Will Smith’s smash-hit movie Men in Black is having an unexpected resurgence on streaming services 28 years after its debut, all while the star is on his 26-date European tour.
Streaming service Starz has seen the film and its 2002 sequel shoot into the top 10 movies in the US, just months after it also appeared in the top 10 on Peacock. The movies are competing with other flicks like Flight Risk with Mark Wahlberg, Tower Heist starring Ben Stiller and Eddie Murphy, and Kevin Hart’s Ride Along.
Cult classic
Men in Black, co-starring Tommy Lee Jones, follows Agent K and his mentee Agent J as they investigate and regulate alien activity on Earth.
The comedy earned a 91% score on Rotten Tomatoes, was nominated for three Oscars and raked in $589 million at the box office, making it a certified hit.
Men in Black II had less success at the box office, bringing in $441 million, while the third film, released in 2012, received an incredible $624 million after its debut. The Chris Hemsworth-led spinoff Men in Black: International performed poorly at the box office in 2019, raking in $253 million.
Back in the ring
© Getty ImagesWill teased the possibility of another Men in Black iteration during an interview on the Million Dollaz Worth of Game podcast in March, sharing that he had been given an enticing offer.
“I told myself I was done with sequels. I was like, ‘I’ve made enough sequels. I got some new things I want to make,'” he said on the show. “Literally this morning, an hour before I came down here, they just threw the bag for another Men in Black. I was like, ‘Ah, I’m supposed to be going on tour this summer.'”
The father of three is currently touring Europe and performing hits from his new album, Based on a True Story.
© Getty Images for Paramount PictuThe 26-show tour began in Rabat, Morocco on June 25 and will come to a close on September 2 in Paris.
Based on a True Story marks his first full-length album since 2005’s Lost and Found, and Will couldn’t have been happier about his new era of music.
“I’M GOING ON TOUR THIS SUMMER!!” he wrote on Instagram alongside the tour poster. “We’re hitting up UK & Europe to bring U all the hits, some new joints, and a few surprises. All these years, I’ve NEVER done a headline tour and I can’t wait to see you guys!!”
Sliding doors
© Getty ImagesMen in Black rocketed Will to superstardom after he started out in The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air from 1990 to 1996. Before the rapper was offered the role in MIB, producers reached out to another TV star who was at the peak of his career: David Schwimmer.
The Friends actor had just begun to film his directorial debut when the offer came through, leading to a difficult moment for David.
“[It] was a brutal decision,” he recalled on the Origins with Cush Jumbo podcast. “There were high expectations and the studio, which was Miramax, wanted to lock me into a three-picture deal at a fixed price and I said I would do that if I got to direct my first movie.”
© Getty ImagesHe went on to direct 1998’s Since You’ve Been Gone instead of taking on the MIB role, which sadly flopped and became a made-for-TV film.
“You have to follow your gut. You have to follow your heart,” he said. “Look, I’m really aware, whatever 20 years later maybe more, [Men in Black] would have made me a movie star. If you look at the success of that film and that franchise, my career would have taken a very different trajectory.”
To learn more about Will’s re-entry into music, watch below…
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