Exceeding expectations by a bit, Sony/Columbia’sMen in Black: Internationaleasily took the top spot at the domestic box office in its weekend debut. The fourth film in the sci-fi/action/comedy franchise was projected as tallying $26+ million and it wound up topping $28 million. That’s little consolation for what was intended to be a summer blockbuster. On the international front, where you’d thinkMiB:Iwould do a little better, the film took in $74.7 million and debuted at #1 in roughly two-thirds of the movie’s markets. Co-starsChris HemsworthandTessa Thompsonwill likely have to head back to the MCU to see such numbers again because Disney’s the only game in town when it comes to reliable box office boons.
Most of the weekend’s Top 10 is comprised of sequels from established franchises. We’ve got everything from the animated antics ofThe Secret Life of Pets 2, to another telling of theDark Phoenixsaga, a third-generationShaft, more worthwhile time spent withJohn Wick, and a mega-monster beat ‘em up inGodzilla: King of the Monsters. Even Disney’s magical movieAladdinis a live-action redo of an animated classic. So it’s refreshing to see that the excellentElton JohnbiopicRocketmanis seeing some love with a solid hold in its third weekend and that audiences are checking out Amazon’sLate Nightin its theatrical expansion. There’s even another success story for Blumhouse withMa, a micro-budget horror movie making relative bank with over $40 million earned on a $5 million budget; the studio can do this forever with returns like that. On the flip side of that model is the ~$350 million budget forAvengers: Endgame, which is now just under $50 million short of overtakingAvatarfor the top worldwide box office spot ever.
Here’s a look at how the Top 10 from this weekend’s box office stacked up:
Men in Black International
$28,500,000
The Secret Life of Pets 2
$23,800,000
Aladdin (2019)
$16,712,000
Dark Phoenix
$9,005,000
$8,800,000
Shaft (2019)
$8,315,000
Godzilla: King of the Monsters
$8,105,000
John Wick: Chapter 3 - Parabellum
$6,100,000
Late Night
$5,136,734
$3,610,000
