Will Smith and the Oscars were two separate words until they were not. Social media came crashing down when his and Chris Rock’s infamous drama unfolded at the 2022 Oscar awards event. What was supposed to be a joke turned terribly ugly when Will Smith slapped the host Chris Rock amidst the ongoing event. And ever since that dreaded night, the name, fame, and everything else Will worked for became a blur, and the only prominent thing people frantically searched for was “Will Smith at the Oscars”.
However, isn’t it enough time to bury that news? After all, he did publicly apologize to Chris Rock via his Twitter handle for his disgraceful behavior. Let bygones be bygones. It’s been 20 years – two whole decades – since we first saw Will Smith onscreen on NBC, starting out as a fictionalized and charming version of himself in The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, a sitcom. Even today, despite the dramatic consequences, he is a talented actor acknowledged by his fans, a.k.a., the Willenniums, his frenemies, and his enemies alike.
He certainly is much more than a controversy gone wild! So, let’s go down memory lane and revisit all his fabulous works in the entertainment industry. This article will list the top 25 best movies ranked as per IMDb and Rotten Tomatoes.
Who is Will Smith?
Born: September 25, 1968
Birthplace: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, the United States
Wife: Jada Pinkett Smith
Kids: Jaden Smith, Trey Smith, and Willow Smith
Net worth: 350 million dollars
Willard Carroll Smith II, also known as The Fresh Prince, his stage name, is an American actor, producer, rapper, and comedian. He is the founder of the following organizations –
Overbrook Entertainment,
New Village Leadership Academy,
Treyball Development Inc., and
Westbrook.
He was first nominated in 1991 for the Kids’ Choice Award for Favorite TV Actor but won his first award, the ShoWest Award for Male Star of Tomorrow, in 1995. Since then, he has been in 182 nominations, out of which he has won 89 accolades, including 1 Oscar. He has also been named as the most powerful actor in Hollywood by Newsweek in 2007.
Top 25 Best Will Smith movies and TV shows: Ranked
We have often seen Will playing rebellious and wise-cracking characters, but we have also witnessed his diversified pop culture portfolio in the ’90s. Although his popularity saw a hugely precipitous and significant decline after the reckless incident, you cannot deny that he did win the hearts of a whole lot of audiences with his goofy smile and impressive career. So, here are some of his finest works ranked best to better as per IMDb and Rotten Tomatoes.
We have also included trailers and which OTT platform you can watch them on!
20 Best Will Smith movies
1. The Pursuit of Happyness
IMDb: 8.0/10
Rotten Tomatoes: 67%
Google User rating: 94%
Released: 15 December 2006
Director: Gabriele Muccino
Starring: Will Smith, Jaden Smith, and Thandiwe Newton
Production companies: Columbia Pictures, Relativity Media, and Overbrook Entertainment
2. Men in Black
IMDb: 7.3/10
Rotten Tomatoes: 92%
Google User rating: 88%
Released: 2 July 1997
Director: Barry Sonnenfeld
Starring: Will Smith, Linda Fiorentino, and Tommy Lee Jones
Production companies: Columbia Pictures, Amblin Entertainment, and Parkes/MacDonald Image Nation
3. Seven Pounds
IMDb: 7.6/10
Rotten Tomatoes: 27%
Google User rating: 70%
Released: 19 December 2008
Director: Gabriele Muccino
Starring: Will Smith, Rosario Dawson, and Woody Harrelson
Production companies: Columbia Pictures, Relativity Media, Escape Artists, and Overbrook Entertainment
4. Six Degrees of Separation
IMDb: 6.8/10
Rotten Tomatoes: 88%
Google User rating: 70%
Released: 8 December 1993
Director: Fred Schepisi
Starring: Will Smith, Stockard Channing, and Donald Sutherland
Production companies: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM), Maiden Movies, and New Regency Productions
5. Enemy of the State
IMDb: 7.3/10
Rotten Tomatoes: 70%
Google User rating: 87%
Released: 20 November 1998
Director: Tony Scott
Starring: Will Smith, Jon Voight, and Gene Hackman
Production companies: Touchstone Pictures, Jerry Bruckheimer Films, and Don Simpson/Jerry Bruckheimer Films
6. I Am Legend
IMDb: 7.2/10
Rotten Tomatoes: 68%
Google User rating: 88%
Released: 14 December 2007
Director: Francis Lawrence
Starring: Will Smith, Charlie Tahan, and Alice Braga
Production companies: Warner Bros., Village Roadshow Pictures, and Weed Road Pictures
7. Where the Day Takes You
IMDb: 6.5/10
Rotten Tomatoes: 80%
Google User rating: 73%
Released: January 1992
Director: Marc Rocco
Starring: Will Smith, Dermot Mulroney, Robert Knepper, and Laura San Giacomo
Production companies: Production companies, Cinetel Films, and John Cornett & Doc Productions
8. I, Robot
IMDb: 7.1/10
Rotten Tomatoes: 56%
Google User rating: 86%
Released: 13 August 2004
Director: Alex Proyas
Starring: Will Smith, Bruce Greenwood, and Bridget Moynahan
Production companies: Twentieth Century Fox, Mediastream Vierte Film GmbH & Co. Vermarktungs KG, and Davis Entertainment
9. Independence Day
IMDb: 7.0/10
Rotten Tomatoes: 67%
Google User rating: 87%
Released: November 1996
Director: Roland Emmerich
Starring: Will Smith, Jeff Goldblum, and Bill Pullman
Production companies: Twentieth Century Fox and Centropolis Entertainment
10. Spies in Disguise
IMDb: 6.8/10
Rotten Tomatoes: 77%
Google User rating: 74%
Released: 27 December 2019
Directors: Nick Bruno and Troy Quane
Starring: Will Smith, Rachel Brosnahan, Claire Crosby, and Jarrett Bruno
Production companies: Blue Sky Studios, Chernin Entertainment, and Twentieth Century Fox Animation
11. Bad Boys
IMDb: 6.8/10
Rotten Tomatoes: 42%
Google User rating: 87%
Released: 7 April 1995
Director: Michael Bay
Starring: Will Smith, Lisa Boyle, and Martin Lawrence
Production companies: Don Simpson/Jerry Bruckheimer Films
12. Ali
IMDb: 6.7/10
Rotten Tomatoes: 68%
Google User rating: 73%
Released: 25 December 2001
Director: Michael Mann
Starring: Will Smith, John Voight, and Jamie Foxx
Production companies: Columbia Pictures, Forward Pass, and Initial Entertainment Group (IEG)
13. Hitch
IMDb: 6.6/10
Rotten Tomatoes: 69%
Google User rating: 84%
Released: 18 March 2005
Director: Andy Tennant
Starring: Will Smith, Kevin James, Eva Mendes, and Amber Valletta
Production companies: Columbia Pictures and Overbrook Entertainment
14. Bad Boys for Life (also known as Bad Boys 3)
IMDb: 6.5/10
Rotten Tomatoes: 76%
Google User rating: 84%
Released: 17 January 2020
Directors: Bilall Fallah and Adil El Arbi
Starring: Will Smith, Vanessa Hudgens, and Martin Lawrence
Production companies: Columbia Pictures, 2.0 Entertainment, and Don Simpson/Jerry Bruckheimer Films
15. Focus
IMDb: 6.6/10
Rotten Tomatoes: 56%
Google User rating: 74%
Released: 13 March 2015
Directors: Glenn Ficarra and John Requa
Starring: Will Smith, Margot Robbie, Gerald McRaney, and Adrian Martinez
Production companies: RatPac-Dune Entertainment, Kramer & Sigman Films, Di Novi Pictures, Overbrook Entertainment, and Zaftig Films
16. Hancock
IMDb: 6.4/10
Rotten Tomatoes: 41%
Google User rating: 82%
Released: 11 July 2008
Director: Peter Berg
Starring: Will Smith, Charlize Theron, Eddie Marsan, and Jason Bateman
Production companies: Columbia Pictures, Relativity Media, and Blue Light
17. The Legend of Bagger Vance
IMDb: 6.7/10
Rotten Tomatoes: 43%
Google User rating: 85%
Released: 3 November 2000
Director: Robert Redford
Starring: Will Smith, Matt Damon, Bruce McGill, and Charlize Theron
Production companies: Twentieth Century Fox, Dreamworks Pictures, and Epsilon Motion Pictures
18. Shark Tale
IMDb: 6.0/10
Rotten Tomatoes: 35%
Google User rating: 72%
Released: 1 October 2004
Directors: Rob Letterman, Vicky Jenson, and Bibo Bergeron
Starring: Will Smith, Robert De Niro, Jack Black, and Renée Zellweger
Production companies: DreamWorks Animation and Dreamworks Pictures
19. Suicide Squad
IMDb: 5.9/10
Rotten Tomatoes: 26%
Google User rating: 75%
Released: 5 August 2016
Director: David Ayer
Starring: Will Smith, Margot Robbie, Jared Leto, and Joel Kinnaman
Production companies: Atlas Entertainment, DC Comics, and DC Entertainment
20. Gemini Man
IMDb: 5.7/10
Rotten Tomatoes: 26%
Google User rating: 72%
Released: 11 October 2019
Director: Ang Lee
Starring: Will Smith, Clive Owen, Benedict Wong, and Mary Elizabeth Winstead
Production companies: Skydance Media, Jerry Bruckheimer Films, and Fosun Group Forever Pictures
5 Best Will Smith TV shows
1. One Strange Rock
IMDb: 8.7/10
Rotten Tomatoes: 83%
Google User rating: 95%
Released: 26 March 2018
Directors: Glenn Barden and Nigel Walk
Starring: Will Smith, Jerry Linenger, Nicole Stott, and Chris Hadfield
Production companies: Nutopia, Protozoa Pictures, and Overbrook Entertainment
2. The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air
IMDb: 7.9/10
Google User rating: 95%
Released: 10 September 1990
Ended: 20 May 1996
Directors: Andy Borowitz and Susan Borowitz
Starring: Will Smith, Alfonso Ribeiro, Tatyana Ali, and James Avery
Production companies: NBC Productions, Quincy Jones Entertainment, and Quincy Jones-David Salzman Entertainment
3. Welcome to Earth
IMDb: 7.9/10
Rotten Tomatoes: 100%
Google User rating: 77%
Released: 8 December 2021
Director: Michael Mann
Starring: Will Smith, Cory Richards, and Diva Amon
Production companies: National Geographic, Nutopia, and Westbrook Studios
4. Amend: The Fight for America
IMDb: 7.7/10
Rotten Tomatoes: 100%
Google User rating: 71%
Released: 17 February 2021
Starring: Will Smith, Larry Wilmore, and Bryan Stevenson
Production companies: Makemake, Netflix, and The Documentary Group
5. Best Shape of My Life
IMDb: 6.1/10
Google User rating: 72%
Released: 2021
Starring: Will Smith
Production company: Westbrook Media
Watch on Amazon Prime Video or Youtube
Did you know?
Some interesting facts about our Bel Prince are –
Will likes to don a head guard to indulge in a bout of fencing with his friends, even including David Beckham and Tom Cruise.
Smith can solve a Rubik’s cube in ONLY 55 seconds!
Will is the ONLY actor to gross 100 million dollars (domestically) with eight consecutive movies in a row!
Smith’s famous running catchphrase is Aw, hell no! – he makes sure to use this line in almost every movie and TV series.
Will is a BIG fan of professional wrestling (now, common on, do not connect it with the Oscar slap incident)
Today he surely is a billionaire, but he was on the verge of bankruptcy in 1990 (unbelievable, right?)
