Will Smith once acted in a movie to be successful, only for it to flop big time. The Oscar winner is held for being one of the biggest stars in the world. But reaching from ground zero to this level of stardom takes decades of hard work and persistence. Sometimes that also means having to rise up from the biggest project failure.

While still new in the industry, he first rose to prominence through the Fresh Prince series. During his initial years, he came up with a formula to tactically rise the ranks and became the biggest star. But sometimes the hunger to win can lead to poor decisions. Years later, the entertainer admitted to his own example.

How Will Smith ended up doing a major flop flick back in 1999

When climbing up the ladders of his career, Smith became a lucky charm for every project he starred in. But his 1999 film Wild Wild West ended up being one of the biggest multi-starrer flop. He even admitted to doing the film for a win, instead of doing it because he believed in its content or end result. “What happened was there was a lag,” Smith revealed to GQ magazine back in 2016. His thirst to be a global star left him facing a movie with a poor rating.

This was his second film with director Barry Sonnenfeld, after the superhit Men in Black. Smith teaming up with Jamie Fox and Salma Hayek, whose casting didn’t bring much confidence, could not save it from tanking.

Although he also worked in movies like I Am Legend, Aladdin, The Pursuit of Happiness, etc., that helped him be taken as a serious contender.

Why did Wild Wild West end up being such a big flop?

Even at first glance, Wild Wild West received criticism over badly finished editing. It was a blend of a sci-fi theme mixed with Western cowboy-style attire with a sprinkle of conspiracy. It was supposed to be a remake of the comedy TV show of the same name but failed to replicate successfully. Ever since, Smith learned to do roles where he could express himself, rather than doing ones that would merely add to his bank account.

What do you think of his take on Wild Wild West? Share your thoughts in the comments.