Recency bias sees a lot of big budget blockbusters dubbed as ranking among the worst of all-time in the immediate aftermath of their releases, but we’re now 10 years removed from After Earth and M. Night Shyamalan’s infamous disaster is still more than worthy of such a status.
Just when you thought the once-promising filmmaker couldn’t reach a new low after the egregious assault on the senses that was The Last Airbender, he teamed up with Will Smith for a self-indulgent exercise in vanity and nepotism that Sony somehow decided was worth an eye-watering $150 million investment.
Looking back, it’s incredible to think there were once plans afoot for an entire shared universe that would have featured – without a word of a lie – everything from sequels, animated and live-action TV shows, theme park attractions, video games, comic books, a bespoke social media app and much more under the 1000AE banner.
Instead, what we ended up with was a box office bomb savaged by critics and shunned by audiences, with the Razzies going on to anoint Will and Jaden with trophies for Worst Actor, Worst Supporting Actor, and Worst Screen Combo. After Earth is a staggeringly bad sci-fi adventure, but for unfathomable reasons, it also happens to be the biggest hit on a major streaming service.
Per FlixPatrol, the horrendous trip into a future where Jaden Smith can headline tentpole releases has topped the HBO Max global rankings after securing top spot in 21 countries around the world. Why? We have no idea, but we can’t feel sorry for them after they’ve chosen to watch it of their own volition.