Will Smith Dealt Major Blow As Comeback Album 'Flops' With Low Sales Years After Oscars Slap Drama

Will Smith's comeback album "Based On A True Story" is reportedly struggling commercially, selling just 268 copies in the UK and missing the Billboard 200 in the US.

Despite star-studded collaborations and personal lyrics addressing the 2022 Oscars slap directly in tracks like "Int. Barbershop — Day and You Lookin' for Me?," the album failed to gain traction.

Undeterred, Will Smith plans to release two more albums and embark on his first headline tour across Europe.

Smith's long-awaited return to music after nearly 20 years has fallen flat. His new album, "Based On A True Story," which is his first since 2005's "Lost and Found," has failed to gain commercial traction.

The 14-track album includes collaborations with some big names, such as "Beautiful Scars" featuring Big Sean, "Work of Art" with his son Jaden Smith, and "Hard Times" with Teyana Taylor; the latter of which he was actively promoting on Instagram as recently as Friday.

However, despite the big-name collaborations, the album sold just 268 physical copies in its first week in the UK, with only 36 digital downloads reported, according to The Sun.

In the States, the reception wasn't any better, as Forbes reported that the album didn't make it onto the Billboard 200, marking the first time a solo Will Smith project has missed the chart entirely.

The album was seen by many as Smith's attempt to reignite his music career and reconnect with fans following the fallout from the controversial 2022 Oscars incident involving comedian Chris Rock.

Despite the lukewarm reception to his latest album, Smith isn't slowing down. Reports suggest the 56-year-old entertainer plans to drop two more albums before the year is out.

He's also gearing up for his "first-ever" headline tour, which will take him across various venues throughout the UK and Europe.

The tour will feature a mix of new material from "Based On A True Story" and classic fan favorites like "Gettin' Jiggy Wit It," "Miami," and "Summertime."

Cities on the list include places like Scarborough and Wolverhampton, while major stops like Birmingham, Glasgow, and Dublin are noticeably absent.

Before kicking off his solo tour, Will is set to perform at several international festivals, including Mawazine in Morocco, POSITIV Festival in France, Dreambeach in Spain, and the BIG ART Festival in Italy.

Announcing the tour on Instagram last month, he wrote: "I'M GOING ON TOUR THIS SUMMER!! We're hitting up the UK & Europe to bring U all the hits, some new joints, and a few surprises ;-) All these years, I've NEVER done a headline tour and I can't wait to see you guys!!"

On his new album, Smith didn't shy away from controversy as he tackles the infamous Oscars slap incident with raw honesty. His opening track, "Int. Barbershop — Day," kicks off with the line: "Will Smith is canceled."

Featuring DJ Jazzy Jeff and B. Simone, the track unfolds like a chaotic conversation, with different voices trading opinions and speculations about the "Suicide Squad" actor.

One voice questions, "Who the f-ck Will Smith think he is?" while another responds, "I ain't never going to forgive him for that sh-t he did."

The moment they're referring to occurred during the 2022 Academy Awards, when Smith stunned audiences by walking onstage and slapping Rock, who had made a joke about Jada Pinkett Smith.

After returning to his seat, Smith shouted, "Keep my wife's name out your f-cking mouth!" Later that night, he took home the Oscar for Best Actor for his role in "King Richard."

Following the 2022 Oscars incident, Smith faced significant fallout. Despite winning his first Academy Award that night, the actor was handed a 10-year ban from attending any Academy-related events.

In addition to being exiled from the Academy, he publicly apologized, expressing that he was "deeply remorseful" for his actions.

Meanwhile, production on his Netflix film "Fast and Loose" was also paused in the aftermath. Smith references the scandal throughout his new album.

On the second track, "You Lookin' for Me?," he delivers a pointed verse: "Took a lot, I'm back on top / Y'all gon' have to get acclimated / Won't stop, my sh-t still hot / Even though I won't get nominated."

While the ban prevents him from attending future ceremonies, it doesn't disqualify him from being nominated for an Oscar, though, given the circumstances, many see that as unlikely.

After the controversial slap incident, Jada Pinkett revealed that she was "shocked" by Smith's actions as her relationship with the actor had been "fractured" for about six years before then.

Jada also noted that she and Smith had not referred to each other as "husband" and "wife" in a longtime before that faithful day.

"Why it fractured, that's a lot of things," she said in an NBC interview with Hoda Kotb. "And I think by the time we got to 2016 we were just exhausted with trying. I think we were both kind of just still stuck in our fantasy of what we thought the other person should be."

"I made a promise that there will never be a reason for us to get a divorce. We will work through whatever," Jada continued, per the New York Post. "And I just haven't been able to break that promise."