Men in Black 3 has zapped The Avengers to take the top position at the US box office.

The third chapter in the Men in Black story debuted with $70-million over the four-day long Memorial Day weekend in the US. Its success surprised critics who had predicted thatThe Avengers would hold the top spot for many weeks to come.

The Disney film held the top spot for three successive weekends, earning $46.9 million in the US, raising its current total to an impressive $523.6 million.

However, actors Will Smith (Agent J) and Tommy Lee Jones (Agent K) return to the screen as the alien-zapping secret agents was enough to unseat the comic book hero film.

Men in Black 3 has so far made $203.2 million worldwide and is set to continue clocking up gains.

Sony’s head of distribution proudly told media that Men in Black 3 had taken over the world over the long weekend.

The third installment is a reflective look at how Agent K got into the business of controlling the alien population.

Josh Brolin stars as a younger Agent K and together with Agent J and an older Agent K (who travel back in time), he must face a string of rather frightening extraterrestrials.