Will Smith’s Underrated Superhero Movie With 42% RT Score Is Now A Global Streaming Hit On HBO Max

A Will Smith superhero movie with a 42% score from critics on Rotten Tomatoes is now a global streaming hit on HBO Max. From the blockbusters Men in Black and Independence Day to the inspirational stories in The Pursuit of Happyness and King Richard, Will Smith’s movies have been a defining part of popular culture for several decades.

Now, Smith’s 2008 movie Hancock is in the tenth spot on HBO Max’s global streaming charts. It is in the top 10 for 21 different countries, including Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Mexico, and Venezuela. While Hancock is performing well in these countries, it is not currently available to stream on HBO Max in the U.S.

Smith plays the titular superhero, who struggles with alcoholism while protecting Los Angeles and leaves behind extensive destruction alongside his rescues. After Hancock saves the life of Ray Embrey (Jason Bateman), the PR executive tries to rehabilitate the hero’s public image. Charlize Theron plays Ray’s wife, Mary, who is concealing an important secret.

Hancock was a massive box office success, as it grossed more than $620 million worldwide against a $150,000 budget. Despite the financial success, critics were not as impressed, and the movie now holds a 42% score on Rotten Tomatoes. The audience score is better at 59%, but it’s still not “Fresh.”

Between the original premise, action, comedy, and Smith’s performance, Hancock is arguably an underrated superhero movie and better than indicated by its Rotten Tomatoes scores. It was also released the same year that the Marvel Cinematic Universe began with Iron Man, subverting tropes long before superhero fatigue had set in. Hancock even outperformed Iron Man at the box office, with the latter grossing $585 million worldwide.

A Hancock sequel has been in development for years, but has yet to become official. Potential teases have involved Smith, Theron, and Bateman returning to reprise their roles and an exploration of Hancock and Mary’s origins before their time in Los Angeles.

Smith provided another Hancock 2 update last February, where he hinted that “a really cool” idea was in the works and that Zendaya was being approached for a role. Check out his comments below:

There’s a really cool Hancock 2 idea. We haven’t even talked about it. I’m going to give you one little piece. Zendaya [is] being approached for a role in Hancock 2.

While a Hancock sequel is yet to be officially greenlit, the Will Smith movie is continuing to resonate with audiences 18 years after first being released in theaters. This is a promising sign that there is still widespread interest in a follow-up story and that it can perform as well at the worldwide box office as its predecessor did.