Although Men in Black 3, the first film of the series to be released in 3D, managed to take over first place at the domestic box office this weekend, it did so while under-performing. Pre-release estimates had MIB3 earning $80 million-ish over its first weekend in release, however the franchise's latest entry was only able to ring up $70 million over the Memorial Day holiday weekend. The first Men in Black, released back in 1997, had a budget of $90 million and grossed $587 million worldwide. Men in Black 2 (2002) had an estimated budget of $140 million and earned $426 million before exiting theaters. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Men in Black 3's budget escalated to $230 million which makes its $70 million domestic opening weekend slightly worrisome for Sony.
Meanwhile, Wes Anderson's Moonrise Kingdom set a new record this weekend. Opening in limited release, Moonrise Kingdom brought in a record-breaking $130,752 per-location average. That's a new best in the "highest recorded per-theater average for a live-action movie" category, according to Focus Features. Moonrise Kingdom takes over the title previously held by 2006's December limited release of Dreamgirls ($126,317).
Top 10 Films for the Weekend of May 25-28, 2012
1) The Avengers - $70,000,000
2) The Avengers - $46,878,000
3) Battleship - $13,769,000
4) The Dictator - $11,755,000
5) Dark Shadows - $9,405,000
6) Chernobyl Diaries - $9,300,000
7) What to Expect When You're Expecting - $8,850,000
8) The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel - $8,225,000
9) The Hunger Games - $2,850,000
10) Think Like a Man - $1,800,000
(Photo © Columbia Pictures)
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