After starring alongside his father in After Earth, Jaden Smith received most of the blame for its poor performance.
Hollywood movie star Will Smith has been given his flowers for many iconic roles. His range as an actor when it comes to playing a variety of roles is undeniable, which is why a lot of his movies do well at the box office.
Being a family man alongside his stardom, Smith has supported his children’s curiosity in the arts, most notably Jaden Smith, known for both his innovative music and pursuits in acting. So, when Jaden Smith expressed interest in acting in movies like his father, Will took the reins and attempted to guide his son by passing along his wisdom from years of being in the movie industry.
However, this mentorship did not go as planned after the father-son duo appeared in the movie After Earth, which didn’t do too well in the box office despite Will Smith’s movies reputedly grossing up to $100 million at the box office.
This movie’s failure, unfortunately, almost ruined their relationship beyond repair.
Will Smith’s Movie After Earth Almost Damaged His Relationship With Jaden Smith
Will Smith took Jaden Smith under his wing as they both starred in the movie After Earth. This being Jaden Smith’s second movie with his father, following his debut into the movie industry in the 2006 film The Pursuit of Happyness, fans had high hopes for the father-son duo, especially after Jaden’s memorable role as Dre Parker in The Karate Kid alongside Jackie Chan, who played the role of Mr. Han.
However, After Earth ended up taking a huge hit to Jaden’s self-esteem after receiving harsh criticism for his performance. He blamed his father Will Smith for this failure because he “faithfully did everything” Will instructed.
Jaden Smith’s acting career took off alongside his dad, Will Smith, but his music career is a slightly different story.
According to Will Smith in his memoir titled Will, critics were unapologetic when bashing Jaden and his role as Kitai Raige. Because Will Smith coached his son through the process, he felt responsible for the awful reviews targeted at Jaden.
“After Earth was an abysmal box office and critical failure. And what was worse was that Jaden took the hit. Fans and the press were absolutely vicious; they said and printed things about Jaden that I refuse to repeat… I had coached him into the worst public mauling he’d ever experienced.”
Only grossing up to $60.5 million domestically, alongside the unrelenting reviews, Will started to see his relationship with Jaden fall apart at the seams as revealed in his memoir. The Oscar-winning actor reflected on how Jaden started to lose trust in him. This loss of trust became evident when Jaden requested to be emancipated at the age of 15 to try and save his career. At this point, Will knew his relationship with Jaden was falling apart.
“When Jaden asked about being an emancipated minor, my heart shattered. He ultimately decided against it, but it sucks to feel like you’ve hurt your kids.”
Even though Jaden eventually decided against emancipation, After Earth almost did a number on Jaden and Will Smith’s relationship.
Will Smith And Jaden Smith’s Relationship Before The Failure Of After Earth
Before After Earth, Will Smith and Jaden Smith’s relationship was one of love and respect. This is evident in the way the two speak about each other as well as interact with each other during interviews. For instance, when the two appeared on Ellen in 2013, Will jokingly embraced Jaden for a playful kiss, which isn’t a foreign gesture for Jaden:
“It happens quite a bit… I’m really happy I have such a loving father.”
The attempted kiss was followed by Will opening up about how proud he was of his children, saying “You know when you have kids, and you love them, and you’re proud of them, you just want to kiss them in the mouth sometimes.”
Their loving relationship was also apparent in a 2013 interview with Unscripted. During the interview, the pair were asked a series of questions, one of which being, “If you crash-landed on another planet, what’s one thing you would bring with you that you could never live without?” This prompted a response from Will that pretty much confirms the fond father-son relationship the two have:
“Jaden. I would bring you… and you know, just based on our relationship, I know that you’d be willing to give your life for me if you had to.”
This bond that Will and Jaden share is heart-warming to witness.
Jaden Smith Went On To Star In More Films Despite After Earth Criticism
Despite not having the best experience with starring in one of two films with his father, Will Smith, Jaden Smith went on to appear in other films that helped him repair his reputation as an actor.
Movies Starring Jaden Smith
Movie Release
The Pursuit of Happyness
December 15, 2006
The Day the Earth Stood Still
December 12, 2008
The Karate Kid
June 11, 2010
After Earth
May 31, 2013
Skate Kitchen
January 21, 2018
Life in a Year
November 27, 2020
Entergalactic
September 30, 2022
Jaden Smith has a decent net worth, but for the celebrity kid of Will and Jada Smith, fans might have expected more.
Jaden Smith’s movies have grossed up to $3 million domestically in the box office for his leading movie roles, following $5 million internationally and $9 million worldwide. Although this doesn’t scratch the surface when it comes to his father’s movies, it’s a start for his blossoming acting career.
Will Smith’s Movies Still Succeed Despite The Failure Of After Earth
Even though Will Smith’s movie After Earth didn’t do too well at the box office and among critics, he still has a portfolio of iconic movies that make the performance of After Earth fade into the abyss.
Will Smith’s Top Performing Movies
Movie Revenue
Aladdin (2019)
$1.05 billion
Independence Day (1996)
$817.4 million
Suicide Squad (2016)
$746 million
Men in Black lll (2012)
$654 million
Hancock (2008)
$629.4 million
Men in Black (1997)
$585.4 million
I Am Legend (2007)
$585.4 million
With more than 30 movies under his belt, many of which will age into classics, it’s hard to associate Will Smith with too many movies that don’t succeed.
Will Smith once turned down the lead role in Quentin Tarantino’s movie, even though he was initially a fan of the script.
Even though Will Smith’s worst movie almost destroyed his relationship with his son Jaden Smith, they seem to have moved past the disaster that came with After Earth’s performance, allowing it to become a distant memory.
