Will Smith reveals why he wasn't satisfied with the legendary success of I Am Legend

Will Smith wasn't satisfied by I Am Legend's legendary performance at the box office.

In an exclusive video from Smith's Friday appearance on Apple TV+'s The Oprah Conversation, the A-lister reflected on a conversation he had with his producing partner James Lassiter upon getting the news that his post-apocalyptic survival thriller I Am Legend opened to $77 million in late 2007, a record for a non-Christmas film released in December.

"I'm excited for 30 seconds, and then my mind drifts and I say to J, 'Hey, why do you think we missed 80?" Smith told Oprah Winfrey. "He said, 'What?' And I said, 'No, it was 77, do you think if we would have adjusted the ending? Because I wanted the ending to feel more like Gladiator.' He's like, 'It's the biggest opening in history, ever. What are you talking about?' I'm like, 'J, I get that, I'm just asking why do you think we missed the 80?' And it's the only time he ever hung up on me."

Winfrey then jumped in to say, "I love that moment. He needed to hang up on you."

Laughing, Smith points to the story as an example of "the subtle sickness of material success."

Smith is currently earning Oscar buzz for his upcoming biopic King Richard, in which he stars as Richard Williams, the father of tennis legends Venus and Serena. Until its release on Nov. 19 shakes up the list, check out EW's ranking of every Smith film performance, including the highly-placed I Am Legend.

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