Can Will Smith make it back after Oscars slapgate?

The actor’s new film ‘Emancipation’ is being released on Apple TV+ this week – it’s his first since he slapped Chris Rock on stage at the Oscars in March. Geoffrey Macnab looks at Smith’s chances of redemption, and says, with his star-pulling power, it won’t take him long to win back the public’s trust

Time will tell if Smith’s star power has lost its shine forever (Apple TV+)

In normal circumstances, the awards momentum would now be building fast behind Antoine Fuqua’s Emancipation. The new $130m (£106.43) drama stars, and is produced by, Oscar winner and box office darling Will Smith in one of his most challenging roles, as a slave in 1860s Louisiana. It sees Apple, which became the first streaming service to win a Best Picture Oscar earlier this year with Coda, making its biggest splash yet with a full blown historical epic.

These, though, aren’t normal circumstances. Emancipation is Smith’s first “post-slap” movie release. Nine months have passed since the enraged star marched on stage and smacked comedian Chris Rock in the face. The moment he did so, opprobrium rained down on him. One of Hollywood’s favourite sons turned in an instant into a near pariah. He resigned from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) shortly after the incident – and was banned from attending the Oscars for 10 years.

The questions now are when the world will forgive him, how his peers in the film industry currently regard him and whether movies in which he appears have any chance of critical or commercial success. Early signs are that Emancipation has been caught up in the ongoing backlash against Smith.