Men in Black (1997 film)

Men in Black
Theatrical release poster
Directed by	Barry Sonnenfeld
Written by	Ed Solomon
Based on	The Men in Black by Lowell Cunningham
Produced by	Walter F. Parkes Laurie MacDonald
Starring	Tommy Lee Jones Will Smith Linda Fiorentino Vincent D'Onofrio Rip Torn
Cinematography	Donald Peterman
Edited by	Jim Miller
Music by	Danny Elfman
Production companies	Columbia Pictures Amblin Entertainment Parkes/MacDonald Productions
Distributed by	Sony Pictures Releasing
Release date	July 2, 1997 (1997-07-02) (United States)
Running time	98 minutes
Country	United States
Language	English
Budget	$90 million[1]
Box office	$589.4 million[1]

Men in Black is a 1997 American science fiction action comedy film^[2] based on Lowell Cunningham's eponymous comic book series, which was itself based on the “Men in black” conspiracy theory. Produced by Columbia Pictures and Amblin Entertainment in association with MacDonald Parkes Productions, and distributed by Sony Pictures Releasing, it is the first installment in the Men in Black franchise. Directed by Barry Sonnenfeld from a screenplay and screen story written by Ed Solomon, it stars Tommy Lee Jones and Will Smith in the lead roles, with Linda Fiorentino, Vincent D'Onofrio, and Rip Torn in supporting roles. In the film, Kevin Brown / Agent K (Jones) and James Darrell Edwards III / Agent J (Smith) investigate a series of seemingly unrelated criminal incidents related to the extraterrestrial lifeforms which live in secret on Earth.

Development for the film began in 1992, after producers Walter F. Parkes and Laurie MacDonald optioned the rights to the comic book series. Solomon was soon hired to write the screenplay; Sonnenfeld was the preferred directorial choice, which resulted in delays due to his commitments to other film projects and failure to secure any alternative directors. Principal photography began in March 1996 and lasted until that June, with filming primarily taking place in New York City. The film's visual effects were helmed by Industrial Light & Magic. The film's soundtrack contains the theme song of the same name, performed by Smith, as well as the score, composed by Danny Elfman.

Men in Black premiered at Pacific's Cinerama Dome in Hollywood on June 25, 1997, and was theatrically released in the United States on July 2. It received critical acclaim for its screenplay, action sequences, and the performances and chemistry between Jones and Smith. The film grossed over $589.4 million worldwide, becoming the third-highest-grossing film of 1997 and the ninth-highest-grossing film of the decade. It won for Best Makeup and was also nominated for Best Art Direction and Best Original Score at the 70th Academy Awards, among numerous other accolades. A sequel was released in 2002, a third film was released in 2012, and a stand-alone spin-off was released in 2019, with Jones and Smith absent.