It's been a solid decade since Men in Black II made plenty of money but aroused a collective, "meh" from audiences, seemingly kiboshing the costly franchise, but this Memorial Day weekend, the series returned to a $55.0 million debut. The film, featuring franchise standbys Will Smith, Tommy Lee Jones, and director Barry Sonnenfeld, also opened internationally this weekend, and hauled in $132 million.
That international number is doubtless a comfort to all involved. A huge budget, a very public production halt due a shooting that started without a complete script, and a lot of money spent on marketing had created a general sense that Men in Black 3 could be a legendarily catastrophic summer movie. Instead, though, the sci-fi comedy proved that, even after an unprecedented four-year absence, Will Smith can still put asses in seats. Sony worked hard to convey that the new film would provide goofy fun in the spirit of the first Men in Black, while the addition of Josh Brolin and some 1960s time-traveling promised something novel.
That worked, more or less. After less-than-overwhelming attendance at midnight screenings, expectations for the film's weekend grosses were pared down pretty down significantly. Despite such watered-down expectations, Men in Black 3 was critically well-received enough and claimed the number one spot with dignity.
That's not to say, however, that Joss Whedon and Marvel's ensemble isn't still doing its thing, declining just 34% from last week to $36.9 million, according to current estimates. That brings its domestic total to $513.6 million. On Saturday, The Avengers broke yet another record by passing the $500 million mark in 23 days. It also passed Star Wars: Episode I - Th Phantom Menace at number four on the all-time American charts, and should surpass The Dark Knight in the next week. The international numbers now stand at a whopping $781.9 million, bringing the film's global total to $1.3 billion.
Next to the ongoing adventures of Agents J and K, this week's only other wide release was the found-footage horror movie Chernobyl Diaries. As you'd expect, the film dropped to a less-than-enthusiastic critical reception. Even with Paranormal Activity creator Oren Peli's name all over the movie as producer, Chernobyl Diaries debuted in fifth place with an estimated $8.0 million in receipts. The competitive summer season over which Marvel's big movie has asserted its dominance just can't seem to accommodate another shakey-cam horror movie.
In limited release, meanwhile, there's Moonrise Kingdom. Riding a wave of critical adulation that began with its premiere at the Cannes Films Festival earlier this month, the latest from Wes Anderson opened in just four locations but brought the thunder on a small scale. From those four locations, the ensemble grossed an estimated $509,000. That means the film's per-theater average was $127,250, nearly ten times that of MiB 3. Huzzah for Anderson and huzzah, as ever, for Bill Murray.
Here are the top ten for this Memorial Day Weekend:
1. Men in Black 3 $55.0 million New Release
2. The Avengers $36.9 million $513.6 million
3. Battleship $10.8 million $44.3 million
4. The Dictator $9.3 million $41.4 million
5. Chernobyl Diaries $8.0 million New Release
6. Dark Shadows $7.5 million $62.9 million
7. What to Expect When You're Expecting $7.1 million $22.1 million
8. The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel $6.3 million $16.5 million
9. The Hunger Games $2.7 million $395.2 million
10. Think Like a Man $1.4 million $88.4 million
The coming Friday sees the wide release of Snow White and the Huntsman, which Universal is hoping will unseat Men in Black 3 at the top.
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