A Careful Analysis of Will Smith's July Superpowers

When you think of summertime, you think of hot steering wheels, overcrowded public pools, and Will Smith -- and not just because the Fresh Prince had that awesome song called "Summertime." Big Willie has been the king of the July box office ever since Independence Day in 1996, and Hancock marks the seventh time he's had a July blockbuster.

How do we know it will be a blockbuster? Because even though it's summertime, we did some math. Will Smith + July release date = hit. Even a "failure" like 1999's Wild Wild West still made $222 million worldwide (half in the U.S., half in foreign markets). Here's a rundown of how Smith's July films have fared, clearly laid out so you can see what's in store for Hancock.

Film: Independence Day (1996)
Co-star: Jeff Goldblum.
Enemy: Macintosh-using aliens.
Smith contributes soundtrack song? No.
Worldwide gross: $817 million.

Film: Men in Black (1997)
Co-stars: Tommy Lee Jones, Tommy Lee Jones' eyebrows.
Enemy: Regular aliens; computer preference unknown.
Smith contributes soundtrack song? Yes.
Worldwide gross: $589 million.

Film: Wild Wild West (1999)
Co-stars: Kevin Kline, Salma Hayek.
Enemy: Robot spiders; bad screenplay.
Smith contributes soundtrack song? Yes.
Worldwide gross: $222 million.

Film: Men in Black II (2002)
Co-stars: Tommy Lee Jones' eyebrows. (Tommy Lee Jones himself did not appear due to a contract dispute.)
Enemy: Aliens; heightened expectations.
Smith contributes soundtrack song? Yes. ("Black Suits Comin'")
Worldwide gross: $442 million.

Film: Bad Boys II (2003)
Co-star: Martin Lawrence.
Enemy: Martin Lawrence, who has entertainment-absorbing powers that render anything he touches utterly unwatchable.
Smith contributes soundtrack song? No.
Worldwide gross: $273 million.

Film: I, Robot (2004)
Co-star: Isaac Asimov, furiously spinning in his grave.
Enemy: Robots.
Smith contributes soundtrack song? No.
Worldwide gross: $347 million.

Film: Hancock (2008)
Co-stars: Jason Bateman, Charlize Theron.
Enemy: Lack of self-discipline; loneliness.
Smith contributes soundtrack song? No.
Projected worldwide gross: $3.8 trillion.

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Eric D. Snider has grossed over a dollar worldwide.

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