Will Smith Is On Top Of The World

Will Smith has been voted the top money-making movie star of 2008 in an annual poll of US cinema owners and film buyers. Think lots and lots of dollar signs! Smith, star of Hancock and Seven Pounds, is only the second African-American actor after Sidney Poitier to top the Quigley poll, which has been running for 76 years.

What an amazing accomplishment, we bet he's having a happy new year! He's so great though, Will Smith seems like such a likeable guy, how could you not be happy for the actor? Other actors on the list? Robert Downey Jr came second, Christian Bale third and Shia LaBeouf fourth.

Weekend Box Office Results

The weekend relied mostly on the star power of Jim Carrey and Will Smith, who have been among the very few actors that could attract audiences in the past, but the movies they headlined, Yes Man and Seven Pounds respectively, didn't stand out otherwise. What we mean to say is, it was a pretty weak box office overall this weekend. Everyone is holiday shopping, that's why! Here are the top five movies in the box office from this weekend Dec. 19th-21st:

1. Yes Man

2. Seven Pounds

3. The Tale of Desperaux

4. The Day The Earth Stood Still

5. Four Christmases

Will Smith: Physically fit is the key to 'happiness'

Will Smith thinks being physically fit is the key to happiness.

The actor - who had to get in great shape for a number of film roles, including 'I Am Legend' and 'Ali' - thinks a healthy body equals a healthy mind.

He said: "I feel like everything in my life depends on physical conditioning. I love eating sweets and everything, but I think the quality of my parenting, the quality of my relationship with my wife - it is all based on being on great physical condition.

"I believe it's the beginning of finding true happiness."

Meanwhile, Will is to star in a prequel to 'I Am Legend'.

Director Francis Lawrence has confirmed the 'Men in Black' actor will reprise his role as Robert Neville - though he admits they haven't yet worked out a plot yet.

Francis said: "Absolutely, we're actually trying to crack a second movie. We're trying to figure out some ideas for it, but yes, it would be a prequel."

Photo

Source

Will Smith and Cameron Diaz Named Best-Paid Actors

Will Smith may not be the Fresh Prince of Bel-Air anymore, but he’s the king of cash at the box office.

The Hancock star brought in $80 million in 2007—making him the best paid actor in Hollywood—according to a new ranking from Forbes magazine.

Women in Hollywood aren’t doing too shabbily either. Cameron Diaz came in second place among females on the list, raking in $50 million last year.

Smith wasn’t the only man to bring home the bacon: Johnny Depp nabbed the No. 2 spot with a $72 million paycheck. Comedians Eddie Murphy and Mike Myers laughed all the way to the bank by raking in $55 million last year. The two tied for third place on the publication’s list.

Atonement leading lady Keira Knightley earned $32 million, and Jennifer Aniston pulled in $27 million, Forbes reports. Although they’re certainly not hurting, these actresses still only make half as much as men in Hollywood, the business magazine notes.

In terms of media personalities, Oprah Winfrey is still the queen of all media. Her earnings last year totaled $275 million.

Photo and source

Superheroes top box office

It was a good weekend for Hellboy, as the film Hellboy II: The Golden Army topped the weekend box office, taking in $35.9 million.

Last week's No. 1, Will Smith's Hancock, dropped to No. 2, but still grossed $33.3 million over the weekend. Ticket sales fell less than 50 percent, helping the poorly-reviewed film remain near the top, according to estimates by Exhibitor Relations.

In third place was Brendan Fraser with the film Journey to the Center of the Earth, a 3-D remake of the original. It took in $20.6 million in ticket sales, knocking the animated hit flick WALL-E to fourth.

Meanwhile, Eddie Murphy's film Meet Dave came in a disappointing seventh, taking in only $5.3 million. It marks Murphy's lowest total for a debut since 2002's The Adventures of Pluto Nash.

Last month Murphy announced that Meet Dave would mark his movie retirement. He said he wished to return to the stage to do stand-up comedy.


The weekend box office top 10 (according to estimates by Exhibitor Relations):
1. Hellboy II: The Golden Army, $35.9 million
2. Hancock, $33 million
3. Journey to the Center of the Earth, $20.6 million
4. WALL-E, $18.5 million
5. Wanted, $11.6 million
6. Get Smart, $7.1 million
7. Meet Dave, $5.3 million
8. Kung Fu Panda, $4.3 million
9. Kit Kittredge: An American Girl, $2.4 million
10. Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, $2.3 million

Hancock tops holiday box office

Will Smith's "Hancock" topped the July 4 holiday weekend box office, becoming Smith's fifth movie to do so.

"Will Smith, Mom, apple pie and the Fourth of July. It doesn’t get any better," said Rory Bruer, head of distribution for Sony. "People just so relate to him and the characters that he plays. They totally embraced it as something different, something fresh."

"Hancock" also marks Smith's seventh straight movie to open at No. 1.

The poorly-reviewed superhero flick earned $66 million over the weekend, increasing its total in ticket sales to $107.3 million since its Tuesday evening opening.

Last weekend's No. 1, Disney-Pixar's "Wall-E," was bumped to the second spot this weekend, with $33.4 million in ticket sales. The family-friendly animated flick has made $128.1 million in its 10 days in theaters.

Overall, ticket sales were down for the first time in a month, as well as down four percent since Fourth of July of 2007.

But revenues for this summer are two percent ahead of last summer's record pace, when revenues topped $4 billion for the first time in history.


Weekend Top 10, courtesy of estimates from Exhibitor Relations:

1. Hancock, $66 million
2. WALL-E, $33.4 million
3. Wanted, $20.6 million
4. Get Smart, $11.1 million
5. Kung Fu Panda, $7.5 million
6. The Incredible Hulk, $5 million
7. Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, $3.9 million
8. Kit Kittredge: An American Girl, $3.6 million
9. Sex and the City, $2.3 million
10. You Don't Mess With the Zohan, $2 million