The box office seems to in a slump, especially when it comes to franchises. Men in Black: International, led by Chris Hemsworth and Tessa Thompson, and Shaft became the latest sequels to be dismissed by audiences. Sony’s MIB led ticket sales at the b.o. this weekend with $28.5 million, but it fell far short of expectations of $30 million+.
Previous iterations of MIB, starring Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones, all opened with $50 million+. Internationally, MIB generated $73 million, for a total haul of $102.2 million.
Universal and Illumination’s The Secret Life of Pets 2 brought in $23 million.
Warner Bros. and New Line’s Shaft, starring Samuel L. Jackson, also tanked, garnering $8.3 million in sales, less than half of the expectations. 2000’s Shaft, meanwhile, launched with $21.7 million.
But originals didn’t fare well either. Late Night, starring Mindy Kaling and Emma Thompson, snagged $5.1 million to land it in ninth place.
Top 10 at the B.O.:
Men in Black International (4,224 theaters) – $28.0 M
The Secret Life of Pets 2 (4,564 theaters) – $25.0 M
Aladdin (3,556 theaters) – $15.6 M
Shaft (2,952 theaters) – $14.0 M
Dark Phoenix (3,721 theaters) – $13.1 M
Godzilla: King of the Monsters (3,207 theaters) – $7.4 M
Rocketman (3,052 theaters) – $7.3 M
Late Night (2,218 theaters) – $5.5 M
John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum (2,033 theaters) – $4.5 M
Ma (1,782 theaters) – $3.2 M
