Men in Black: International looks good with $3.1 million Thursday screenings

Last Updated on August 5, 2021

After giving a solid demonstration of the on-screen chemistry with Marvel's THOR: RAGNAROK, Chris Hemsworth and Tessa Thompson are back to reboot Sony's Men in Black franchise with MEN IN BLACK: INTERNATIONAL. They've got the black suits, the Ray Bans, and an arsenal of alien weaponry that's poised to open fire on this weekend's box office.

After beaming down for the film's Thursday night preview screenings, director Gary F. Gray's MEN IN BLACK: INTERNATIONAL has launched with $3.1 million in North American locations where the film played to 4,224 theaters. According to analysts, the family-friendly sci-fi reboot is projected to make $30 million domestic during its opening salvo, provided that Tim Story's SHAFT doesn't gun the alien-centric adventure down like a no good, dirty mother (shut your mouth).

MEN IN BLACK: INTERNATIONAL centers around the secret organization who investigates extraterrestrial lifeforms living on planet Earth. This time out, the finely-suited franchise is set in the London sector of the MIB outfit, with Agents H (Chris Hemsworth) and M (Tessa Thompson) looking to solve a series of confounding alien attacks. Helmed by Gray from a script penned by Art Marcum and Matt Holloway, MEN IN BLACK: INTERNATIONAL continues Sony's effort to expand on the world presented in Malibu Comics by Lowell Cunningham. Emma Thompson reprises her role as Agent O for the reboot, with newcomers Kumail Nanjiani, Rebecca Ferguson and Rafe Spall also along for Sony's wild ride.

When the first MEN IN BLACK film arrived on the scene in 1997, the sci-fi spectacle starring Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones earned a worldwide total of $1.6 billion throughout its theatrical run. When looking at the franchise as a whole, we find that all three MIB chapters netted more than $50 million during their North American weekend openings. With MEN IN BLACK: INTERNATIONAL projected to take home $30 million by the close of this Sunday's box office, one has to wonder if Sony will be looking to develop additional sequels with Hemsworth and Thompson as the franchise's newest agents.

To check out what our own Chris Bumbray thought of MEN IN BLACK: INTERNATIONAL, click here. As for me, I'll be checking the movie out this weekend, despite middling to negative reviews. WHy? Because I love me some Hemsworth and Thompson. They're two flavors that taste even better together and I'm famished.