'Men In Black 3' tops weekend with $55 million

Josh Brolin (left) and Will Smith star in "Men in Black 3."

STORY HIGHLIGHTS

• "Men In Black 3" topped the box office with an estimated $55 million


• "The Avengers" held strong in second place with $37 million


• "Battleship" and "The Dictator" took up the next two spots on the chart

(EW.com) -- Sony's $230 million alien-zapping sequel "Men In Black 3" topped the box office over the three-day weekend frame with an estimated $55 million.

Although the Will Smith action-comedy didn't exactly trip out of the gate, "Men In Black 3's" start is troubling considering its gigantic budget and supposed built-in audience. Fortunately, as is so often the case these days, international results proved stronger. Sony says the film has taken in $132 million overseas in its initial week of release.

Marvel's "The Avengers" held strong in second place with $37 million -- a 34 percent drop from last weekend. The superhero ensemble crossed the $500 million mark on Saturday, its 23rd day of release, effectively smashing the record previously held by "Avatar," which took 32 days to reach the same milestone. It's earned $513.7 million total.

Last weekend's openers "Battleship" and "The Dictator" took up the next two spots on the chart. "Battleship" plummeted 58 percent (on a holiday weekend no less!) to $10.8 million, giving it a 10-day total of $44.3 million against a $209 million budget. "The Dictator," meanwhile, dropped by a more modest (but still not that great) 45 percent to $9.6 million, resulting in a $41.4 million 12-day total.

Rounding out the Top 5, the Oren Peli-produced horror horror flick "Chernobyl Diaries" couldn't achieve "Paranormal Activity"-sized numbers. "Chernobyl" earned a weak $8 million in three days -- with $3.5 million of that coming from Friday alone (a sure sign of frontloadedness).

1. "Men In Black 3" -- $55.0 million

2. "The Avengers" -- $37.0 million

3. "Battleship" -- $10.8 million

4. "The Dictator" -- $9.6 million

5. "Chernobyl Diaries" -- $8.0 million

Check back tomorrow for the full Memorial Day weekend box office report, and follow me on Twitter for up-to-the-minute box office updates.

See the full story at EW.com.

Source & Image : CNN Entertainment