By Piya Sinha-Roy
LOS ANGELES, May 31 (Reuters) – Will Smith may be one of
Hollywood’s most bankable action stars, but his new film, “After
Earth,” in which he stars with his 14-year-old son Jaden, has
opened to cold reviews from critics and faces stiff competition
in a busy box office weekend.
“After Earth” is a futuristic post-apocalyptic tale of a
father and his teenage son in which the young boy must embark on
a life-saving mission.
Sony Pictures Entertainment, a division of Sony Corp.
, spent about $130 million to produce the movie, making
it one of the studio’s biggest summer releases.
The story is centered on the father-son relationship and the
dynamic of a father passing the mantle to his son is mirrored
both on screen and off, as the younger Smith leads the action.
Will Smith, 44, who wrote the initial story and was the
executive producer of the film, said the project gave him
valuable time to spend with his son, with whom he first starred
in the 2006 family drama, “The Pursuit of Happyness.”
“Filmmaking and entertainment is our family business,” Smith
said at a recent news conference. “So, it really gave us an
opportunity for the last year to spend ten or twelve hours a day
together, every day. And for me it’s just the best way, for me
at least, to parent.”
Jaden Smith bears a strong resemblance to his famous father
and won over most critics as the lead in 2010’s reboot of “The
Karate Kid.” However, he has not been received as warmly for his
performance as ranger Kitai Raige in “After Earth.”
NEGATIVE REVIEWS
Variety’s Scott Foundas said both father and son failed to
meet expectations. “Senior Smith gives one of the least
substantive performances of his career, while the undeniably
charismatic Jaden toggles between … paralyzing fear and
simmering rage.”
Manohla Dargis wrote in the New York Times that the younger
Smith was “a pretty teenager with jumpy eyebrows whose character
remains an insufferable brat.”
Rolling Stone’s Peter Travers slammed the script as “an
unholy mess of platitudes and posturing.” He gave the film one
out of five stars, saying “It’s not a good sign when you sit
there thinking one thing – Make. It. Stop.”
“After Earth” scored just 32 out of 100 on Metacritic.com,
which compiles ratings based on critics’ reviews. Only 13
percent of critics recommended the movie in reviews collected on
the Rotten Tomatoes website.
This is despite the fact that the film was directed by M.
Night Shayamalan, who scored a huge hit with the 1999 suspense
drama “The Sixth Sense,” which grossed more than $672 million at
the worldwide box office. Shayamalan was less successful though
with 2006’s “Lady in the Water” and 2010’s “The Last Airbender.”
Box office forecasters predict “After Earth” will make $35-
$40 million in U.S. and Canadian ticket sales from Friday
through Sunday.
The film opened on Thursday and took in $1 million at U.S.
and Canadian theaters, behind Lions Gate Entertainment’s
comedy heist caper “Now You See Me,” which earned $1.5 million.
“After Earth” faces tough competition this weekend from
recent releases still drawing big business, such as car-chase
sequel “Fast & Furious 6,” superhero tale “Iron Man 3,” and
sci-fi film “Star Trek Into Darkness.”
“It’s not an enviable task opening up this weekend,” said
Phil Contrino, chief analyst with Boxoffice.com. International
sales will be critical, he said, since Will Smith remains a big
draw for overseas audiences.
Sony Pictures spokesman Steve Elzer said a weekend take of
about $30 million in the United States and Canada would be a
solid number for a movie that is not a branded sequel.
Sony’s other upcoming summer films include action thriller
“White House Down,” sci-fi adventure “Elysium,” and book
adaptation “The Moral Instruments: City of Bones.”
