Will Smith’s $1.66B Action Franchise Changing Streaming Homes After Dominating The Charts Of Its Previous One

Will Smith is one of the most well-recognized actors in this era of Hollywood. He is renowned as a musician, producer, and actor. His movies have earned nearly $10 billion throughout his 40-year career in the entertainment industry. While starring in both independent movies and blockbuster hits, Smith won four Grammy Awards, an Academy Award, a BAFTA, and a Golden Globe. He is not quite as prolific today as he was early in his career, due in large part to his Oscars controversy, but he has undeniably earned a place in Hollywood history.

Smith first broke into recognition with his show The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, but he was never content to remain solely in comedy. After Fresh Prince, Smith starred in a variety of hit movies, including Bad Boys (1995), Independence Day (1996), I, Robot (2004), The Karate Kid (2010), Suicide Squad (2016), Bright (2017), and Aladdin (2019). He rarely shied away from sequels, as well, as he returned for several follow-ups to his most popular movies, with one popular franchise remaining at the forefront of his career.

Will Smith’s Men In Black Is Finding A New Streaming Home

The Sci-Fi Action-Comedy Franchise Has Been Dominating Peacock

Though Michael Bay’s Bad Boys may have been his first movie to spawn a franchise, it would actually be Men in Black that would actually be Smith’s first major тιтle to get a sequel shortly after its predecessor. Starring as a New York City Police detective-turned-Earth-intergalactic-police-officer, Smith and Tommy Lee Jones’ first three movies were all commercial hits, with the first and third installments praised for their comedy and set pieces. While Smith and Jones’ franchise futures remain unknown, it did expand with the poorly received spinoff Men in Black: International.

Now, Max has revealed that the Men in Black movies are coming to the streaming platform. The first three installments in the series, which were all led by Smith, are set to premiere on the streamer on March 1. This change in platforms comes amid the sci-fi action-comedy films having held spots on Peacock’s Top 10 for just over a month straight.

For Fans Of…

Science fiction movies with alien involvement
Tommy Lee Jones and Will Smith
Director Barry Sonnenfeld (The Addams Family)

Why You Should Watch Men In Black On Max

It Has Dominated Peacock’s Charts

Will Smith as Jay looking confused while aiming his gun upwards in Men in Black

The Men in Black movies are one of multiple franchises Smith has held under his belt, with others including the aforementioned Bad Boys movies and having a brief tenure in the DC Extended Universe as ᴅᴇᴀᴅsH๏τ in Suicide Squad. He is also currently developing multiple follow-ups to other movies of his, including I Am Legend 2, which he is set to co-star in with Michael B. Jordan, and Hancock 2, which he recently indicated is regaining steam and has approached Zendaya for a potential role.

The entire Men in Black franchise was based on Lowell Cunningham’s 1990 comic book.

Few movies maintain a balance of comedy and action quite as well as the Men in Black movies do, however. Smith and Jones provide perfect counterbalances, as the gruff, no-nonsense Jones is pitted against the energetic and humorous Smith. The first movie is generally considered to be the best, but the others still offer a great deal to the universe. Every pᴀssing film offers more insight into their buddy-cop dynamic, while also developing the lore of this complicated universe.

This is the perfect time to review the franchise and the reasons for its success. Men in Black 5 is not yet confirmed, which means that there may never be a return for Agents K and J. The first three movies will be easy to access on Max, and at a combined 4 hours and 52 minutes, the original trilogy will be accessible for every subscriber to binge over a weekend. If the Men in Black movies could find viewers on Peacock, then they should be able to replicate that success on Max.

What ScreenRant Has Said About Men In Black:

The movie Men In Black has always remained one of the most popular sci-fi films ever made, with an excellent blend of action and comedy, the film really has something for everyone. There are some tremendous practical effects throughout and the film and some of the aliens that are created really look fantastic, still holding up today. This film also has a buddy-cop feel to it as well with the relationship between Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones’ characters. It’s no surprise that a huge franchise was created from this movie, which is still going on today. — 10 Movies To Watch If You Like Men In Black

Men in Black Key Facts
Box Office	$588 million (Men in Black), $442 million (Men in Black 2), $654 million (Men in Black 3)
Rotten Tomatoes Critics Score	91% (Men in Black), 38% (Men in Black 2), 67% (Men in Black 3)
Rotten Tomatoes Audience Score	80% (Men in Black), 45% (Men in Black 2), 70% (Men in Black 3)
Major Awards	Academy Award for Best Makeup (Men in Black), Academy Award nominations for Best Art Direction and Best Original Musical or Comedy Score (Men in Black)