LOS ANGELES Men In Black: International led North American box offices over the weekend, but the new sci-fi comedy was not as far into the black as Sony would have liked, taking in an estimated US$28.5 million , industry watcher Exhibitor Relations reported.
In this US$110 million spin-off to the three earlier Men In Black instalments, the roles of black-suited alien-fighters pass from their originators, Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones, to the younger Chris Hemsworth and Tessa Thompson. Critics liked the chemistry of the two Thor: Ragnorak co-stars but gave the movie a lukewarm rating of only 24 per cent on Rotten Tomatoes.
Its box-office take for the three-day weekend fell short of"even the slimmest of studio expectations", website BoxOfficeMojo reported. But as suggested by its title, the film, shot in five countries, is doing better overseas, with earnings of US$73 million to date.