The votes are pretty much unanimous - the thing to see this weekend is Focus, an action drama starring Will Smith (of all people). It has singlehandedly ended the reign of Fifty Shades of Grey and topped the box office with a $19.1 million. 

Will Smith, Focus
Will Smith in Focus.

Even so, this still counts as one of the worst opening weekends of Will Smith's career and a pretty slow start for the March box office overall. The Warner Bros. movie, co-starring up-and-coming actress Margot Robbie, did topple Fifty Shades of Grey, which had placed No. 1 for two consecutive weekends. On the subject of toppling Fifty Shades, Kingsman: The Secret Service also pulled ahead of the R-rated romance this weekend.

This week's opening may have been a test to Smith's pull after Sony's tentpole After Earth, which bombed in summer 2013 after opening to just $27.5 million. Focus is a much smaller film than a usual Smith tentpole, having cost a reported $50 million to make after rebates. Still, most believed it would open north of $22 million, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

Watch the trailer for Focus here.


So far, it looks like Smith just isn't pulling in the audiences like he used to, but this isn't the end for him.  Arguably, a far bigger test for Smith will be NFL sports drama Concussion, which Sony opens this Christmas. As usual, the actor is juggling several projects at once. 

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