Movie goers avoid big budget sequels

LOS ANGELES (AP) – Are movie audiences all “sequel-ed-out?” Sure seems that way, at least with the ones that marched into theaters this past weekend – and found that few moviegoers marched in behind them. Two of the biggest disappointments are from movies expected to have built-in audiences, based on past performances: “Men in Black: International” and “Shaft.” The “MIB” sequel was No. 1. But it earned only $28.5 million. By contrast, the movie reportedly took $110 million to make. All three previous Men In Black movies opened well over the $50 million mark at their debuts. Meanwhile, “Shaft” didn’t have a big score at all. It finished sixth, below four holdover films, “The Secret Life of Pets 2,” “Aladdin,” “Dark Phoenix” and “Rocketman.”