Another weekend, another sequel looking to make some headway at the box office. Will a new cast be enough to get audiences into theatres to see the latest Men In Black, or will the fourth entry in the franchise fade out?
Godzilla: King of the Monsters. The Secret Life of Pets 2. Dark Phoenix. Three movies that in the last two weeks have failed to make an impact with critics and fans. Now Men In Black: International enters the fray, minus Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones, but with the added heft of Thor and Avengers co-stars Chris Hemsworth and Tessa Thompson. On paper, this is a dream team. As Valkyrie and Thor, Hemsworth and Thompson have great chemistry, and judging by the trailers, it appears to have been transported over to the MIB franchise. Unfortunately, like all the recent sequels, this movie has got bad notices from critics, and there’s nothing about it that screams out for a viewing. On that note, look for Men In Black: International to debut in first place, but with an underwhelming $30 million.
Also new this weekend is Shaft (2019), which brings together classic Shaft (Richard Roundtree), his son Shaft (Samuel L. Jackson), and his son (Jessie T. Usher) in a film that I don’t think anybody has been asking for. The last Shaft film was in 2000, which is a long time ago in movie land. With poor reviews attached to this one, Shaft will have to settle for a third place showing with $18 million.
As for the rest of the top five, The Secret Life of Pets 2 will fall to second place with $20 million. Disney’s Aladdin will be in fourth place with $17.5 million, while Dark Phoenix will close things out in fifth place with $14 million.
So, to recap, here are our predictions:
1) Men In Black: International – $30 million
2) The Secret Life of Pets 2 – $20 million
3) Shaft – $18 million
4) Disney’s Aladdin – $17.5 million
5) Dark Phoenix – $14 million
Be sure to check back on Sunday to see how the weekend turns out!
