Box Office: 'Men in Black 3' surges back with $18M opening day take

Never underestimate the box office draw of Will Smith. Or, rather, Will Smith paired with Tommy Lee Jones in a big-budget franchise film with lots of special effects, aliens and Josh Brolin. "Men in Black 3" raked in a hefty $18 million in ticket sales on Friday (May 25), it's first day in theaters.

Which puts the film on track to make serious money -- at least $75 million, per the Wrap -- over the entirety of the long Memorial Day weekend. "MiB3" easily took over the top spot from Marvel's "The Avengers," which still raked in a healthy $9.6 million on its 22nd day in theaters.

"The Chernobyl Diaries" -- a horror set at the site of the 1986 nuclear disaster -- also attracted a modest audience, logging $3.5 million in sales. It was followed by "The Dictator" ($2.8 million) and "Dark Shadows" ($2 million).  (Data via Box Office Mojo)