Despite mixed critical reception, Disney's live-action Aladdin remake has grossed approximately $874 million worldwide at the time of writing. This puts the movie at approximately $57 million more than the adjusted lifetime earnings of the 1996 film Independence Day, making Aladdin Will Smith's most successful film to date.
The actor thanked fans all over the world in an Instagram video. Smith expressed that he felt humbled and honored having received news of Aladdin's success. He said, "to be in his game as long as I've been in this game and to have my biggest movie at this point in my career, I just want to say thank you" and he did -- in a wide variety of different languages, including Mandarin, Portuguese, Arabic and French.
Smith first rose to popularity in the 1980s as a rapper before entering the world of television with The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air. Since then he has starred in large films such as Bad Boys, Men in Black, Hancock and more. Over the course of his career he's been nominated for two Academy Awards and five Golden Globes.
His version of Genie was met with harsh criticism before Aladdin was released in theaters. Smith was tasked with re-creating a beloved character many associated with the late Robin Williams, who famously played Genie in the 1992 animated film and again for its second sequel, Aladdin and the King of Thieves. Opinions shifted after the live-action remake hit cinemas, with many praising Smith's performance as Aladdin's magical blue friend.
Directed by Guy Ritchie, Aladdin stars Mena Massoud as Aladdin, Will Smith as Genie, Naomi Scott as Princess Jasmine, Marwan Kenzari as Jafar, Navid Negahban as the Sultan of Agrabah, Billy Magnussen as new character Prince Anders, and Frank Welker and Alan Tudyk as the voices of Abu and Iago, respectively. The film is now in theaters.