July 03, 2006
'Superman' takes flight overseas with $19.8 mil
By Frank Segers
Although skipping soccer-mad Europe in favor of Asian markets, Warner Bros. International's "Superman Returns" still flew to the No. 1 spot internationally this weekend, posting an estimated boxoffice gross of $19.8 million from 1,750 screens in just 11 territories.
The latest incarnation of the Warner Bros. Pictures movie franchise, directed by Bryan Singer and starring newcomer Brandon Routh as the man of steel, bowed No. 1 in every market it played -- Korea, Australia, Philippines, Taiwan, Thailand, India, Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, New Zealand, and in its lone non-Asian date, Puerto Rico. European openings begin July 12.
According to WBI, "Superman Returns" yielded a muscular $5 million (including previews) from 274 screens in Korea. In Australia, it pulled $3.9 million from 409 screens. The film took 90% of the weekend market in the Philippines to land $2.6 million from 81 situations.
Combined with its No. 1 domestic weekend tally of $84.2 million, "Superman Returns" has flown past the $100-million mark worldwide.
Finishing second on the weekend is Buena Vista International's "Cars," which grossed and estimated $15 million from 2,800 screens in 32 territories. Its international total now stands at $42.8 million ($224.9 worldwide).
"Cars" bowed No. 1 in several significant markets -- Japan, Brazil, Argentina, Portugal -- and place No. 2 in Russia and No. 4 in Australia. In Japan, it yielded an estimated $3.5 million from 410 screens. In France, the weekend estimate is $1.2 million from 730 screens, for a market total of $7.6 million.
Placing third this weekend is DreamWorks Animation's "Over the Hedge," which distributor United International Pictures reports pulled an estimated $9.6 million from 1,842 screens in 22 territories. International total now stands at $37.7 million.
The animation titled opened strongly in the U.K. and Hong Kong, finishing No. 1 in the former, yielding $5.8 million from 504 screens. In Hong Kong, the tally was an estimated $769,000 from 54 sites.
Taking fourth place was Universal International's release of director Justin Lin's "The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift," which pulled an estimated $6 million from 1,665 screens in 20 territories, lifting its international gross total to $24 million. There's undoubtedly more to go since this title has 34 fresh territories to play notably Germany, with a July 13 opening, and Japan on Sept. 16.
Biggest noise this weekend came from Russia where the third in the series of action-crime thrillers bowed No. 1, with an estimated $2 million from 350 screens, a full 100% more than the second installment, director John Singleton's "2 Fast 2 Furious" (2003), and 75% bigger than the comparable gross compiled by Rob Cohen's 2001 original, "Fast and the Furious."
"Tokyo Drift" opened No. 2 in Mexico with an estimated $1.2 million over the weekend at 308 locations. In the U.K., it held the No. 3 spot in a World-Cup-depressed market (down some 27% overall) with an estimated $950,000 at 409 screens, for a 17-day market total of $8.5 million. In Australia, the weekend tally was an estimated $540,000 from 186 locations, enough to qualify for the No. 5 market slot.
Finishing fifth this weekend is Warner's "Poseidon," which grossed an estimated $5.6 million from about 3,300 prints in 50 territories. The remake of the 1972 disaster classic, which finished No.1 last weekend with a $9.9 million estimated gross, opened in four Scandinavian territories, and lifted its international gross total to $95.8 million to date.
Sony Pictures Releasing International's "The Da Vinci Code" -- which has pulled about 60% of its total international tally ($507.1 million) from Europe -- and has slowed over its seventh weekend to an estimated $5.4 million from 4,430 screens in 68 territories.
"Da Vinci" now ranks as the 11th biggest all-time hit internationally, surpassing Fox's special-effects-laden "Independence Day" (1996), which grossed a total of $506.2 million.
Worldwide, the Ron Howard adaptation of the Dan Brown bestseller has a total boxoffice gross to date of nearly $717 (of which the domestic cume is $209.8), revealing just how powerful international action has been to this film. For every $1 grossed domestically, "Da Vinci" has pulled $2.4 overseas.
It still remains No. 1 in Germany, where the weekend gross was an estimated $470,000 from 812 screens -- an extraordinarily low gross figure for a market leader, in this case due to World Cup frenzy. Market total to date is $45 million.
In Japan, "Da Vinci" remains mighty, finished in the No. 2 spot with a weekend estimate of $1.6 million from 628 screens. The Japan cume is a huge $71.6 million. In the U.K., the market cume is $54.1 million; Italy, $36.8 million; Spain, $31.8 million; and France, $31.7 million.
Universal International"s "The Break-Up" is looking for an estimated $3.2 million this weekend at 1,026 screens in 14 territories, lifting its international total to $18 million to date. There are some 40 territories still to be played including the U.K., Germany, Italy and Spain.
BVI's "Scary Movie 4" continues to plug along, yielding an estimated $2.9 million over the weekend at 1,549 screens in 32 territories. International total now stands at $81 million, impressive for a comedy.
20th Century Fox International's "X-Men: The Last Stand" is winding down to an estimated $2.4 million this weekend at about 4,000 screens in 16 territories. International cume stands at an estimated $201.5 million.
Sony's "Click," the comedy with Adam Sandler, is playing just three markets -- Australia, New Zealand and Iceland -- for an estimated $2.3 million on the weekend for an international cume of $7.2 million. (Worldwide cume: $85.1 million.) The film will roll out on much wider basis this fall.
Warner's "Lake House," a romantic melodrama co-starring Keanu Reeves and Sandra Bullock, also grossed an estimated $2.3 million from about 996 screens in 12 territories. International cume: $5.9 million.
Fox's "The Omen" is down to an estimated $1.6 million this weekend at about 3,600 screens in 16 territories, for an international cume of $60.5 million.
The same distrib's "Garfield: A Tail of Two Kitties" and "Just My Luck," with Lindsay Lohan, each pulled an estimated $1 million this weekend, the former from 588 screens in five territories and the latter from 450 screens in the U.K. and Australia. "Garfield's cume is $4.6 million, $6.6 million for the Lohan romantic comedy.
Fox bowed its horror item, "The Hills Have Eyes," in Spain for a weekend estimate of $715,000 at 280 screens. In France, it garnered an estimated $246,000 in its second week at 244 screens. Weekend total estimate is $962,000, raising the international cume for "Hills" to $19 million.
UI's "United 93" bowed in the No.3 spot in the Netherlands, grossing an estimated $125,000 from 30 screens. The Sept. 11-themed docudrama is additionally playing the U.K., Germany, Austria and Switzerland (Belgium begins July 5). Overall weekend gross estimate is $310,000 from 384 locations, for an international boxoffice total to date of $7.6 million.
), and enjoyed it a lot. Even older people, like my cousin and her mother. And some friends told me it was the best of the three. 
up:
