This image released by Sony Pictures shows Chris Hemsworth, foreground, and Tessa Thompson in a scene from Columbia Pictures' "Men in Black: International." (Photo: AP)

LOS ANGELES, June 16 (Xinhua) -- Sony's "Men in Black: International" led ticket sales at the North American box office with 28.5 million US dollars in its opening weekend.

However, its ticket sales represent only half of what the previous installments in the science-fiction series earned during their first weekend in theaters. The three previous "Men in Black" films opened with over 50 million US dollars.

Directed by F. Gary Gray, the latest entry of "Men in Black" sees Chris Hemsworth and Tessa Thompson, the main actor and actress, team up as black-suited agents protecting the Earth from a series of alien attacks.

"Men in Black: International" had a larger footprint with foreign audiences, generating 73.7 million US dollars from overseas territories, bringing the film's global start to 102.2 million US dollars.

Universal and Illumination's "The Secret Life of Pets 2" brought in 23.8 million US dollars during its sophomore weekend of release, marking a 49 decline from its inaugural outing. The animated sequel has now earned 92 million US dollars in North America.

Disney's "Aladdin," a live-action remake of the Arabian musical cartoon, nabbed the third spot this weekend. It collected another 16.7 million US dollars during its fourth weekend in theaters, boosting its domestic haul to over 263 million US dollars.

"Dark Phoenix," the final entry in the "X-Men" series, dropped to fourth place, adding 9 million US dollars to its ticket sales, 72.6 percent downturn compared to its first weekend in theaters.

Rounding out the top five is Paramount's "Rocketman," which picked up 8.8 million US dollars in its third outing for a total of 66 million US dollars in North America. The fantasy biopic sees an inspired Taron Egerton dramatize the life and times of Elton John.

The weekend's other new movie was New Line and Warner Bros.' "Shaft", coming in sixth at the domestic box office with an underwhelming haul of 8.3 million US dollars at 2,952 locations.

Starring Samuel L. Jackson, the sequel was a remake of Gordon Parks' original 1971 movie. It reunites three generations of Shaft men, played by Jackson, Jessie Usher, and Richard Roundtree, who starred in the original 1971 movie.