Will Smith’s $1.66B Action Franchise Climbing Streaming Charts 27 Years After Launching

As he continues to find success with one of his ongoing movie series, a Will Smithfranchise is finding renewed success on streaming. Since his breakout turn with The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, Smith has found widespread success both as a blockbuster actor and a prestige actor. This, in turn, has netted him four Oscar nominations and one win for Best Actor for King Richard, as well as seven Golden Globe nominations and one win for Best Actor for the same Venus and Serena Williams biopic.

When it comes to his blockbuster productions, Smith has been the face of both a variety of one-off titles and major franchises. Some of the more notable include Roland Emmerich's Independence Day, which helped cement him as a major box office name, 2004's I, Robot and 2007's I Am Legend adaptation. The Michael Bay-helmed Bad Boys movies marked Smith's first venture into the world of franchise storytelling, and while he's returned for all three of its sequels, there's another franchise that's now gaining ground in the streaming race.

The First Two Men In Black Movies Are In Peacock's Top 10

The Success Comes Nearly Three Decades After The Franchise Launched

One such franchise under Smith's belt was that of Men in Black, which launched with the 1997 movie of the same name and was based on Lowell Cunnigham's comic book series. Smith starred in the films as Agent J, a police officer recruited into the titular agency, which monitors and polices alien activity on Earth. Smith co-led the first three Men in Black movies with Tommy Lee Jones as his mentor, Agent K, with their first and third outings garnering positive reviews, while all three were commercial hits.

Now, a little over 27 years after the first film hit theaters, the Men in Black franchise is finding new success in the world of streaming. The first two installments in the sci-fi action franchise are currently sitting at the No. 6 and No. 9 spots on Peacock's Top 10 Movies Today chart.

They're joined in the chart by the animated Grinch reboot at No. 1 as well as fellow franchise titles Shrek 2 at No. 2, Sing 2 at No. 3, Shrek the Third at No. 4, The Bad Guys at No. 7, Shrek at No. 8 and Twister at No. 10. Major Oscars contender Conclave also continues to hold a top spot at No. 5 on the NBCUniversal streamer.

Our Take On The Men In Black Franchise's Renewed Streaming Success

Smith Remains A Major Draw For Audiences

Considering the movies didn't just recently arrive on the streaming platform, thefranchise's renewed success on Peacock proves something of an interesting twist for the movies. The series hasn't been in the public sphere since the underwhelming response to Men in Black: International, which was intended to be a standalone sequel to carry on the franchise with Chris Hemsworth and Tessa Thompson leading instead of Smith and Jones. Unfortunately, the movie's financial disappointment has left the franchise's future in an unclear state of limbo.

That said, should the Men in Black movies continue to rank high on streaming platforms for multiple weeks, I could very well see Sony Pictures revisit the idea of bringing the series back with Smith co-leading the charge. His recent returns for the Bad Boys movies have similarly proven to be critical and commercial hits, some of the best of the franchise, and if he's paired with the right co-star and good material, there may just be new life in Men in Black's future.

Source: Peacock

Men in Black

Created by: Lowell Cunningham, Barry Sonnenfeld
First Film: Men In Black
Latest Film: Men In Black: International
First TV Show: Men in Black: The Series
Latest TV Show: Men in Black: The Series
First Episode Air Date: October 11, 1997

Men in Black (MIB) is a science fiction franchise that began with the 1997 film, based on the Marvel comic series by Lowell Cunningham. The franchise follows a secret organization that monitors extraterrestrial activity on Earth. The series includes four films, an animated TV series, and several video games, blending action, humor, and sci-fi. The franchise is notable for the performances of Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones, who portrayed Agents J and K, respectively.