Men in Black: International is on track to top The Secret Life of Pets 2 at the domestic box office in its opening weekend with the lowest total of any film in the franchise.
The film is on track to earn $26.3 million this weekend domestically, nearly half as much as 1997's Men in Black, even without adjusting for inflation. The original film opened to just over $50 million domestically and would be surpassed by 2002's Men in Black II opening to $50.1 million and 2012's Men in Black III opening to $54.5 million, which was the best opening in the entire franchise.
With a reported production budget of $110 million, before marketing and distribution, Men in Black: International is still a long ways off from recouping its expenses. The film's domestic opening day totals reached $10 million including $3.1 million from Thursday night previews.
Despite its popular, new leads in Chris Hemsworth and Tessa Thompson, one major factor of Men in Black: International's disappointing opening may be its franchise-worst critics score on Rotten Tomatoes, currently sitting at 24% on the review aggregate site.
Directed by F. Gary Gray and starring Tessa Thompson, Chris Hemsworth, Liam Neeson, Kumail Nanjiani, Rafe Spall and Emma Thompson, Men in Black: International is in theaters everywhere.
(via Deadline)