'Hannibal' eaten up by Italian audiences
O'sea distribs roll out pic quickly due to U.S. heat, ending
Benefiting from a contentious general audiences ratings classification, Ridley Scott's shocker rang up 4.7 billion lire ($2.3 million) on 450 prints Friday-Saturday.
Noting highly positive audience reaction, Italo distrib Aurelio De Laurentiis was expecting strong Sunday business, and he forecast a three-day haul of between $3.7 million and $4.2 million.
While he praised the no-age-restriction tag as a "mature judgment," De Laurentiis told Daily Variety on Sunday that he had advised exhibs to be very careful in admitting anyone aged 14 and younger because the movie is "very, very scary."
Filmauro began promoting the pic four months ago, climaxing in a two-day publicity visit to Rome last week by producer Dino De Laurentiis (Aurelio's uncle), topliner Anthony Hopkins and helmer Scott.
Fast rollout
The strategy of foreign distribs is to roll out the film very quickly while it's generating heat from the U.S. and in an attempt to get people to see it before word spreads about the surprise ending.
"Hannibal" debuts next weekend in the U.K. and Australia via UIP (for Universal, which has most foreign rights) and in German-speaking markets; the following weekend, it's slated to go out in 15 territories.
Elsewhere over the weekend, "102 Dalmatians" had a nifty start in Germany but showed less bite in Spain; "Vertical Limit" conquered Brazil and reigned again in its soph session in Spain; "Dude, Where's My Car?" looked lively in Britain; and "Meet the Parents" generated plenty of yucks in Mexico.
Disney's canine caper fetched roughly $1.3 million in three days on 598 in Germany, trailing "Cast Away's" $1.8 million in its fifth lap on 559. In Spain, "Dalmatians" bowed with an estimated $404,000 in two days on 201, behind "Vertical Limit's" $555,000 on 239 and the survivor saga's $426,000 in its fourth on 187. "Limit" roped in around $585,000 in two days on 282 in Brazil, ahead of fellow freshman "Blair Witch 2."
Yuks for Mexico
Jay Roach's "Meet the Parents" tickled Mexico to the tune of about $589,000 in two days on 173, behind "What Women Want's" handsome $711,000 n its second lap on 200.
Motoring into the U.K., its first major market, Fox's comedy "Dude, Where's My Car?" hooked a decent number of young males, scoring an estimated $1.3 million in three days on 270.
"What Women Want" ruled Blighty, wooing about $2.5 million Friday-Saturday in its second outing on 408. Domestic fizzer "The Adventures of Rocky and Bullwinkle" took a limp $581,000 in two days on 335.
Signs are that "Almost Famous" isn't resonating overseas any better than it did at home. Cameron Crowe's pic checked into the U.K. as a lowly No. 5, coining about $504,000 on 227 (including previews), and it bombed in Argentina and Norway.
Robert Redford's "The Legend of Bagger Vance" wasn't a total wash-out in Spain, scoring roughly $562,000 in three days on 200, but it landed in the rough in Oz with $181,000 in four days on 143.
Winding its tour of duty abroad, "Me, Myself & Irene" was blah in Japan, scraping up about $233,000 in two days on 144.
