Men in Black(1997)

Sony Pictures Entertainment (SPE)

PG-13
Rated PG-13 for language and sci-fi violence
1h 38m

Release Date: Jul 2, 1997 | Wide

B+
7.3

James, an NYC cop, is hired by Agent K of a secret government agency that monitors extraterrestrial life on Earth. Together, they must recover an item that has been stolen by an intergalactic villain.

Releases

Original Release | Jul 2, 1997

View Advanced Data

Box Office Results

Updated as of May 12, 2026 11:42 AM ET

Results

Opening Weekend US & Canada:
$51,068,455
Total US & Canada:
$250,690,539
Total International
$338,700,000
Total Worldwide:
$589,390,539

Current Showtimes

orround

Tue May 12
Wed May 13
Thu May 14
Fri May 15
Sat May 16
Sun May 17
Mon May 18

Director & Top Cast

Barry Sonnenfeld
Director

Tommy Lee Jones
Kay

Will Smith
Jay

Linda Fiorentino
Laurel

Vincent D’Onofrio
Edgar

Rip Torn
Zed

Tony Shalhoub

Jeebs

Siobhan Fallon Hogan

Beatrice

Mike Nussbaum

Gentle Rosenburg

Jon Gries

Van Driver

Sergio Calderón

Jose

Carel Struycken

Arquillian

Fredric Lehne

INS Agent Janus

Richard Hamilton

Dee

Kent Faulcon

1st Lt. Jake Jensen

John Alexander

Mikey

Keith Campbell

Perp

Ken Thorley

Zap-Em Man

Technical Specifications

Sound Mix: DTS,Dolby Digital

Aspect Ratio: 1.85 : 1

Other Details

Country of Origin: United States

Language: English,Spanish

Summaries

Plot Summary

Agent K (Tommy Lee Jones) is a member of the Men in Black (MIB), an undercover intergalactic intelligence agency without ties to any government, whose goal is to maintain Earth as a "neutral zone" for extraterrestrial aliens, whom they disguise as humans around New York City. The agency maintains its secrecy by using a gadget known as the "Neuralyzer" to erase the memories of those that encounter either them or the aliens, and also the memories of former agents when they retire. Operating from an underground base at a Triborough Bridge and Tunnel Authority ventilation station, they fund themselves by obtaining patents on alien technologies released for consumer consumption.K's former partner D has just retired after an incident at a border line between the U.S. and Mexico where an alien named Mikey disguised as a immigrant named Jose almost killed a INS Officer, but K finds New York City detective James Darrell Edwards III (Will Smith) as a potential replacement, due to his ability to follow a disguised alien. After putting Edwards through several tests, K offers him the chance to join the MIB. Edwards' identity is erased, and he becomes Agent J, K's partner. K orients J about the MIB; during this, they learn that numerous alien refugees are fleeing the Earth. MIB is contacted by an Arquillian fleet in Earth orbit; the fleet warns that a "Bug" named Kerb, a member of a giant insectoid-like species from the planet Hiveworld that are at war with several alien races, has come to Earth searching for an object known as the Galaxy. Its infinite power could turn the tide of war in favor of the Bugs. To prevent this, they are willing to destroy the Earth unless the MIB can secure the Galaxy before their deadline, only hours away.Agent K and Agent J find the Bug is disguised using the skin of farmer Edgar (Vincent D'Onofrio) after flaying the man and devouring his insides. It already killed two Arquillians it believed had the Galaxy. The two bodies, along with a cat that refuses to leave its owner, are taken to the city morgue. There, Dr. Laurel Weaver (Linda Fiorentino) discovers one of the tiny Arquillians is barely alive inside its human-looking robot; struggling with English, it whispers to her that "The Galaxy is on Orion's belt" before it passes. K and J arrive to help remove the alien bodies and wipe Laurel's mind, but not before learning about this message. En route back to headquarters, they realise that Orion refers to Rosenberg's cat and the belt would mean the cat's collar. Racing back to the morgue, they encounter the bug who has figured out the same thing. It steals the miniature Galaxy, which hangs inside a small charm and kidnaps Laurel, escaping while the MIB secure its spacecraft to prevent it from leaving the planet.As the Arquillian deadline looms, the MIB tries to figure out how Kerb will leave. J then recalls from his initial briefing that the observation towers at Flushing Meadows are disguised spacecraft. Agents K and J race there, finding Kerb climbing one of the structures. Their arrival distracts the Bug but it enters the craft and starts the engines. The agents fire on the ship, forcing it to crash. As the two face off against Kerb, it rips through its disguise (revealing its true form as a gigantic cockroach-like monster), swallows their guns and knocks them across the field. K tells J to keep the Bug from getting to the second ship by creating a distraction. K goads the Bug to eat him, which it does by swallowing him whole. J keeps the Bug distracted by stepping on cockroaches around a nearby dumpster.Before J can be eaten by the enraged Bug he tells the bug to get out of his face before something bad happens. K, having found his gun in the Bug's stomach, then blasts his way out, ripping the alien in half. K is slime-covered but safe and J picks up the the Galaxy from among the contents of the Bug's stomach. The news is then relayed to the Arquillian fleet, saving the Earth. While J and K are recovering from their battle, the top-half of the bug suddenly rears up behind them, but Laurel shoots the bug with J's gun which was ejected from the Bug's stomach.As MIB cleans up the situation, and K apparently prepares to Neuralyze Laurel, he admits that he was not training J as a partner but as his replacement, as he is ready to retire from the agency. J reluctantly acknowledges this and Neuralyzes him. In the epilogue, Laurel is Agent J's new partner Agent L, while K (now Kevin Brown) has returned to civilian life and the girl he left behind, and J and L began to investigate more aliens disguised as humans as they drive away to the headquarters. As the camera pans out, showing the Earth, solar system and eventually the galaxy, it is revealed that the galaxy is itself microscopic and hidden within a marble. A pair of alien hands finish playing with it and place it inside a sack with other such galaxies.

Storyline

Based off of the comic book. Unbeknownst to other people, there is a private agency code named MiB. This agency is some kind of extra terrestrial surveillance corporation. Then, one of the agency's finest men only going by the name "K" ( Tommy Lee Jones ) , is recruiting for a new addition to the agency. He has chosen James Edwards ( Will Smith ) of the N.Y.P.D. Then, one day, a flying saucer crashes into Earth. This was an alien a part of the "Bug" race. He takes the body of a farmer ( Vincent D'Onofrio ) and heads to New York. He is searching for a super energy source called "The Galaxy". Now, Agents J and K must stop the bug before it can escape with the galaxy. — John Wiggins The adventures of two federal agent men Agent Kay ( Tommy Lee Jones ) and Agent Jay ( Will Smith ) also known as "The Men in Black," who keeps an eye on aliens in New York City must try to save the world after the aliens threaten to blow it up. Jay and Kay's mission is to foil the plot by tracking down the terrorist, thereby preventing the earth from being destroyed. — Anthony Pereyra {hypersonic91@yahoo.com} They are the best-kept secret in the universe. Working for a highly funded yet unofficial government agency, Kay and Jay are the Men in Black, providers of immigration services and regulators of all things alien on Earth. While investigating a series of unregistered close encounters, the MIB agents uncover the deadly plot of an intergalactic terrorist who is on a mission to assassinate two ambassadors from opposing galaxies currently in residence in New York City. — Jwelch5742 Living secretly in our planet by assuming human form, a plethora of extraterrestrial refugees of all shapes and colours peacefully coexist with the inhabitants of Manhattan; however, the rebellious and malevolent ones are kept under control by the secret government organisation called the Men in Black. Under those circumstances, the veteran Agent K and the agency's newest recruit, Agent J, will soon have their work cut out for them when an interplanetary visitor hatches an evil scheme to conquer the galaxy. But, can two men in black suits alone avert an impending disaster of global proportions? — Nick Riganas 1 more See all

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