Is Will Smith Losing His Star Power?

Will Smith: Is he back? Or has his time out of the spotlight permanently faded his star?

It’s a question that seems to be on many a mind after the disappointing opening of Smith’s return to the big screen that is Men In Black 3.  Following a three year absence from appearing in films, Big Willie’s triumphant return comes in the form of a lukewarm sequel, 10 years after the previous installment.  MIB3’s $54.6 million debut, while besting the rest of the franchise’s opening numbers, was a disappointment.

With a budget of $230 million, the third installment of the Men In Black movies relied heavily on the allure of Smith and nostalgia to bring in buku bucks.  And MIB3 will not be the only film to take this approach: Hancock 2, Bad Boys 3, I Am Legend 2, and I, Robot 2 are all in the works.  At some point Smith and the studios will have to notice the decline in interest that audiences have in these retreads, reboots, and repeats.  So is Will Smith fading? Or is it simply an arrogant belief that people want sequels to mediocre films? My suggestion to Smith: instead of focusing on little-loved franchises, continue molding your children into the next generation of superstars. The audience will probably never grow tired of that.