Will Smith Reignites His Tom Cruise Rivalry With Paramount Deal to Make Hollywood Comeback

Will Smith’s Paramount deal could redefine his blockbuster legacy. So, can he finally rival Tom Cruise’s box office dominance in Hollywood?

Will Smith has officially partnered with Paramount Pictures, and this move has reignited his comparisons to Tom Cruise.

The Oscar-winning actor and his production company, named Westbrook, which he runs with Jada Pinkett Smith, have recently signed a first-look deal with the studio (via The Hollywood Reporter).

So, they’ll be developing blockbuster-level and franchise-driven theatrical movies that might skyrocket Smith’s stardom.

The actor once admitted in Mark Manson’s book Boom that he “started quietly monitoring all of Tom’s global promotional activities,” because he intended to outdo Cruise’s time in every country (via ET Online).

Though the two were good friends before, RadarOnline claims that Cruise has been avoiding Smith after the Oscar controversy, in which he physically assaulted Chris Rock due to a joke.

Now, let’s look at whether this Paramount contract is finally positioning Smith to challenge Cruise’s box office dominance.

Everything We Know About Will Smith’s Lucrative Paramount Deal 

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A first-look deal means that Paramount will have the first opportunity to finance and distribute movies that Will and Jada Pinkett Smith’s Westbrook develops.

Most importantly, they’ll be four-quadrant movies, as in ones that are designed to appeal to all major demographics: male, female, young, and older audiences.

Moreover, these projects will be franchise or IP-based, as in they’ll be able to span sequels or create an adaptation of existing books, games, plays, and more.

They’ve already announced two movies as a part of this arrangement, the first is titled Sugar Bandits, a live-action adaptation of Chuck Hogan’s Devils in Exile, and Rabbit Hole, penned by Dune’s screenplay writer Jon Spaihts.

Can Will Smith Dethrone Tom Cruise With Paramount’s Backing? 

Tom Cruise in Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning | Credits: Paramount Pictures.

For years, Tom Cruise and Will Smith have been megastars who dominated the blockbuster landscape.

Cruise had stunt-driven franchises like Mission: Impossibleand Top Gun, while Smith had Independence Day, Men in Black, and Hancock. 

But today, Cruise is one of the world’s last movie stars, sitting at number 6 on the all-time worldwide box office, raking in $12.6 billion from all his movies, while Smith is ranked at 7, with $9 billion across his career (via The Numbers).

Let’s break down their top five global box office hits:

Tom Cruise’s Movies – Worldwide Gross
(via The Numbers)
Will Smith’s Movies – Worldwide Gross
(via The Numbers)

Top Gun: Maverick – $1.45B
Aladdin – $1.04 B

Mission: Impossible – Fallout – $786 M
Independence Day – $817 M

Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol – $694 M
Suicide Squad – $749 M

Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation – $688 M
Men in Black 3 – $654 M

War of the Worlds – $606 M
Hancock – $624 M

It would seem like Smith is not far behind, but the big difference is how Cruise thrives entirely on his own brand, while Smith’s biggest recent success came from a Disney movie.

But with the Paramount deal, the Men in Black star will have the advantage of flexibility and will be able to dive into more genres, while Cruise sticks to his action space.

So, can Smith dethrone the Jack Reacher actor? Maybe not immediately. But what do you think, will the former ever be on the top of Hollywood, or will Cruise always have the edge over him?