Men In Black: International Opens At Number One But Continues A String Of Disappointing Summer Debuts

Men In Black: International can claim bragging rights for the number one spot over the weekend but the bragging stops there. Following in the wake of Godzilla: King of the Monsters, The Secret Life of Pets 2 & Dark Phoenix, Men In Black: International continues a streak of diminishing returns.

Men In Black: International opened at number one to $30 million which, while far better than the $28 million initially reported, is still ho-hum for a brand such as this with potentially bankable stars. This is the lowest opening for the franchise and it’s about $20 million shy of the previous installments which all cleared $51 million on opening weekend. There is a lot that went wrong here including quality (26% on Rotten Tomatoes) and while I don’t always think the site is a good referencing point for a film’s quality, having seen the film I must say that it did waste the charm of its leads and it didn’t really give itself a strong reason for existing. If you’re going to reboot the brand, it needs to be fresh and new and since the film didn’t have the likable pairing of Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones, fans just didn’t respond. Audiences were kinder to the film, giving it a “B” CinemaScore but with Toy Story 4 coming, I don’t see this film having a great hold on the domestic front and will likely not see $100 million by the end of its run. Internationally, the response was a bit better with a $74 million debut for a worldwide opening of $102.2 million.

Falling to second is The Secret Life of Pets 2 with $24.4 million. Kudos to the film for keeping the plunge below 50% (47.7%) but that’s still a sizeable drop for a film aimed at kids. The film has grossed $92.6 million domestically, surpassing its $80 million budget which is good news but I have doubts that they will take a third trip with this franchise considering the drop off from the first film. Internationally, the film added another $8.5 million this weekend for a global gross that now totals nearly $155 million.

In third, we have Aladdin which continues to be a bright spot in a summer that has seen its fair share of clunkers. The film grossed $17.3 million over the weekend and brings its domestic total to $264 million and now it’s a matter of if there’s enough gas in the tank to make it to $300 million. The film saw a drop of 29.9% which is good but Toy Story 4 may lead the film to see a bigger drop this weekend. That being said Aladdin is a hit and has truly resonated with the audience. Internationally the film added another $47.5 million this weekend for an overseas gross that now totals over $461 million and a global tally just shy of $725 million.

Rocketman lands in fourth after initially being reported in fifth place on Monday. The film grossed $9.4 million over the weekend and dropped a reasonable 31.8%. The film has grossed $66.7 million and while $100 million may be out of the question, I think an $80-90 million finish is in the cards which is just fine for a film that cost $40 million to make.  The film also added another $8.5 million internationally for a global total that now tops $133 million.

Rounding out the top five is Dark Phoenix which took a hard hit in weekend two to $9.3 million. That’s a massive drop of 71.5% and the film now brings its domestic total to a disappointing $52.1 million. Keep in minds, this is where some predicted the film would open and the fact that it has only grossed this amount in two weeks is troubling for a film that cost $200 million to make.  Additionally, Dark Phoenix earned an estimated $24.2 million in its second weekend of release internationally, raising the overall overseas total to $152.5 million for a global haul that now tops $204 million. Overseas market is pulling all the weight on this one but it just won’t be enough.

Check out the full top ten results below:

FilmTotal% ChangeGross to Date
Onward$10,601,952-72.9%$60.3
Bloodshot$9,176,695NEW$9.17
I Still Believe$9,103,614NEW$9.10
The Invisible Man$5,890,805-61.1%$64.3
The Hunt$5,304,455NEW$5.3
Sonic the Hedgehog$2,522,584-67.3%$145.7
The Way Back$2,356,115-71.2%$13.3
The Call of the Wild$2,226,720-67.1%$62
Emma.$1,295,215-73%$9.9
Bad Boys for Life$1,102,208-63.5%$204.2

 


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About Gaius Bolling 3795 Articles
At the age of five, I knew I wanted to write movies and about them. I've set out to make those dreams come true. As an alumni of the Los Angeles Film Academy, I participated in their Screenwriting program, while building up my expertise in film criticism. I write reviews that relate to the average moviegoer by educating my readers and keeping it fun. My job is to let you know the good, the bad, and the ugly in the world of cinema, so you can have your best moviegoing experience. You can find more of my writing on Instagram @g_reelz.