Will Smith's ''I Am Legend'' Makes Box Office History, Rakes In $76.5 Mil

Former rapper turned blockbuster actor, Will Smith proved his star power this weekend, breaking box office records with the debut of his new film, I Am Legend.

According to Variety, the sci-fi zombie thriller raked in $76.5 million over the weekend, the best December opening for a film of all time.

"It's nice to be in the Will Smith business," Dan Fellman, head of distribution for Warner Bros. told New York's Daily News. "He is just the No. 1 box-office star in the world today."

I am Legend pulled in more dollars at the ticket box than all three Lord of the Rings films, each of which also opened near Christmas. Yet while Smith is a known beast at the box office, I am Legend marks a personal best for the can't-miss actor.

Check his resume: In 2002 Smith pulled in $52 million with Men In Black 2; in 2003 Bad Boys 2 raked in $46.5 million; I, Robot made $52 million in 2004; Shark Tale earned $47.6 million, the same year; the 2005 release, Hitch, pulled in $43 million; and The Pursuit of Happyness, which came out last year, made $26.5 million all in their opening weekends.

I Am Legend sees Smith playing the role of a plague-survivor living in New York City who may be the last man on earth. After losing his family and all his friends, Smith, who plays a scientist, roams the empty streets of the city with his dog, trying to come up with a cure for the deadly zombie creatures that threaten his sole existence,

The movie is based on Richard Matheson's 1954 classic novel of the same name. The book's been adapted into two previous movies, The Omega Man and The Last Man on Eart