‘MiB’ Captures Record Results

In a business that loves to boast of record breakers, “Men in Black” gave Sony/Columbia Pictures something to shout about, blasting out of the pack over the holiday weekend with an estimated three-day box-office gross of $51 million.

That betters the weekend performance of last year’s “Independence Day,” the 20th Century Fox blockbuster that grossed $50.2 million--although, to be fair, “Men in Black” benefited from July 4 falling on a Friday, whereas “ID4’s” first weekend fell on July 5-7.

Since “Men in Black’s” alien-busters Will Smith (who also starred in “ID4”) and Tommy Lee Jones turned up for preview showings on Tuesday, the film has grossed about $84.1 million. By comparison, “ID4” grossed $85 million in its opening week.

But bragging rights don’t stop there. Jeff Blake, Sony/Columbia’s distribution chief, said that “Men in Black” is not only the biggest three-day non-sequel opener (a distinction that excludes “The Lost World: Jurassic Park” this year and “Batman Forever” in 1995) but also the biggest opener in Columbia’s history.

The previous Columbia record-holder was “Ghostbusters,” which opened to $13.6 million in June 1984 and eventually grossed $238.6 million in domestic box office. (Comparatively, movie tickets were much less expensive then, and pictures did not open on as many screens as they do today; “Men in Black” is now playing on 5,400 screens nationwide.)

If the momentum keeps up, Blake says, the studio hopes that “Men in Black” will hit the $100-million mark in its first seven days of release.

“Right now we are hoping our estimates are right for the weekend. And if these numbers hold, we are thrilled to say we beat ‘Independence Day.’ That is worth saying,” said Blake, referring to the three-day weekend take. Final numbers will be released today.

“We’re in that special place now to be able to talk about having one of the biggest openers of all time,” he said.

“Men in Black” and “My Best Friend’s Wedding,” another winner produced by Columbia’s sister company, TriStar, continue the reversal of Sony’s fortunes, which last year were marred by such box-office disappointments as “The Cable Guy,” starring Jim Carrey.

“My Best Friend’s Wedding,” the Julia Roberts comeback vehicle, has grossed about $69.5 million in three weeks. For the weekend, it came in fourth with $11 million. That film and “Men in Black” had Blake estimating that the two Sony releases accounted for about 50% of the holiday weekend business of $120 million.

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Paramount’s “Face/Off” finished second for the weekend, at $16.5 million, for a total of $52 million in two weeks.

Disney’s animated release “Hercules” came in third, with about $12.4 million, for a total of $50.3 million after its second weekend in national release.

Warner Bros.’ “Batman & Robin” came in fifth, at $8.6 million, a drop of 45% from the previous weekend. The fourth film in the studio’s lucrative franchise is apparently feeling the competition from “Men in Black,” which targets the same audience. In its three-week run, “Batman & Robin” has grossed an estimated $91.3 million.

Opening in sixth was Fox’s “Out to Sea,” the latest comedy starring Walter Matthau and Jack Lemmon, with $5.6 million for the weekend. Since it opened midweek, the film has grossed about $8 million, Fox reported.

Fox executives were thrilled with the results, given that they were not expecting anything near the performance of “Men in Black.”

“This is a whole different ballgame,” said Bob Harper, president of Fox marketing. “You compare the results of this movie to a ‘Grumpy Old Men,’ ” he said, referring to the 1993 teaming of Matthau and Lemmon, and not to a “Men in Black”-style blockbuster. “Grumpy Old Men” opened to $3.5 million and eventually grossed more than $70 million.

“Grumpy Old Men” was an eventual hit, but its performance was “slow and steady,” Harper said. “The audience for these films attends in a different way. They don’t rush out opening weekend as a rule; they wait to hear what their friends say about it. That’s the history of Walter and Jack. We’re very jazzed about this.”

Disney/Touchstone’s “Con Air” followed in seventh, with $3.6 million (and a cumulative $85.9 million in five weeks), and Universal’s “Lost World” in eighth, with $2.7 million (and $218.4 million in seven weeks.)

Warner Bros.’ “Wild America,” another opener in direct competition with “Men in Black” for the young male audience, apparently felt the sting of that face-off. Expected to open to about $5 million in its first five days, it grossed about $2.9 million; for the three-day weekend, it finished ninth, at $1.8 million.

“Speed 2: Cruise Control,” one of the summer’s biggest disappointments, pulled up 10th, at $1.3 million. In its four-week run, Fox’s sequel to the 1994 hit has grossed $40.9 million.