B.O. bust in Europe
But Oz exhibs see record Easter week take
"The Rugrats Movie" smashed the opening record for an animated pic in Australia (beating "The Lion King") and had a lucrative soph session in the U.K. (jumping 19%) but was just fair in France and ignored in Italy (where the TV series is unknown).
Teen drama "Cruel Intentions" began its international campaign in fine style in Australia and New Zealand, while Polygram's "Plunkett & Macleane," historical tale toplining Robert Carlyle as a Scottish highwayman, had a reasonably encouraging bow in the U.K, where Easter biz was down by about 10% com-pared to last year.
But several other titles had mixed fortunes in their first foreign outings. The Michelle Pfeiffer meller "The Deep End of the Ocean" (retitled "The Bottom of the Heart") seems headed for a watery grave in Italy after launching on 54 prints.
New Line's "Blast from the Past" had a tepid reception in the U.K., while "Varsity Blues" fared OK in Oz but was third choice among teens and young adults after "Cruel Intentions" and fellow rookie "She's All That."
Upbeat Oz
Contrary to the Euro gloom, Aussie exhibs were celebrating an all-time record Easter week ending April 7 (topping the previous high in 1997) and salivating over "The Matrix" which kicked in with killer figures April 8.
Meanwhile, the Oscar kudos continued to pay off for "Shakespeare in Love," whose cume vaulted to $111.5 million (now with a good shot at reaching $150 million) and for the reborn "Life Is Beautiful," which climbed to $122.4 million.
"Shakespeare" retained pole position in Spain, amassing $8.2 million in 24 days and featured in the top four in a bunch of other markets. "Beautiful" raced to an estimated $46.2 million in Italy (where it's now the highest-earning Italo pic in history) and its cume from other territories hit $76.2 million.
France abandons 'Parent'
Nearing the end of its foreign travels, with Japan, Italy and South Korea to come, "The Parent Trap" miscued in France, where lightweight U.S. comedies are usually problematic; its $25.8 million cume pales next to domestic's $55 million.
The mediocre preem in France by "La Fille Sur Le Pont," toplining Vanessa Paradis as a suicidal woman who's saved by a knife-thrower played by Daniel Auteuil, casts further doubts on Paradis' ability to carry a film.
With $347.6 million in the till, "Armageddon" is poised to pass "Forrest Gump" to rank as the sixth best-grossing most popular film of all time abroad; Japan alone has generated $111.3 million.
