. The whole thing may have been Smith thinking that his much admired work in “Pursuit of Happyness”, the year before, was real.
Add to this endless tabloid stories about his marriage and his homelife. Then are the Scientology connections, and Smith’s sudden PR-image driven friendship with Tom Cruise. Smith and wife Jada Pinkett Smith then opened their own private school in Calabasas, California that teaches Scientology study methods. His image was starting to get a little wonky.
“MIB3″ will still be number 1 for the weekend. It’s dethroning “The Avengers,” which was a force of nature and marketing. But a soft number 1 means a lot, too. A lot has happened to Smith and the pop world in three and a half years. But let me say this: with all of that, Will Smith is still the nicest guy you could hope to meet. He has always been a pleasure for the press. Everyone likes him. He’s so polite, present and “in the moment.” It just may time for a rethink about where to go from here.
One curious thing about “MIB3″: there was no screening in Cannes, and no promotion for the film. Usually when a blockbuster is coming around Cannes time, the film is featured all over the Croisette. Sony really laid it on thick for “The Da Vinci Code” several years ago, and it worked. This year, even Sacha Baron Cohen came to Cannes for “The Dictator” as it was opening around the world. A red carpet premiere and some kind of stunt would have given Cannes and the film each a jolt. But…nothing.
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