Hancock (film) Hancock" before settling on its final title. Prior to the film's release, marketing consultants attempted to persuade Sony Pictures to again change the title "Hancock" because it was too vague for audiences, suggesting alternatives like "Heroes Never Die", "Unlikely Hero", and "Less Than Hero". Despite the advice, Sony stayed with "Hancock" and anticipated marketing on the popularity of the film's star, Will Smith. "Hancock" had its world premiere as the opener at the 30th Moscow International Film Festival on June 19, 2008. To avoid copyright infringement, organizers took "unprecedented" steps to prevent illegal reproduction of the film. For the film,
Hancock (film) and Canadian box office and the twelfth film in Smith's career to lead the box office. "Hancock" was also Peter Berg's strongest opening of his directing career to date. Chad Hartigan, analyst for Exhibitor Relations, said about Smith's successful opening, "Audiences don't care what critics say; they're going to turn out for anything he does." Outside the United States and Canada, "Hancock" grossed $78.3 million in its opening weekend, drawing from 5,444 screenings across 50 markets, ranking it the third highest international opening of 2008 after "Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull" and "Iron Man". "Hancock" averaged