Sony Exec Details Why Men in Black: International Fell Short of Expectations

Launching in 1997, the Men in Black film franchise regularly dominated the summer box office, thanks to its blend of charismatic performances, sci-fi premise, and blockbuster action. Earlier this year, Men in Black: International became the first film in the franchise since 2012's Men in Black 3, which also saw a reunion of Thor: Ragnarok's Chris Hemsworth and Tessa Thompson. Despite the tremendous anticipation for the event, the film has failed to earn $80 million domestically in five weeks of release, as compared to the last film earning $179 million domestically and $624 million worldwide. According to one Sony executive, the film's disappointments are like due to the story.

"I think the truth of the matter is the audience really liked that film and the cast was wonderful, Tessa [Thompson] and Chris [Hemsworth] were great and did a terrific job, but if we made any mistake, I think it probably was that there was not a strong enough idea in the story," Sony head Tom Rothman revealed to Business Insider. "Especially when you compare that to, say, Jumanji, which had a very, very strong idea. So the lesson of it is we have a pretty darn good batting average around here, but you are never going to bat 1.000, and you need to continue to take risks. But you have to try to manage risk. In the case of Men in Black, we had two cofinanciers on that movie and that manages the risk. I really do believe you cannot eliminate risk in the movie business. If you try to eliminate risk, you will eliminate creativity, and if you eliminate creativity, you will eliminate success."

While the film might have fallen short of expectations, the franchise itself isn't necessarily doomed, as the core concept still has plenty of potential. Rothman noted that it would likely take some time for the dust to settle before determining how, or if, the franchise will continue.

"I don't know the answer to that because we're not done yet with that movie," Rothman replied when asked about the franchise's future. "That movie is still in theaters, playing out in the rest of the world, so ask me that question after ancillaries — after we go out in digital and DVD. I mean, we are making Zombieland 2 right now, the audience is crazy for that. But if you asked whoever was in my job a few weeks after the theatrical of Zombieland whether you're going to make another one, they would have you hauled off to the loony bin. But it has taken on a great life. So Men in Black remains a very important asset that the company owns, and I would be very surprised if that is the last movie."

Stay tuned for details on the future of the Men in Black franchise.

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