When There's A Will

Will Smith is a movie star.  That I know.  What I don't know is what he's like in private. But I wonder how he feels about this summer's movies.

For some years now, Hollywood pundits have been saying we're past the age of movie stars--it's the film that counts.  They say that blockbusters come not from big names, but from projects generally based on well-known intellectual property.  The best example of this would be, I suppose, all those successful Marvel films.

Another example would be films based on D.C. Comics--Smith was even in one, Suicide Squad.  He was the big name, but some claimed his stardom wasn't responsible for its grosses--that it would have done just as well with someone else.

So how does he feel about so many projects, big ones with major IP, falling by the wayside?  Dark Phoenix, Godzilla, Rocketman, Dumbo and others have posted disappointing numbers. Meanwhile, Smith's Aladdin is one of the few significant hits in the past few months. How much was due to the property, how much to Smith?

But here's the part that depends on his personality.  I'm sure he's pleased he's in a hit, but how does he feel about the relative failure of the Men In Black reboot? The original is the film that turned him into a major star, and for which he did two sequels.  Now Sony has decided to produce an MIB without Smith and it looks like it's in trouble. Deep down, I wonder if he isn't a little bit pleased that they can't do it without him?