'Patch' ups o'seas
B.O. can't shake exhibitors' b'buster thirst
One British booker was pleased with the debut of "Mail," but fears a lot of folks have lost the moviegoing habit and says he's apprehensive about the next few months.
The exhib doesn't doubt "Star Wars: Episode 1 -- The Phantom Menace" will be huge, but it won't arrive in the U.K. until July and he contends that one surefire blockbuster this year is nowhere near enough to keep biz bubbling.
In France, one programmer laments that ticket sales are running 20% behind last year, when "Titanic" and Gallic phenom "Les Couloirs du Temps: Les Visiteurs 2" were packing halls.
Tom Shadyac's "Adams" nabbed $1.2 million in six days on 195 screens, while it fetched $916,000 on 194 in Mexico.
John Madden's "Shakespeare in Love" made a merry $2 million in six days on 146 screens in Italy, and was similarly luminous in Holland. Adding the stellar scores in the U.K. and Australia, its cume is $28.1 million.
"Thin Red Line" pocketed $11.5 million from fair-to-very good launches in 23 markets in Europe, Asia and Latin America, plus holdovers in eight territories, for a cume of $17.4 million.
The strongest Latino perfs were Brazil's $628,000 in six days on 122 screens and Argentina's $541,000 on 33 (Fox's seventh-highest opener).
'Bug's' still buzzing
"Bug's" became the first pic to mint $100 million abroad this year after earning $30.2 million in 1998. Disney/Pixar pic harvested $19.4 million last week; its foreign cume vaulted to $141.4 million and the worldwide total hit $300 million.
"Mail" delivered $14.8 million on nearly 2,800 screens in 29 countries, sending the total to $88.8 million.
A few national debutantes fared well on home turf. Veteran Teutonic helmer Helmut Dietl's "Late Show" had the best preem for a German film this year.
"Rien Sur Robert," a Gallic love story about a journalist's troubles with his wife and girlfriend, surprised some French tradesters with its wide appeal.
But two high-profile U.S. titles came up short. Released day-and-date with domestic, Joel Schumacher's thriller "8mm" had a tepid response in Sweden and Finland, while "Payback" took an uninspiring $1.2 million in six days on 300 screens in Italy.
In Japan, "Armageddon" remarkably retained pole position for the 12th straight week and its total touched $100 million, the first BVI release in history to reach the ton in any offshore market. The cume is a dizzying $334.1 million. "Snake Eyes" uncoiled in Japan on a fairly limited 91 prints for a moderate $1.6 million in five days; its total is $48.3 million.
"Stepmom" climbed to an estimated $47.5 million after scoring about $6 million.
In China, "Mulan" posted an encouraging $373,000 in its first three days on 17 screens there; offshore cume is $181.5 million.
"Mighty Joe Young" had a lively bow in the Philippines; the gorilla pic has taken $4.3 million from a handful of Asian markets.
In its first foreign engagement, "Rushmore" did OK on 70 prints in Australia. "Pleasantville" had a decent outing Down Under, where "Dear Claudia," an Aussie romance toplining Bryan Brown, bombed and "The Truman Show" reissue didn't work.
"Life is Beautiful" had a handsome preem in Spain, as did "Celebrity"; "Beautiful's" cume outside Italy is a strapping $47.2 million. "Rush Hour" motored along to $70.3 million after nifty debuts in Norway and Portugal.
