Highlights

• Will Smith's versatile performances in recent years have solidified his status as a "Great Actor" and silenced critics who accused him of only playing one-dimensional roles.
• Many of Will Smith's movies have been immensely successful at the box office, with several earning hundreds of millions of dollars in profit, demonstrating his huge fan base.
• Among his highest-grossing films, I Am Legend and Aladdin stand out as significant milestones in Will Smith's career, receiving critical praise and earning over $585 million and $1 billion respectively.

Will Smith was "just an actor" in the 20th century – but by the 21st century he achieved “Great Actor” status, due to his strong performances. He matured by leaps and bounds on the screen in recent years, and his audience has witnessed his consistent ability across vastly different roles.

Persistent criticism has surrounded Will Smith, for always playing one-dimensional or "Will Smith-ish" roles. But over the last decade he answered these critics by playing versatile roles, and even won an Oscar for "Best Actor in a Leading Role" for King Richard.

Yes, "Oscar winner" is always an impressive label, and Smith has a huge fan base (which is why almost all his movies have done well at the box office).

Let’s look at Will Smith’s successful movies in terms of box office revenue, and determine which film is the highest-grossing movie of his entire career.

10 I, Robot (2004)

Box Office Gross: $353.1 Million

The artificial intelligence (AI) scenarios emerging in the current day were depicted almost two decades ago in I, Robot.

This story is based in 2035, where technophobic law enforcement Agent Del Spooner investigates a murder with the help of a "Robopsychologist"; the murder could have been committed by a robot, which greatly threatens humanity.

Will Smith's performance in the movie was described as “outstanding.” His character was an angry and suspicious cop who didn’t like technology ... because technology saved him from an accident, but not a 12-year-old girl from drowning.

The "anger, enthusiasm, and revelation sequence" was executed perfectly by this Oscar-winning superstar. Its well crafted story, great performances, and strong cinematography is the reason I, Robot managed to earn $353.1 million against a production budget of $120 million.

9 Hitch (2005)

Box Office Gross: $371.6 Million

Will Smith (as a cool and smooth-talking dating coach) teaches Albert (Kevin James), so he can pursue glamorous Allegra Cole (Amber Valletta) as his girlfriend. Albert faced setbacks too, as his own techniques did not work on Sara Melas (Eva Mendes).

In Hitch, Will Smith shows his acting prowess by playing many versions of Hitch: cute Hitch, allergic Hitch, nervous Hitch, embarrassed Hitch, and nerd Hitch. The budget of the movie was $70 million, and Hitch made a profit of more than $300 million, by earning $371.6 million at the box office.

8 Men In Black II (2002)

Box Office Gross: $441.8 Million

Men In Black II's premise involves Agent J (Will Smith) seeking the help of his partner Agent K (Tommy Lee Jones) to save the Earth from evil extraterrestrial forces. The theme of the film was similar to that of the original Men In Black, and it brought back many elements the first film (such as its comedic style).

Men In Black II got a decent rating of 6.2 on IMDb. The budget of the movie was $140 million, and the box office take was $441.8 million.

7 I Am Legend (2007)

Box Office Gross: $585.4 Million

In I Am Legend, Will Smith appears as scientist Robert Neville, a lone survivor who lost everything in a plague; in fact, he is the sole inhabitant of the once populous New York City.

Neville was a complicated character; Will Smith gripped the opportunity and was the sole reason for the movie's uplifting aspects.

I Am Legend received widespread praise from audiences and achieved an impressive 7.2 IMDb rating. The movie's budget was $159 million, and the film earned a whopping $585.4 million at the box office.

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6 Men In Black (1997)

Box Office Gross: $589.4 Million

Men In Black was the career-making role of Will Smith's filmography. Lowell Cunningham and Ed Solomon wrote a superb dramatic movie based on a clichéd story of two agents trying to save the world from aliens – but intelligent comedic turns, a wealth of interesting characters, and fantastical set design fused to create a miraculous blockbuster.

Will Smith won the "Best Rap Solo" Grammy Award for his performance in Men In Black, and this eventful picture boosted Smith's career. The IMDb rating of Men In Black stands at an impressive at 7.3, demonstrating how much audiences loved this film.

The budget for Men In Black was $90 million, and its box office take was $589.4 million.

5 Hancock (2008)

Box Office Gross: $629.4 Million

Hancock, a grumpy superhero, wastes his eternal life by picking fights with children. No one likes him due to of his unpleasant means of saving humanity, and he is alone.

Hancock was a one-of-a-kind superhero movie, and with several standout scenes. Hancock was produced on a budget of $150 million, and box office receipts amounted to a mammoth $629.4 million.

4 Men In Black 3 (2012)

Box Office Gross: $654.2 Million

By the time Men In Black 3 was released, the MiB franchise was huge and had gathered millions of fans. Despite the similar story and tried and tested formula of humor, MiB 3 was the highest-grossing movie of the MiB franchise.

The movie sought to recapture the magic of the first Men In Black, as Agent J went back in time to Agent K's previous life, to stop an alien criminal. Men In Black 3 has an excellent 6.8 rating on IMDb.

The estimated budget of the movie was $225 million, and it earned $654.2 million at the box office.

3 Suicide Squad (2016)

Box Office Gross: $747 Million

Though Suicide Squad is a movie best described as "star-studded," two characters were by far the best, and elevated the film to a new level: Harley Quinn (Margot Robbie), the brutal girlfriend of the most notorious villain Joker, and Dead Shot (Will Smith), a famous marvel assassin.

Although the rating of Suicide Squad averaged only 5.9 on IMDb, the film was successful all over the world. In it, Amanda Waller (a famous comic book character) assembles several major Marvel super villains to fight an evil witch.

Despite some issues with the plot, the movie generated significant buzz and collected $747 million against a budget of $175 million.

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2 Independence Day (1996)

Box Office Gross: $817 Million

Independence Day is most probably the most entertaining "popcorn film" of Will Smith's career.

Its well known premise involves technologically advanced aliens trying to invade Earth, and humans struggling to maintain their independence. Independence Day offers incredible tension and unforgettable action, and quickly became a classic action film.

Accounting for inflation, Independence Day 's $75 million budget was equivalent to $147 million in October 2023. Likewise, its $817 million box office take was equivalent to $1.6 billion.

In spite of its traditional "alien invader story," the movie was liked by the masses and received an excellent 7 rating on IMDb. Independence Day's budget was $75 million in 1996, and the movie raked in an out of this world $817 million.

1 Aladdin (2019)

Box Office Gross: $1.054 Billion

Will Smith, as the blue genie in the historical tale of Aladdin, transformed himself completely.

From the macho man in MiB, the cool guy in Hitch, the grumpy superhero in Hancock, and the sensible scientist in I Am Legend, he becomes an adorable genie in Aladdin. Will Smith said he had the most fun filming Aladdin, and his enjoyment in performing seeps into his character in the film.

Audiences and critics provided a good rating of 6.9 on IMDb. Aladdin is the highest grossing movie of Will Smith's career, and the first movie of his career to break the $1 billion mark.

Aladdin's estimated budget was $183 million, and the movie earned $1.054 billion.

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