A name that guarantees a box office bluster is that of Will Smith. Furthermore, he was a successful musician before he became an actor. Will stepped into the acting world with a sitcom, The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, in which he played an extra version of himself. Over the years, Smith has raised far up from being called the ‘sitcom guy’.

With unbeatable performances in some of Hollywood’s greatest hits, Will Smith is the go-to guy for movie creators. And we are talking pan-country, keeping in mind his performance in the Bollywood romantic comedy Student of The Year 2. Weird episodes and Oscar slaps aside, with over three decades in the spotlight, the man has earned many nicknames like Mr. July.

How did Will Smith get the nickname Mr. July?

With four Oscars, two Grammys, and millions of subscribers on YouTube, there are many awards and names that Will Smith has earned, one of them being Mr.July. Now, how did he get this nickname? To know that it is necessary to take a step back in time to when Will first started.

The renowned actor has admitted that he could simply not get himself to watch even a few episodes of The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air; that is how bad he thought he was. The only reason he did the show was that he needed money and wasn’t insane enough to throw away a chance of becoming a star. Especially one that was being offered by  Quincy Jones.

Fast forward to just a few years, Will Smith started dropping blockbusters after blockbusters. One season in which Will shined the brightest was in mid-summer, especially as we approached the 4th of July. It all started with Independence Day in 1996, which was released on the 3rd of July. With a box office collection of $817.4 million, it became the highest-grossing film of 1996.

The following year in 1997 came the iconic Men in Black. Released on the 2nd of July, this Will Smith movie earned $589.4 million. Wild Wild West, I, Robot, and widely accepted as the best movie of his career, Ali, all earned millions at the box office and were released in July. Hence, Will Smith came to be lovingly known as Mr. July in Hollywood.

Did you know of this nickname of the actor? Do you think Mr. July is a suitable name? Share your thoughts in the comments below.