Will Smith's new movie Collateral Beauty has been torn apart by critics

He used to be the king of the box office and one of Hollywood's biggest stars, but it hasn't been a good few years for Will Smith.

Now, he might have his biggest failure yet on his hands.

After Earth was the first big dent in his armour, after it got panned and bombed at the box office.

Then his accent in Concussion was widely mocked. Most recently, he starred in Suicide Squad, where even his charming performance couldn't save the movie.

His latest film is the lead role for an all star cast in Collateral Beauty, the new movie from The Devil Wears Prada director David Frankel.

Apparently, it's just awful.

On Rotten Tomatoes, the movie only has a mere 17 per cent approval rating.

Critics have slammed the drama for being emotionally manipulative and criticised the plot as ridiculous.

Randy Cordova of the Arizona Republic wrote: "Good news for those who get a kick out of hate-watching bad films. Santa has brought you an early Christmas present in the form of Collateral Beauty."

While many critics were forgiving of the cast, a few threw shade towards Smith, with Alan Scherstuhl of the Village Voice describing the A-lister's acting as "the kind of serious performance you sometimes see from Adam Sandler or Robin Williams when they mistake 'seriousness' for giving us nothing."

Keira Knightley, who co-stars as 'Time', earned harsh burns as well. "Knightley has turned into a parody of herself - eyes perpetually wide and sideways, mouth slightly open. Really, she has one expression throughout the entire movie: Embarrassed disbelief," wrote Stephen Whitty of the New York Daily News.

Even the title couldn't escape criticism, with Variety's Owen Glieberman explaining that it's "a phrase whose supposedly soothing meaning gets explained several times, though it may still leave you scratching your head."

The best insult belonged to The Guardian's Peter Bradshaw, who said: "This horrifyingly yucky, toxically cutesy ensemble dramedy creates a Chernobyl atmosphere of manipulative sentimentality, topped off with an ending which M Night Shyamalan might reject as too ridiculous."

Collateral Beauty, which sees Smith as a father grieving for the loss of his son, co-stars Kate Winslet, Edward Norton and Helen Mirren.

It hits New Zealand cinemas on January 12, if you think it's still worth seeing.