It was a good run, a run that generated billions for Hollywood, a run that sent a second-rate black rapper to a very white region of stardom, the A-list. All of that is over. Smith is now a subject for historians: How did he rise? How long did he last? Why did he fall? What mood defined the twilight of his glory? How does he compare to other historical subjects like Cruise and Gibson? Can we agree that After Earth was his Water World? Box Office Guru:

Will Smith suffered the worst summer opening of his career with the big-budget flop After Earth which settled in at number three with an estimated $27M, about half of what the former bulletproof box office star would normally attract for this kind of movie. Panned by critics, and likely setting itself up for multiple Razzies next year, the Sony release averaged $7,939 from 3,401 theaters.

The father-son project starred his son Jaden Smith (who got top billing) and was directed by M. Night Shyamalan. Since hitting it big with The Sixth Sense, the filmmaker has only had one movie open worse - 2006's the Lady in the Water with $18M. With horrible reviews and awful buzz, audiences stayed away from the futuristic action pic. After Earth even fared worse that Smith's Wild Wild West from 1999 which bowed to $27.7M over the three-day portion of a long holiday weekend on its way to $113.8M.

Is Will Smith's star on the wane? After Earth's weak box office isn't the only indicator… gu.com/p/3ga35/tw

— Guardian Film (@guardianfilm) June 3, 2013