Sony Pictures

“Men in Black: International,” Sony’s reboot of the ’90s Will Smith sci-fi comedy franchise, earned $3.1 million in its Thursday box office previews starting at 4 p.m. from 3,472 locations. It opens on over 4,200 screens this weekend.

“Thor: Ragnarok” stars Chris Hemsworth and Tessa Thompson are putting on their best black suits and sunglasses as they hope to keep the franchise alive despite the absence of mainstays Smith and Tommy Lee Jones across the three films dating back to 1997.

It’s a big risk for Sony, which is projecting a $30 million opening opposite a $110 million budget, which is still less than half the previous “MIB” film’s budget. Independent trackers say the film could go as high as $35-40 million. However, all three previous “Men in Black” films managed to open in the low $50 million range. A good comparison is Sony’s own reboot of “Ghostbusters” from 2016. That film opened to $46 million after earning $3.4 million in its Thursday previews.

Also Read: 'Men in Black International' Film Review: Chris Hemsworth and Tessa Thompson Outcharm a By-the-Numbers Script

Hemsworth and Thompson star with Liam Neeson, Emma Thompson, Rebecca Ferguson, Rafe Spall and the voice of Kumail Nanjiani as they operate out of MIB London and work to protect the universe from an alien horde called The Hive. F. Gary Gray directs. The project is co-financed by Hemisphere and Tencent.

Also opening this weekend is “Shaft” from Warner Bros. and New Line and co-financed by Netflix, which is an updated take on the 1970s blaxploitation classic starring Samuel L. Jackson reprising his role as John Shaft Jr. The film brought in $600,000 in its pre-shows on Thursday.

“Shaft” is projected for a $20 million opening against a $30 million budget. Jackson’s “The Hitman’s Bodyguard,” which opened in the late summer in 2017, made $21.3 million in its opening weekend after earning $1.7 million in its Thursday previews.

Also Read: 'Shaft' Film Review: Old-School Swagger Meets Millennial Wokeness in Uneasy Crime-Comedy Mix

Jackson leads the cast as Shaft as he enlists his family’s help to uncover the truth behind his best friend’s death. He’s joined by the original ’70s Shaft, Richard Roundtree, and Shaft’s son JJ as played by Jessie T. Usher. Regina Hall and Alexandra Shipp also star in the action comedy directed by Tim Story from a script by Kenya Barris.

8 Things You Probably Didn't Know About 'Shaft' Star Samuel L Jackson (Photos)

Samuel L. Jackson is reprising his role as John Shaft in "Shaft", which comes out this Friday. Scroll on to discover some little-known facts about the acclaimed actor. Trust us when we say: You'll likely be surprised by at least one of them.
Getty Images
Jackson is ranked as the all-time highest-grossing box office star with a total of his movies grossing $5.1 billion. His most commercially successful movies include the "Avengers" franchise, the 1996 crime drama "A Time To Kill," the original "Incredibles" movie from 2004, and the 2012 Quentin Tarantino film "Django Unchained."
Getty Images
Jackson was born in Tennessee and went on to attend the historically black Morehouse College, where he started out as a marine biology major before switching to acting.

Also Read: Robert De Niro Says ‘F— Trump’ on Tony Awards Stage, Gets Standing Ovation

Getty Images
During his college years, Jackson became involved in the Civil Rights movement and served as an usher at Martin Luther King, Jr.'s funeral after his assassination in 1967. The assassination moved him to become more deeply involved in the movement: "I was angry about the assassination, but I wasn’t shocked by it. I knew that change was going to take something different—not sit-ins, not peaceful coexistence," he told Parade in 2005.
US Library of Congress
Jackson was expelled from Morehouse after he and his peers held several members of the college's board of trustees hostage, including MLK's father, to demand reform in the school's curriculum and governance. The expulsion galvanized Jackson and he became involved with the black power movement. However, after FBI agents visited his house and told his mother that he was not likely to survive the year if he remained in Atlanta, his mother put him on a plane to Los Angeles. He returned to Morehouse in 1971 to receive his acting degree.
Chicago Urban League Records
Jackson made his film debut in the 1972 independent feature "Together for Days," a blaxploitation movie about the relationship between a white woman and a black radical, but he did not achieve stardom until his role in Quentin Tarantino's breakout 1994 crime drama "Pulp Fiction."
Miramax Films
In 1974, Jackson met his future wife LaTanya Richardson at a student rehearsal in Atlanta. It was love at first sight: "We started talking, and boom! I knew she was the person for me. From then on, we were always together, and we’ve stayed that way," he told Parade in a 2005 interview. The couple have been together for more than 40 years and have one daughter.
Getty Images
Jackson entered the New York theater scene in 1976, where he hung out with the likes of Denzel Washington, Wesley Snipes, and Alfre Woodard. His time in the theater remains central to Jackson's acting: “I’m a theater actor. It’s a different breed. Actors create characters. Movie stars are eye candy. They come and go.”

Also Read: Parkland High School Students Get Standing Ovation at Tonys After Drama Teacher Honored (Video)
Getty Images
Jackson described himself as a "hard taskmaster for some directors” in a 2017 interview with The New York Times. He said that he refuses to do extra takes and that the ability to golf twice a week is written into all of his contracts.
Getty Images

1 of 9

Before he was Shaft, Jackson got his start in the Civil Rights movement and NY theater scene

Samuel L. Jackson is reprising his role as John Shaft in "Shaft", which comes out this Friday. Scroll on to discover some little-known facts about the acclaimed actor. Trust us when we say: You'll likely be surprised by at least one of them.

View In Gallery