Will Smith Says, “Thank You…” For Aladdin
Just like Aladdin’s blue genie, Will Smith is a man of many, many words.
However, the two words he sought over the weekend were, “Thank you…”
Reaching out to fandom, Smith reported that Aladdin overtook Independence Day as the highest grossing film of his illustrious career.
Despite mixed critical reception, Disney’s live-action Aladdin remake has grossed approximately $874 million worldwide at the time of writing. This puts the movie at approximately $57 million more than the adjusted lifetime earnings of the 1996 film Independence Day, making Aladdin Will Smith’s most successful film to date.
“This is a post that I am just humbled and honored to make,” said Smith via his Instagram account. “To have my biggest movie be at this point in my career, I just want to say thank you.”
And with that, he said thank you, in over a dozen languages.
CBR added some context:
Despite mixed critical reception, Disney’s live-action Aladdin remake has grossed approximately $874 million worldwide at the time of writing. This puts the movie at approximately $57 million more than the adjusted lifetime earnings of the 1996 film Independence Day, making Aladdin Will Smith’s most successful film to date.
Speaking of the Genie, you’ll enjoy the film more if you put any preconceived notions about the big blue guy away, and allow the update to boot. For those of us of a certain age (I’m 44), it might be a tad difficult to imagine anyone besides the late Robin Williams in the role, but it’s important to note how much the new face resonates with a wide swath of current viewers.
Smith really did put his own stamp on the role; with Director Guy Richie creating a new space for the story to evolve, Aladdin remains one of my favorite movies of the year.
Have you seen Aladdin? You should! Let us know what you thought of the film in the comments!