Weekend Box Office Report: The new Men in Black makes it into first

Last Updated on August 5, 2021

Men in Black International lands at #1!

An overall slow weekend at the box office had sharp-dressed secret agents getting the most attention as MEN IN BLACK INTERNATIONAL topped the chart with an estimated opening of $28.5 million!

The appeal of Marvel colleagues Chris Hemsworth and Tessa Thompson didn't seem to translate very well to the world of clandestine alien police, with the latest MIB starting out with just over half of any previous entry in the series — the original MEN IN BLACK opened with $51 million in 1997 and MIB II started with $52.1 million in 2002, with $54.5 million for MIB 3 when it opened in 2012.

Though lacking Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones as the lead government operatives, the new PG-13 sci-fi comedy did manage to abduct an additional $73.7 million from international audiences for a $102.2 million worldwide total.

Directed by F. Gary Gray (STRAIGHT OUTTA COMPTON, THE FATE OF THE FURIOUS) and also featuring Liam Neeson, Rebecca Ferguson and Emma Thompson, the continuing exploits of dark-suited planet-protectors cost a reported $110 million.

Most critics would apparently rather be neuralyzed than give the movie positive marks, judging by the current 23% average on Rotten Tomatoes. Slip on your shades and check out the JoBlo review HERE.

Chatty domesticated animals padded down to second place as THE SECRET LIFE OF PETS 2 leashed $23.8 million for the weekend, losing 49% of business from its opening last week.

The furry animated sequel from Illumination (DESPICABLE ME) has a ten-day domestic total of $92 million and a worldwide total of $154.5 million, on a reported $80 million cost.

In third place was Disney's live-action update of ALADDIN with $16.7 million on its fourth weekend in theaters. With a domestic total of $263.4 million, the PG-rated remake with genie Will Smith is shaping up to be one of the summer's biggest blockbusters (thanks in part to underperforming competition).

The $183 million musical fantasy directed by Guy Ritchie also now has a worldwide total of $724.8 million, closing in on the $758 million finish of Disney's live-action MALEFICENT (it has already overtaken the $241 million domestic finish of that Angelina Jolie villain fairy tale).

The X-Men sequel DARK PHOENIX was in fourth place with $9 million, plummeting by 73% from its slight opening last weekend. With a ten-day domestic total of $51.7 million, the grand finale of Fox's mutant saga could end up the first release in the X-Men feature franchise (encompassing 12 movies) that fails to crack the $100 million mark.

Directed by series writer/producer Simon Kinberg, the second adaptation of the famous comic book story (seen before in X-MEN: THE LAST STAND) has a worldwide total of $204.2 million, on a cost rumored to be higher than $200 million.

In fifth place was the R-rated musical drama ROCKETMAN with $8.8 million for a domestic total of $66.1 million on its third weekend. The $40 million Elton John biopic with Taron Egerton as the costumed rocker has a worldwide total of $133.1 million.

Opening in sixth place was the new action-comedy SHAFT with $8.3 million.

Samuel L. Jackson's second time around as the titular private dick was quite a distance from the $21.7 million domestic start of SHAFT back in 2000 (the late director John Singleton's blaxploitation variation went on to $70.3 million domestic and $107 million worldwide).

Also featuring Shaft family members Richard Roundtree and Jesse T. Usher, the R-rated sequel from director Tim Story (FANTASTIC FOUR, RIDE ALONG) cost a reported $30 million.

Critics weren't really digging Jackson's latest investigation, giving the movie a 35% average on Rotten Tomatoes. You can point your eyes at the JoBlo review right HERE.

 GODZILLA: KING OF THE MONSTERS was in seventh place with $8.1 million as the radioactive green goliath tromped to $93.6 million domestic on his third weekend. Director Michael Dougherty's creature feature has swallowed $339.4 million worldwide, on a reported $170 million cost.

Keanu Reeves' outlawed assasin was still making a killing in eighth as JOHN WICK: CHAPTER 3 – PARABELLUM collected $6.1 million over its fifth weekend in release. The R-rated sequel has a domestic total of $148.6 million and $276.1 million worldwide on a reported cost of $75 million.

After a solid limited release debut last weekend, the talk-show comedy LATE NIGHT jumped onto the list in ninth place with $5.1 million as it expanded wide. The R-rated pairing of Mindy Kaling and Emma Thompson has a $5.4 million domestic total (it reportedly cost only $4 million).

At the bottom was the Octavia Spencer horror movie MA with $3.6 million, bringing the R-rated Blumhouse thriller to $40.3 million domestic and $51.7 million worldwide on a reported $5 million cost.

Outside the chart, Marvel's all-star spectacular AVENGERS: ENDGAME departed after two months of lucrative activity, leaving with $830 million domestc and $2.74 billion worldwide to remain the second-highest grossing release in history. Also disappearing from the list was videogame adaptation POKEMON DETECTIVE PIKACHU  and director Olivia Wilde's R-rated comedy BOOKSMART.

Despite a high-profile ensemble cast (including Adam Driver, Bill Murray and Tilda Swinton), filmmaker Jim Jarmusch's small-town zombie satire THE DEAD DON'T DIE only shambled to $2.3 million on 613 screens.

The R-rated horror-comedy currently has a critical average of 53% on Rotten Tomatoes, a considerable gap from the 84% average of Jarmusch's previous genre effort, the existential vampire drama ONLY LOVERS LEFT ALIVE.

Next week features the return of Pixar's beloved playthings in TOY STORY 4, while a new Chucky terrorizes Aubrey Plaza in the remake of CHILD'S PLAY and Luc Besson introduces a lovely new assassin in ANNA. 

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