'Men In Black: International' Set To Launch To $40 Million On Opening Weekend

Men in Black: International is counting on audiences not wanting to get their memories zapped after they see the fourth film in the Men in Black franchise. The Men in Black International box office tracking numbers suggest that the sci-fi action film starring Chris Hemsworth and Tessa Thompson will open to a $40 million debut, less than half of its $110 million budget. But word-of-mouth could help drive this sequel's numbers.Deadline reports that Sony's soft reboot of the Men in Black franchise, which features new characters played by Hemsworth and Thompson, is tracking for $40 million opening weekend. That's lower than the $50 million-plus three-day total of Men in Black 3, which starred Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones in the roles they originated in the first 1997 mega-hit. However, Deadline notes that Men in Black: International isn't opening on a holiday weekend like the last films, which means the studio isn't expecting the spin-off film to be a massive blockbuster like the first films. Instead, Men in Black: International will be relying on word-of-mouth and good reviews to keep its numbers going strong.

It will have to rake in big bucks in the following weeks to make up for its reported $110 million budget. Deadline reports that the ad campaign for the film was quite expensive too.

But the Men in Black franchise just doesn't have the shine it used to. When the 1997 film grossed $250 million domestically ($492 million adjusted for ticket inflation), it was part of a one-two punch with Independence Day, crowning Smith box office king. Star power doesn't sell movie tickets anymore, despite the exciting pairing of Hemsworth and Thompson, both popular actors from major franchises whose pairing in Thor: Ragnarok was a stroke of genius. But Men in Black: International will test whether they can be box office draws outside of the Marvel label.

Directed by F. Gary Gray and starring Chris Hemsworth, Tessa Thompson, and Liam Neeson, with Rebecca Ferguson, Kumail Nanjiani, Rafe Spall, and Les Twins, Men in Black: International opens in theaters on June 14, 2019.

The Men in Black have always protected the Earth from the scum of the universe. In this new adventure, they tackle their biggest, most global threat to date: a mole in the Men in Black organization.