Will's got the power

Updated 09.52 Tue Apr 03 2007
Keywords: films, power, Hollywood, Will Smith

Will Smith has been named the most powerful actor on the planet.

The Men in Black star, 38, beat previous title-holders Tom Cruise and Tom Hanks to receive the honour in Newsweek's annual list.

The Men in Black star beat previous title-holders Tom Cruise and Tom Hanks

An industry insider said: "Will Smith is the only thing in this business - the only thing - that represents a guaranteed opening weekend."

The rankings in the poll were determined by how much a star's film can gross the week it opens.

Smith's last film, The Pursuit of Happyness took $298 million (£151m) worldwide. His other films have also performed incredibly at the box office, with Independence Day taking a total of $817 million (£415m).

Pirates of the Caribbean star Johnny Depp came second place in the poll, followed by comedian Ben Stiller and Brad Pitt.

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