‘Men in Black: International’ Eyes a $30Million Opening

Variety.com: The box office is going galactic.

Sony’s “Men in Black: International” is expected to earn $30 million when it debuts in 4,200 North American this weekend. That kind of ticket sales would lag significantly below that of its predecessors, but it should still be enough to lead domestic box office charts.

“MiB: International,” the fourth entry in the sci-fi saga, comes seven years after “MiB 3” and a quarter of a century since Tommy Lee Jones and Will Smith first introduced audiences to the top-secret agency. This time around, Tessa Thompson and Chris Hemsworth are spearheading the London bureau’s precarious mission to protect the Earth from an alien species.

Like the “Men in Black” installments that came before it, the upcoming action adventure will rely heavily on the international box office to help justify its budget. Sony, along with Hemisphere and Tencent, trimmed the budget for “Men in Black: International,” shelling out $110 to produce the film, about half of what it cost to make “MIB 3.” It opens day and date in nearly all foreign markets.