Outside of a few exceptions, the 2019 summer box office is getting off to a really slow start. Sure, you have films like ‘John Wick 3’ and “Aladdin” doing good business, but for the most part, we’ve seen disappointing debut after disappointing debut. And this weekend was no different, as “Men in Black: International” and “Shaft” underperform.
The fourth film in the ‘Men in Black’ franchise, ‘International’ failed to re-energize the series, as it appears that not even the combined talents of Chris Hemsworth, Tessa Thompson, Liam Neeson, and Emma Thompson could get people to check it out. The film debuted with a paltry $28.5 million, which secured the #1 spot at the domestic box office. Compared to the other films in the series (which featured Will Smith in the lead), ‘International’ debuted well below the other three. All three of the Will Smith-led trilogy of films debuted over $50 million, with the lowest being the original with a debut of $51 million…back in 1997.
The buzz coming into the film was hurt by the negative reviews (24% on Rotten Tomatoes), and word-of-mouth isn’t going to save “Men in Black: International,” as the film only scored a ‘B’ CinemaScore, indicating that fans weren’t even ready to embrace a non-Will Smith ‘Men in Black’ film. Internationally, the film didn’t do well, either, with only $73 million in its opening weekend. If Sony was hoping that the worldwide gross would save this franchise, the studio is sorely mistaken.
Look, you can’t blame Sony for wanting to revive the ‘Men in Black’ series. It’s been a tried and true winner in the past. And the studio even put some major A-listers in the leads, with Hemsworth and Thompson both coming off fan-favorite performances in “Avengers: Endgame” (the second-biggest film of all time). But the people have spoken, and no matter what flashy stars you throw at it, the ‘Men in Black’ franchise is dead.
Speaking of failed revivals, “Shaft” debuted this weekend and earned a dismal $8.3 million. After bad reviews (even though I was far more positive than most), “Shaft” just couldn’t garner the interest of the general public. Luckily, the action comedy isn’t the most expensive film ever, with a reported $30 million budget. Clearly, New Line was hoping Samuel L. Jackson and his love of F-bombs would be enough to get people in the theaters. And apparently, the ones that went enjoyed the film, as it earned a respectable ‘A’ CinemaScore. But waiting almost 20 years between sequels, and with no real “must-see” factor, “Shaft” just isn’t going to survive in this new theatrical climate.
But no matter how badly ‘Men in Black’ and “Shaft” did, the weekend’s worst performance is once again Fox’s “Dark Phoenix.” After a shockingly terrible debut, the film dropped a MASSIVE -72.6% in its second weekend, bringing in $9 million. After 10 days, the film only has a domestic total of $52 million, which is still less than the worst 3-day opening of the entire ‘X-Men’ franchise ($53 million earned by “The Wolverine”). The slim hope from the studio that ‘X-Men’ fans would be willing to give the film a shot in the weeks to come is gone, as “Dark Phoenix” is dropping at an alarming pace. And much like ‘Men in Black,’ the international box office totals aren’t going to save this superhero film, as the second weekend overseas experiences a -70%, as well.
For perspective, here are the second-weekend drops for some of the biggest superhero “disasters” in recent memory:
“Dark Phoenix”: -72.6%
“Batman v Superman”: -69.1%
“X-Men Origins: Wolverine”: -69%
“Fantastic Four (2015)”: -68.2%
“X-Men: The Last Stand”: -66.9%
“Green Lantern”: -66.1%
“Catwoman”: -61.5%
“The Amazing Spider-Man 2”: -61.2%
“Justice League”: -56.2%
There’s no positive spin on this one, folks. The box office performance of “Dark Phoenix” is nothing short of brutal.
The other two major debuts this weekend were “Late Night,” which expanded nationwide in 2,220 theaters and earned a respectable $5.1 million, and Jim Jarmusch’s “The Dead Don’t Die,” which landed at $2.35 million in only 613 locations. Both are fine, but not anything to write home about.
As for the limited release realm, the best new release was the re-release of “Paris is Burning.” The 1990 LGBTQ doc was released in 1 theater this weekend and earned $11,000. Last weekend’s limited debut champ, “The Last Black Man in San Francisco” continued to do well, as it expanded into 36 locations and earned a $10,031 per-theater-average. This points to strong buzz that will hopefully carry over in the weeks to come as the A24 film shows up in more locations.
Oh, and for those that care, “Avengers: Endgame” currently sits at $830 million domestically and $2.742 billion worldwide. Still $46 million behind “Avatar” worldwide.
The summer box office slump is expected to end next weekend, as “Toy Story 4” debuts in over 4,400 theaters. The Pixar film is riding high on great reviews (100% with 93 reviews on Rotten Tomatoes) and a ton of hype. Also debuting wide are the Luc Besson-helmed action film “Anna” and the horror remake, “Child’s Play.”
Here’s the entire domestic top 10 for June 14 to June 16:
1. Men in Black: International – $28.5M (Debut)
2. The Secret Life of Pets 2 – $23.8M ($92M Overall)
3. Aladdin – $16.7M ($263M)
4. Dark Phoenix – $9M ($52M)
5. Rocketman – $8.8M ($66M)
6. Shaft – $8.3M (Debut)
7. Godzilla: King of the Monsters – $8.1M ($94M)
8. John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum – $6.1M ($149M)
9. Late Night – $5.1M ($5.4M)
10. Ma – $3.6M ($40M)