Story highlights
"Men In Black 3" topped the box office with an estimated $55 million
"The Avengers" held strong in second place with $37 million
"Battleship" and "The Dictator" took up the next two spots on the chart
Sony’s $230 million alien-zapping sequel “Men In Black 3” topped the box office over the three-day weekend frame with an estimated $55 million.
Although the Will Smith action-comedy didn’t exactly trip out of the gate, “Men In Black 3’s” start is troubling considering its gigantic budget and supposed built-in audience. Fortunately, as is so often the case these days, international results proved stronger. Sony says the film has taken in $132 million overseas in its initial week of release.
Marvel’s “The Avengers” held strong in second place with $37 million – a 34 percent drop from last weekend. The superhero ensemble crossed the $500 million mark on Saturday, its 23rd day of release, effectively smashing the record previously held by “Avatar,” which took 32 days to reach the same milestone. It’s earned $513.7 million total.
Last weekend’s openers “Battleship” and “The Dictator” took up the next two spots on the chart. “Battleship” plummeted 58 percent (on a holiday weekend no less!) to $10.8 million, giving it a 10-day total of $44.3 million against a $209 million budget. “The Dictator,” meanwhile, dropped by a more modest (but still not that great) 45 percent to $9.6 million, resulting in a $41.4 million 12-day total.
Rounding out the Top 5, the Oren Peli-produced horror horror flick “Chernobyl Diaries” couldn’t achieve “Paranormal Activity”-sized numbers. “Chernobyl” earned a weak $8 million in three days – with $3.5 million of that coming from Friday alone (a sure sign of frontloadedness).
1. “Men In Black 3” – $55.0 million
2. “The Avengers” – $37.0 million
3. “Battleship” – $10.8 million
4. “The Dictator” – $9.6 million
5. “Chernobyl Diaries” – $8.0 million
Check back tomorrow for the full Memorial Day weekend box office report, and follow me on Twitter for up-to-the-minute box office updates.