Box Office News: ‘Men in Black 3’ Dethrones ‘The Avengers’ From Top Spot

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CHICAGO – Perhaps to avoid the scorching heat, a lot of people went to the movies this Memorial Day weekend and two films dominated the marketplace. “Men in Black 3” finally dethroned the champ with an impressive $55 million over the three days (and $70 million over the holiday four-day weekend) compared to the $36.8 million brought in by “Marvel’s The Avengers.” The Will Smith - Tommy Lee Jones flick is definitely a hit but it has a ways to go to approach the $1.3 billion worldwide already amassed by one of the biggest films of all time. (For the record, “Men in Black 3” has already made $203 million worldwide.)

The three-day weekend for “Men in Black 3” was nice but certainly not spectacular as it nearly matched the opening for 2002’s “Men in Black II” ($52.1 million) and that’s when ticket prices were notably cheaper. And it didn’t approach the $62.6 million grossed by “Hancock” or the $77.2 million grossed by “I Am Legend” in its first three days. Still, the B+ from audiences on CinemaScore indicates that the film could have some relatively strong legs.

Certainly stronger than “Battleship,” which plunged 57% in its second frame to make a pathetic $10.9 million over the three-day weekend. “The Dictator” took a steep plunge as well, falling 47%.

As far as other openers go, “Chernobyl Diaries” was something of a bust, opening in 5th place with $9.3 million over the 4-day weekend. However, with a minimal budget and no-name stars, it’s hard to argue that an inevitable gross around $20 million is a “bomb.”

On the other end of the spectrum, “Moonrise Kingdom” was MASSIVE in limited release, grossing $130,750 PER SCREEN in its very limited release. Making over half a million on only four screens was good enough for 14th place. For comparison, “Men in Black III“‘s per screen was just under $13k. “Moonrise Kingdom” was ten times higher. It opens in Chicago next week. Watch for our review on Thursday.

And come back next week to find out if “Snow White and the Huntsman” (maybe) or “Piranha 3DDD” (doubtful) can dethrone Agent J and Agent K.

FOUR-DAY WEEKEND TOTALS

1. Men in Black 3 - $70 million - new
2. The Avengers - $46.9 million - down 15.8% - $523.6 million
3. Battleship - down 46.1% - $13.8 million - $47.3 million
4. The Dictator - down 32.6% - $11.8 million - $43.6 million
5. Dark Shadows - $9.4 million - down 32.6% - $43.6 million
6. Chernobyl Diaries - $9.3 million - new
7. What to Expect When You’re Expecting - $8.9 million - down 16.1% - $23.9 million
8. The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel - $8.2 million - up 154.6% - $18.4 million
9. The Hunger Games – $2.9 million – down 3.4% — $395.9 million
10. Think Like a Man – $1.8 million - down 32.1% – $88.7 million

Source: Box Office Mojo

HollywoodChicago.com content director Brian Tallerico

By BRIAN TALLERICO
Content Director
HollywoodChicago.com
brian@hollywoodchicago.com

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