Mike Fleming

Sony Pictures has announced that after hitting $398.8 million last night, MIB 3 is poised to move beyond $400 million in worldwide revenue today. That will surely put the film on course to eclipse the $441 million worldwide that Men In Black II turned in back in 2002. It was a much better movie than the first sequel, but hasn’t been hailed as a home run because skeptics wonder whether it will ever be in the black financially. MIBII was shot on a reported $140 million budget, while MIB3 carried a reported $225 million budget, with a lot of gross out the door. Certainly, the hiatus taken by the picture to fix the script added to those costs. The original grossed $589 million worldwide in 1997 on a reported budget of $90 million. Even with the benefit of extra revenue for 3D tickets, the movie will need a few more strong weeks around the world to eclipse that total.

Related: Sony Pictures Pulls Out The Stops For New York ‘Men In Black 3′ Premiere

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