After I personally doubted that a third big summer blockbuster in a row could fizzle, Men in Black 3 has managed to do it. Don’t get me wrong: this is nowhere near as bad a horror story as Dark Shadows or Battleship. Men in Black 3 managed to take in $17.7 million on opening day, which should compute to a $65m four-day weekend or so. But when Hollywood was expecting $80-90m to put the film in the same range as its predecessors, this number does not look so good. At least it will finally dethrone The Avengers from the #1 spot — a running title that was overdue for quashing.
The one other big highlight was Wes Anderson’s Moonrise Kingdom, which opened to a whopping $170,000 in just four theaters. Anderson’s devout following ensures that his pictures always open to strong numbers in big cities, but this is truly an achievement, surpassing all the other films in his oeuvre. Moonrise Kingdom should pull in over $500,000 by Monday evening.
Check out the full box office chart after the jump…
| No. | Title | Friday | CS 4-Day Projection | Theaters |
| 1 | Men in Black 3 | $17.7M | $65M | 4,248 |
| 2 | The Avengers | $9.5M | $38M | 3,918 |
| 3 | Chernobyl Diaries | $3.5M | $11.2M | 2,433 |
| 4 | Battleship | $3.0M | $11.4M | 3,702 |
| 5 | The Dictator | $2.8M | $10.6M | 3,014 |
| 6 | What to Expect When You’re Expecting | $2.2M | $8.6M | 3,021 |
| 7 | Dark Shadows | $2.0M | $8.0M | 3,404 |
| 8 | The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel | $1.6M | $7.0M | 1,233 |
| 9 | The Hunger Games | $0.6M | $2.3M | 1,421 |
| 10 | Think Like a Man | $0.4M | $1.5M | 786 |
Source: Movie City News