Photograph :Warner Bros/allstar

 

The great star Smith , lead actor of "I am a legend" opened with 77 million dollars: He was not happy. The film, directed by Francis Lawrence, opened in U.S. theaters on Dec. 14 and remains the biggest December hit for a non-Christmas release. Why was Smith so upset? He told Oprah Winfrey on a recent episode of "The Oprah Conversation" (via Entertainment Weekly) that his displeasure with the film's record box office had everything to do with the "subtle disease of material success" that comes with being a Hollywood star.

"I get excited for 30 seconds, then my mind drifts and I say to J, 'Hey, why do you think we missed 80?'" Smith said, referring to the phone call he had with his producing partner James Lassiter after learning of the $77 million opening of "I Am Legend." "He said, 'What?' And I said, 'No, it was 77, do you think if we had adjusted the ending? ' Because I wanted the ending to be more like 'Gladiator.'" He said to me, 'That's the biggest opening in history, ever. I said, "I get it, but I wonder why we missed the first 80 minutes. And that's the only time he hung up on me." Will Smith knew he had a problem when even his production partner couldn't stand him complaining about an obvious career win. Smith was at the height of his career at the time "I Am Legend '' was released. While "Far West" ended Smith's string of box office successes in 1999, he rebounded with a Best Actor Oscar nomination for Michael Mann's "Ali," and then followed it up with a string of box office hits: "I, Robot," "Shark Tale," "Hitch" and "The Pursuit of Happiness," the latter earning him his second Best Actor Oscar nomination. The subsequent film "I Am Legend" proved that Smith was still an A-list superstar, capable of blowing up the box office.
 Next up for Smith is the biographical drama “King Richard,” opening November 19 in theaters and on HBO Max. Again Smith is stirring up Oscar buzz, and he seems destined to land his third career nomination for Best Actor.