Will Smith Is The Biggest Star In Hollywood

(No, I'm not referring to his ears.)

I'm talkin' box office.

BIG, critic-proof box office.

Actually.....that's been accepted fact in Hollywood for quite some time, but this weekend's 107 million box office take (Tuesday night through Sunday) for Hancock pretty much cemented his "good-as-gold" star status.

Some quotes from today's Variety.com:

Pic is the eighth Smith film in a row to open at No. 1 domestically, as well as his fifth -- and most successful -- Fourth of July outing. Film’s performance is widely viewed as a testament to Smith’s box office allure, considering that “Hancock” drew generally dismal reviews. Nor did “Hancock” have the same degree of broad appeal that other Fourth of July tentpoles have enjoyed.

“The Will Smith business is a great business to be in. It’s not just a matter of audiences loving him, but they love the characters he plays,” said Sony prexy of domestic distribution Rory Bruer.

“If he isn’t the most bankable guy in our business, I don’t know who is,” a competing studio exec said.

So we went to see Hancock on Thursday evening, the theater was approx. 3/4 full. They were definitely into it. So were we.

Here are a few of my quick thoughts:

-- I liked it, very much.

-- Would I recommend it? Yes, definitely.

-- I understand what some reviewers disliked: It's 2 different films in 1. I kinda liked that.

-- The beginning is what you expect -- funny Will Smith, drunk Hancock, making all sorts of messes.

-- Revelation: Jason Bateman is funny also, and totally attractive and very charming. He definitely needs to work more. Like Will, he is VERY likeable. He and Will have GREAT chemistry together.

-- Jason is so likeable, as a matter of fact.....that near the middle of the film -- when the plot begins to go in a somewhat different direction (a major twist is revealed, I won't spoil it here).....the audience makes an audible gasp. Something is about to maybe....possibly happen, that we don't want to happen. We're kinda like: "Oooh, don't do that." We like Jason and his character that much.

-- Then something totally different does happen, it is a shock and the movie begins it's turn in a different direction.

-- It's not a bad direction, but it definitely makes Hancock feel like 2 completely different films.....a comedy and a more dark character study.

-- I found it interesting. The actors definitely pulled it off.....so it didn't bother me.

My bottom line.... this movie succeeds because of 2 things:

Will Smith and MAJOR cast chemistry.

Will and Jason have it.
Will and Charlize have it.
Jason and Charlize have it.

The storyline may be a little muddled at times, but those 3 make up for it -- big time.

It makes me remember why I was even interested in this flick, way back when I first heard about it many months ago.

I saw this production photo on the internet last August:


Jason Bateman and Charlize Theron, laughing while filming a scene from the movie (back then, it was titled: John Hancock).

There was just something about this shot....the way they looked, his smile -- her laugh. I saved the photo on my computer. I just wanted to know more about this flick.

I looked up the production info and synopsis on IMDb.com (The Internet Movie Database.....one of my go-to sites for movie scoop).

It sounded interesting, so I kept tabs on it. I just had a gut feeling about it.

Hmmm.....guess my gut was right.

OK, enough about me and my gut.

Click on the word "comments" below and let me know your Hancock thoughts.

Have you seen it? Will you see it? Do you like Will Smith? Do you listen to what reviewers say? Do you care?

I wanna know.

I'm listening..........

Hancock Looks Like A Hit

It's already brought in over 24 million since Tuesday evening, and looks to gross about 115 million by the time this holiday weekend is through --

Click Here: "Hancock Off To Fast Start" --
Courtesy of Deadline Hollywood Daily

That's despite almost across-the-board very average to fairly terrible reviews --

Click Here: Hancock review roundup --

courtesy of The Wall Street Journal/Buzzwatch

Yep......Will Smith still pretty much owns the 4th of July weekend box office, that's for sure.


Remember, he's been here before.

Independence Day. Men In Black. Wild, Wild West.

(Hmmm.....forget that last one. I'm sure Will is tryin' to.)

Anyways, it's safe to say that Will Smith is a pretty much universally-loved movie star who people like to go watch do his thing in big summer flicks.

Especially around the 4th of July.

Especially if he's fightin' off bad guys and blowin' stuff up. Yeah....that definitely packs 'em in.

However, more than a few industry insiders (and critics and bloggers....) have recently questioned whether Mr. Smith's power as a movie star (who can actually "open" a picture) will be dimmed by this film (and it's many negative reviews) if it underperforms at the box office.

Click Here: "Can Hancock End Will Smith's Winning Streak?"
Courtesy New York Magazine/Vulture Blog

You know what? I'm gonna go on the record and say........"NO."

Seriously, I'm still not convinced that your average everyday movie-goer even pays attention to reviews and/or movie critics in general.

They might read a review about a flick if they've never heard of it or wanna get some plot scoop.....but I don't believe it influences their trip to the theater, one way or another.

I gather more information than most about upcoming flicks, and I just read reviews for a little extra opinion or insight. They never influence my final decision to actually see a flick.

In fact, Hancock has been on my radar for quite some time....since it was originally titled: Tonight, He Comes. (Uh, good move on changin' that title there fellas.....somewhat of a marketing problem, I'd guess.)


So I always thought it sounded like an interesting premise....a fresh take on the superhero genre. With a good script, a great cast (Helloooo, Will Smith -- Mr. Box Office Gold) and a decent director -- what a fun time at the theater.

I'm not the first to point this out by the way.

Many others (mostly critics) have said that's why they are so disappointed in this flick. It had such promise, and doesn't live up to it -- at all.

OK.....enough about this film that I haven't seen yet.

I plan to remedy that tonight around 7:30 pm.

Our plan is to go tonight, the entire family -- and finally see what all of the fuss is about.

My hope is that the theater is packed. That's my favorite way to see a flick like this.

I'm thinkin' I'll probably like it......there truly aren't many flicks that I don't like. I can usually find at least something good.

"How about that soundtrack? And those costumes.....you have to admit, the characters didn't make much sense -- but they sure looked good!"

Yep, this blog is called Movie Lovers Only for a reason.

I love movies.


Hmmm.....I guess we'll see how I feel about that in the morning.

Happy 4th of July everyone........