Will Smith got jiggy with the box office over the weekend and knocked The Avengers off the top spot after three record breaking weeks. Men In Black 3 (read our review) should see the weekend out with about $55 million (or $70 million for the four day weekend). It’s an okay-ish number, but Sony was hoping that the film would bank $90 million over the long weekend. Men In Black 3 comes with a steep production budget (somewhere between $220 million and $300 million) and most of those involved in the film get a large chunk of the first dollar gross, so it’s going to have to make a lot of green to turn a profit.
The first Men In Black film debuted with $51 million in 1997, and it went on to make $250 million domestically and $589 million worldwide. Its sequel arrived five years later with a $52 million launch, topping out at $190 million and scoring $441 million at the global box office. The last installment didn’t receive as much love as its predecessor, and the decade long wait may not have helped matters for this third film. Expect Men In Black 3 to gross a similar number to the first sequel and a little more globally-with the added 3D bump.
Men In Black 3 marks the Fresh Prince’s first movie in four years, he has been absent from screens since the release of Seven Pounds, which grossed a disappointing $69 million ($168 million worldwide) in 2008. His last blockbuster was Hancock (also in 2008) and that debuted with $62 million, on its way to a total of $227 million. The star has had an astonishing twelve $100 million+ grossing films – his highest earner being Independence Day, which grossed $306 million at the US and over $816 million globally in 1996. The average box office gross for a Will Smith movie is $126 million, a figure MIB3 should top.
The Avengers dropped to second place but still scored a mighty $36.9 million for the weekend (about $48 million for the four days). That would give the Marvel adventure a massive $513 million by Monday morning and over $1.2 billion globally. It’s the fastest film ever to hit $500 million and by next week, the film will have surpassed the domestic gross of The Dark Knight to become the third highest grossing film of all-time (un-adjusted) at the US box office. However, on the adjusted chart it’s way down the list, behind the likes of Gone With The Wind, Doctor Zhivago and about forty other films.
Battleship continues to sink. The Taylor Kitsch action film should sail away with just $10.8 million for the three day weekend for a $44 million total. That would give the $209 million film a global gross of $277 million. That number may be nautical, but it is not nice.
The Dictator isn’t having a very successful reign at the box office. The comedy should take home $9.6 million for the weekend, a number which would bring its total to $41 million.
Chernobyl Diaries had a disappointing start, garnering just $8 million on its opening three days. Poor reviews haven’t helped the Oren Peli produced film (read ours), but it was produced on a budget, so it should turn a decent profit.
Tim Burton’s Dark Shadows will bank an additional $7.5 million come Monday, a number which will see its gross swell to $62.9 million ($144 million globally). It’s not a total disaster, but it has to be a disappointment for all involved.
What To Expect When You’re Expecting will take home around $7.1 million for the three days-upping its cume to flaccid $22 million. Don’t expect to find this on screens for much longer.
The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel invited another $6.3 million from paying guests, raising its total to $16.5 million. The British comedy is fast approaching $100 million globally.
Another $2.7 million sees The Hunger Games raise its cume to $395 million; it’s almost at the $400 million mark. The Jennifer Lawrence film has now grossed almost $640 million worldwide.
Think Like A Man rounded out the top ten. The romantic comedy banked $1.4 million and raised its total to just over $88 million.
That’s it for now. See you at the movies.
Source: Box Office Mojo