Will Smith Was 'Broken' After Huge Flop 'After Earth'

Will Smith Was 'Broken' After Huge Flop
NEW YORK, NY - MAY 29: (L-R) Actors Jaden Smith and Will Smith attends the 'After Earth' premiere at Ziegfeld Theater on May 29, 2013 in New York City. (Photo by Gilbert Carrasquillo/FilmMagic)
NEW YORK, NY - MAY 29: (L-R) Actors Jaden Smith and Will Smith attends the 'After Earth' premiere at Ziegfeld Theater on May 29, 2013 in New York City. (Photo by Gilbert Carrasquillo/FilmMagic)

Will Smith's films have grossed more than $6.6 billion at the box office and he was once named by Forbes' as the most bankable star. But there was one major flop that almost ruined him: "After Earth."

The M. Night Shyamalan sci-fi film was reportedly made for $130 million and co-starred his son, Jaden. Though it did well overseas, it was a complete disaster in North America, earning only $60 million. (It also garnered three Razzies, including worst actor and supporting actor for the Smiths.) In a new interview with People, Smith says the movie left him a mess. “After the failure of 'After Earth,' a thing got broken in my mind,” he told the magazine. "[Afterward] I was like, ‘Oh, wow. I'm still alive. Oh, wow. Actually, I still am me, even though the movie didn't open number one. Wait. I can still get hired on another movie.’”

He spoke to reporters during a press run for his new film, "Focus," in which he plays a con man opposite Margot Robbie. "I realized that I still was a good person," he said. "So when I went into 'Focus,' I completely released the concept of goal orientation and got into path orientation. This moment, this second, these people, this interaction ... It is a huge relief for me to not care whether or not Focus is number one or number 10 at the box office."

For more with Will Smith, head over to People.

Before You Go

Will Smith's Most Memorable Roles

Popular in the Community

Close

What's Hot