Franchise fatigue continues with Men in Black International and Shaft

“This was a rough weekend,” said Comscore senior media analyst Paul Dergarabedian. “We’ve had some big franchises that are not resonating with audiences or critics.”

And there’s a common denominator between all the recent disappointments: Poor reviews. All four have been certified “rotten” on Rotten Tomatoes.

Men in Black: International took the No. 1 spot in North America, but it’s a dubious distinction for the Tessa Thompson and Chris Hemsworth-led reboot which isn’t exactly the franchise-revitalizer it hoped to be. Sony Pictures on Sunday estimates the F. Gary Gray-directed film earned only 28.5 million dollars over the weekend against a reported 110 million dollars production budget. The three previous Men in Black films all opened to over 50 million dollars not accounting for inflation.

However, international audiences are helping the bottom line with the film earning 73.7 million dollars from 36 markets, bringing its global total to 102.2 million dollars.

The weekend’s other big new release, Shaft, which introduces another generation to the franchise, couldn’t even manage to carve out a place in the top five, which instead was populated mostly by holdovers.

The Secret Life of Pets 2 got the No. 2 spot in its second weekend with 23.8 million dollars. Disney’s Aladdin, now in weekend four, took third with 16.7 million dollars. Dark Phoenix placed fourth with 9 million dollars and Rocketman coasted to fifth with 8.8 million dollars.

Shaft, a Warner Bros. release, placed sixth on the charts, with a disappointing 8.3 million dollars.

Directed by Tim Story, Shaft features Samuel L. Jackson reprising his role from almost 20 years ago and Jessie T. Usher as his son. It was made for around 30 million dollars.

Although critics did not praise the film, audiences who turned out (54% of whom were women) were more enthusiastic, giving the film an A CinemaScore.

Even some originals had a tough time this weekend. Amazon Studios expanded its Mindy Kaling and Emma Thompson comedy Late Night, which it acquired the North American rights to for a Sundance record of 13 million dollars, to 2,220 theaters where it earned 5.1 million dollars.

“The real bright spots have been the smaller indies,” Dergarabedian said. “We think of summer as blockbuster season, but it’s turned into indie film season.”

Jim Jarmusch’s star-studded zombie comedy The Dead Don’t Die mostly survived its mixed reviews and opened to 2.35 million dollars from 613 locations.

Documentaries like Echo in the Canyon and Pavarotti have been making a modest mark in limited release, and the acclaimed drama The Last Black Man in San Francisco expanded to 36 locations and earned 361,120 dollars. It expands further next weekend.

But the marketplace is hurting and it’s not a problem with the weekend, which last year saw Incredibles 2 open to over 182 million dollars, but with the major movies themselves.

The disappointments have come, mostly, from “movies that just don’t deliver,” according to Dergarabedian.

But it’s too simplistic to fault all franchises and next weekend the marketplace will be singing a different tune when Toy Story 4 opens.

“Toy Story 4 is going to erase the memory of this very tough weekend,” Dergarabedian said.

Estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to Comscore. Where available, the latest international numbers for Friday through Sunday are also included. Final domestic figures will be released Monday.

1. Men in Black: International, 28.5 million dollars (73.7 million dollars international).
2. The Secret Life of Pets 2, 23.8 million dollars (8.5 million dollars international).
3. Aladdin, 16.7 million dollars (47.5 million dollars international).
4. Dark Phoenix, 9 million dollars (24.2 million dollars international).
5. Rocketman, 8.8 million dollars (8.5 million dollars international).
6. Shaft, 8.3 million dollars.
7. Godzilla: King of the Monsters, 8.1 million dollars (14.1 million dollars international).
8. John Wick: Chapter 3 — Parabellum, 6.1 million dollars (6.2 million dollars international).
9. Late Night, 5.1 million dollars (255,000 dollars international).
10. Ma, 3.6 million dollars (2.3 million dollars international).

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Estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at international theaters (excluding the U.S. and Canada), according to Comscore:

1. Men in Black: International, 73.7 million dollars.
2. Aladdin, 47.5 million dollars.
3. Dark Phoenix, 24.2 million dollars.
4. Godzilla: King of the Monsters, 14.1 million dollars.
5. My Best Summer (Zui Hao De Wo Men), 8.7 million dollars.
6. The Secret Life of Pets 2 and Rocketman, 8.5 million dollars.
7. Parasite, 7.8 million dollars.
8. John Wick: Chapter 3 — Parabellum, 6.2 million dollars.
9. A City Called Macau, $4.1 million dollars.
10. Chasing the Dragon 2: Wild Wild Bunch, 3.4 million dollars.