Will Smith, with a career box office of $4.4 billion, is now the most powerful actor in Hollywood.
The "Most Powerful Actor in Hollywood" accolade was bestowed on Smith by Newsweek magazine, which listed the second and third most powerful actors as Johnny Depp and Ben Stiller.
At 38, Smith's worldwide box office is more than Adam Sandler's and Will Ferrell's combined, and his acting talent crosses genres, such as sci-fi, "I-Robot"; action-comedy, "Men in Black"; romantic comedy, "Hitch"; or drama, "The Pursuit of Happyness", which grossed $298 million worldwide.
As the cost to make a film has skyrocketed to an average of $100 million, opening weekend sales are now the most popular measure of a movie's success. A star who can deliver a first-weekend gross of $30 million or more is considered a cash cow and Smith's films regularly hit that mark.
"Will Smith is the only thing in this business--the only thing--that represents a guaranteed opening weekend," said an unnamed industry insider to Newsweek.
Smith also plays roles that are not race-specific but are "everymen" who overcome obstacles and moral conundrums. This helps Smith's bankability in international markets where films featuring black-American themes have struggled in the past.
The international market last year accounted for most of Hollywood's box office at 63 percent of its revenue. Smith has aggressively promoted his films overseas since his turn in "Bad Boys" in 1995. Now his international box office is more than double Denzel Washington's, reports Newsweek.
"He's the black Jimmy Stewart," an industry insider told Newsweek. "He invites the white community in, yet he's credible with the black community. That's a pretty hard trick."
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