Although his star might have faded a little in recent years, and he’s fresh off headlining one of last year’s biggest box office bombs in Ang Lee’s Gemini Man, Will Smith is still one of the most popular names in the business. He might no longer be regarded as the ‘King of Summer’ where every one of his new movies was virtually guaranteed success, but Suicide Squad and Aladdin have still seen two of the three biggest hits of his entire career arrive in the last four years.
Bad Boys For Life may have marked a return to familiar territory, and the action sequel is still the highest-grossing movie of 2020 as the majority of theaters around the world remain closed, but next month sees the arrival of two of his starring roles on Amazon Prime that show the full scope of his versatility as an actor.
Smith might not look anything like Muhammad Ali, but that didn’t stop him from earning rave reviews and scoring the first Academy Award nomination of his career for playing the world’s most recognizable boxer. Ali actually bombed at the box office back in 2001 after failing to even recoup its $107 million budget, but it still remains one of the better sporting biopics that could find a whole new audience on streaming when it arrives on July 1st.
At the other end of the Will Smith spectrum, Hitch also lands on the same day and holds a unique position on the 51 year-old’s filmography as his only romantic comedy. Smith’s easygoing charm and natural charisma made him an ideal fit for the genre, and the movie proved to be a major success after bringing in almost $370 million worldwide.
While he may have built his reputation as the fast-talking star of effects-heavy blockbusters, starting next month, Amazon Prime will boast two widely different Will Smith vehicles that showcase the breadth of his talents at the push of a button.
