As critics' reviews of Men in Black International begin to arrive, the film's score on review aggregate site Rotten Tomatoes has begun to fluctuate, alternating between a worse and improved score since its initial posted rating.Sony's revival of its fan-favorite sci-fi franchise debuted with a critics score of 32% on Rotten Tomatoes based off of 25 professional reviews, then s;ipped down to 28% before hitting a current score of 35%, as of this writing.
This stands just below 2002's Men in Black II's score of 39%, the worst-reviewed entry in the entire franchise until now. The original 1997 film has a score of 92% while the most recent installment, 2012's Men in Black III, has a score of 68%. CBR's own review of the film found it largely disappointing and unfunny.
Early box office estimates similarly place the film at earning $40 million domestically during its upcoming opening weekend, another worst for the franchise. With a reported production budget of $110 million, Men in Black International will have to rely on positive word-of-mouth rather than critical buzz if it hopes to be a success.
Directed by F. Gary Gray and starring Tessa Thompson, Chris Hemsworth, Liam Neeson, Kumail Nanjiani, Rafe Spall and Emma Thompson, Men in Black: International opens Friday nationwide.