Wilson Webb/Columbia Pictures
"Men in Black 3"
Sony's 3D Memorial tentpole Men in Black 3 grossed $1.6 million in Thursday midnight runs at the domestic box office.
MIB 3 is an important test for the marquee franchise, as well as Smith's star status. MIB 3 returns Barry Sonnenfeld in the director's chair and is expected to gross $85 million to $90 million for the four-day holiday weekend, easily taking the box office crown away from The Avengers (now in its fourth weekend) but sitll lagging behind top Memorial Day performers in years past.
PHOTOS: 28 of Summer's Most Anticipated Movies
Hollywood is already resigned to the fact that MIB 3 won't reach the levels of last year's The Hangover Part II, which opened nationwide on the Thursday before Memorial Day weekend and grossed a whopping $10.4 million in Wednesday midnight on its way to earning $135 million for the four days.
MIB 3 -- costing close to $230 million to produce -- also is rolling out overseas, and Sony is hopeful that the event pic will clear $200 million worldwide in its debut.
Domestically, MIB 3 could hit $20 million on Friday, including midnight earnings.
The movie, also headlining Josh Brolin and Tommy Lee Jones, opens a decade after Men in Black II debuted, but Sony is still making a big play for kids who don't necessarily remember the franchise. If that happens, the pic could see a strong business on Saturday and Sunday, as well as Monday.
MIB 3 fared better in its midnight performance than last weekend's action tentpole Battleship, which only earned $650,000 on its way to a dismal $25.5 million three-day weekend opening.
Alcon Entertainment and Warner Bros. horror pic Chernobyl Diaries grossed roughly $525,000 in midnight earnings.
No comments:
Post a Comment