Men in Black: International, toplined by Tessa Thompson and Chris Hemsworth, is the latest sequel dismissed by U.S. moviegoers.
Sony’s movie led ticket sales at the box-office this weekend, but with a muted $28.5 million, falling short of expectations.
Those numbers represent half of what the previous installments in the sci-fi series earned during their first weekend in theaters. The three previous Men in Black films opened with over $50 million (not adjusted for inflation).
The latest entry wasn’t expected to reach the same heights as the original films, starring Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones, but was expected to generate above $30 million.
Directed by F. Gary Gray, the sequel sees Thompson and Hemsworth team up as black-suited agents protecting the Earth from alien attacks.
“Men in Black: International” is counting on moviegoers overseas to make the action adventure a hit. The picture did have a larger footprint with foreign audiences, generating $73 million from 56 overseas territories, bringing the film’s global start to $102.2 million.
Sony co-financed the movie with Hemisphere and Tencent, spending $110 million to produce the movie, roughly half of what it cost to make “MIB 3.”
Critics praised the chemistry between Hemsworth and Thompson, who first shared the screen in “Thor: Ragnarok,” but reviews were otherwise negative for the follow-up, which comes 7 years after the latest installment, and nearly 25 years after the first film with Smith and Jones.
The movie carries a 24% on Rotten Tomatoes. Audiences were equally unenthusiastic, giving “MIB: International” a B CinemaScore.
