( EW.com ) -- It has been over three years since we last saw Will Smith on the silver screen in 2008′s `` Seven Pounds . '' Regardless of the profession , three years is a long break . But in the movie industry , it can be an eternity . So it was only natural for many to wonder whether Smith 's previous box-office dominance would waver at all when `` Men in Black 3 '' hit theaters last weekend . Could the movie star pick up where he left off in 2008 and continue selling a gazillion tickets as though his sabbatical simply never occurred ? Well , sort of . `` Men in Black 3 '' opened to $ 54.6 million last weekend ( or $ 69.3 million if you include Memorial Day ) . While that 's slightly better than the debuts of 1997′s `` Men in Black '' ( $ 51.1 million ) and 2002′s `` Men in Black II '' ( $ 52.1 million ) , `` Men in Black 3 '' actually sold far fewer tickets . If you adjust for ticket-price inflation , then `` Men in Black '' and `` Men in Black II '' opened to $ 88.2 million and $ 71.2 million , respectively . The legacy of 'men ' in black . Furthermore , the first two `` MIB '' movies debuted on Wednesdays and would have scored even larger figures had they been held until Friday , like `` Men in Black 3 '' was . And `` Men in Black 3 '' was the series ' only entry to benefit from 3-D surcharges . So `` Men in Black 3 's '' performance was actually something of a disappointment , especially when considering its gargantuan $ 230 million budget . But to what extent , if any , is Will Smith to blame here ? After all , we 're talking about a threequel that was released a decade after the last installment -- and `` Men in Black II '' was a very poorly received installment to boot . Even if Smith had continued acting these past three years , it would probably be unreasonable to expect `` Men in Black 3 '' to perform significantly better than it did . Also , according to the market-research firm CinemaScore , 50 percent of moviegoers listed Smith as their reason for buying a ticket to `` Men in Black 3 . '' So the actor was still the main drawing factor for the film . Take a look at Smith 's five last features : `` Seven Pounds , '' `` Hancock , '' `` I Am Legend , '' `` The Pursuit of Happyness , '' and `` Hitch . '' Yes , `` Men in Black 3 '' failed to compete with the likes of `` Hancock '' ( $ 62.6 million debut ) and `` I Am Legend '' ( $ 77.2 million ) . But if you averaged the openings of all five films , it 'd come out to $ 45 million -- or $ 52 million when adjusted for ticket-price inflation . In that light , `` Men in Black 3 's '' $ 54.6 million debut is n't so disheartening . Disappointing for such a pricey sci-fi action franchise ? Sure . But a stain on Smith 's box-office report card ? Not really . The real test for Smith will be his next film , the M. Night Shyamalan sci-fi thriller `` After Earth , '' which will costar the actor 's son , Jaden Smith . It 's an original project , so franchise fatigue wo n't be a viable excuse this time . And it wo n't be released for another year ( June 7 , 2013 ) . But while we wait , it 's nice to see a movie star of Will Smith 's caliber back on the big screen -- even if his star is shining a tiny bit less brightly than it used to . See the full story at EW.com . CLICK HERE to Try 2 RISK FREE issues of Entertainment Weekly . © 2011 Entertainment Weekly and Time Inc. All rights reserved .
Will Smith has been a big money maker for Hollywood . `` Men in Black 3 '' opened to $ 54.6 million last weekend . If you averaged the openings of Smith 's last five films , it 'd come out to $ 45 million .