14 DAY TRIAL // In the year that ended just a few days ago, we’ve seen Will Smith as a constant presence at the US and international box-office. However, if we’re to draw the line, that’s not all that can be said about this particular actor, as a recent survey clearly shows that he was, by all means, the most bankable and sought after actor of 2008.
Quigley Publishing Co. reveals, as cited by the Associated Press, that theater owners could not be any more pleased about having a big star on their screens as they were about Will Smith. And it’s no surprise, if we think about it, since he was by far the one that brought them the most considerable revenues.
According to the survey, the superhero comedy “Hancock,” also starring Charlize Theron, pulled in a whopping $228 million, and it was all money spent on seeing Will in action. “Seven Pounds,” Smith’s latest drama that is currently running in theaters has managed to cash in a relatively disappointing $39 million over two weeks, but estimates have it that the numbers will rise once the flick is also released internationally.
Whereas 2007’s “best actor” Johnny Depp was nowhere in sight in 2008 since he came out with nothing new, the second position was occupied by rehabbed and back into the good graces of the public star Robert Downey Jr. (“Iron Man,” “Tropic Thunder”), followed closely by Christian Bale (“The Dark Knight”), Shia LeBeouf (“Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull”) and Harrison Ford (LeBeouf’s co-star in the same action movie).
The top ten of most sought after actors, and for whom people would pay good money to see, was rounded up by funnyman Adam Sandler, Reese Witherspoon, George Clooney, Angelina Jolie and, on the last position, Bond man himself, Daniel Craig. Anne Hathaway (“Rachel Getting Married” and “Passengers”) was voted top “star of tomorrow,” the same AP report informs.