When Men in Black came out in 1997, it was such a hit that two sequels were made. It might have been the biggest movie of the year, except that was the year Titanic ruled the theaters. Still, we loved Men in Black because it combined action, science fiction, and comedy all in one movie. Let’s learn some behind the scenes facts about the film.
1. WILL SMITH USED TO BE KNOWN AS “THE KING OF THE 4TH."
Smith had back-to-back number one Fourth of July weekend hits in the mid-1990s: In 1996, Independence Day dominated the box office, and the next year Men in Black opened in first place. Though 1999’s Wild Wild West was one of Smith’s lowest openings, bringing in just $27,687,484 during its opening weekend, it was a strong enough total to top the box office charts. In 2002 and 2008, Men in Black II and Hancock, respectively, solidified Smith’s moniker. In fact, every single time a movie starring Will Smith has opened in July, it has opened in the top position.
10. BASKETBALL BRACES INSPIRED VINCENT D'ONOFRIO’S BUG WALK.
The actor, who played a bug-like alien named Edgar, told Allocine how he came up with his bug walk: In addition to watching bug documentaries, “I was walking by a sporting goods store one day, and I saw these braces that the basketball players wear,” he said. “I went in and I tried one on and I realized you could lock it off, you could tape the hinges so that you can’t bend either way. So I bought two of them and I took them home and I put them on. So, I slightly bent my leg and locked off the braces so I couldn’t move either way, but it was slightly bent and I taped off both my feet and I tried to walk and it created this restrained, physical odd thing.”
There are many more facts about Men in Black to read at mental_floss.