Bullock cops a little pageantry
'Congeniality' bullish at o'seas box office
The Sandra Bullock starrer initialed in Spain with an estimated $508,000 Friday-Saturday on 179 prints -- pretty good but a distant No. 2 behind local James Bond spoof "Torrente 2: Mission in Marbella," which raked in a socko $1.5 million in its second turn on 249.
Jean-Jacques Annaud's WWII epic "Enemy at the Gates" landed in Spain at No. 4, mustering a modest $275,000 on 195, behind "What Women Want" ($398,000 on 213 in a lively fourth frame).
In the U.K., "Miss Congeniality" rang up about $1.2 million Friday-Saturday in its third stanza, besting the soph session of "Save the Last Dance" ($991,000 on 340) and freshmen "Rugrats in Paris" ($919,000 on 445), and "The Wedding Planner" ($788,000 on 333).
The undercover agent caper whistled up an estimated $1.9 million Thursday-Saturday on 518 in its lucrative second turn in Germany, where Steven Soderbergh's "Traffic" fetched $1.2 million on 249. Holding third spot in its second round was domestic teen comedy "Madchen Madchen" ($1.1 million on 440).
The WB/Village Roadshow Pictures co-production minted $228,000 in its second on 57 in Austria, while "Traffic" notched $123,000 on 33.
In Mexico, "The Emperor's New Groove" raked in roughly $559,000 in two days on 288, eclipsing fellow frosh "Proof of Life" ($329,000 on 175) and "Rugrats in Paris" ($258,000 on 235).
Showing amazing stamina, "Traffic" ruled Argentina in its sixth lap, ingesting $140,000 in two days on 62, ahead of "Men of Honor" ($117,000 in its second on 35).
Hip hop Down Under
Romantic drama "Save the Last Dance" boogied into Australia with an estimated $785,000 in four days on 149, taking pole position ahead of "Miss Congeniality," which dropped by a reasonable 36% in its fourth outing ($636,000 on 201), bringing cume to a stellar $6.8 million; it's tracking ahead of "Charlie's Angels" in the comparable period.
"Dude, Where's My Car?" dipped by a typical 38% in its second weekend in Oz, coining $527,000 on 150, while "The Wedding Planner" skidded by 46% ($350,000 on 164), earning about $1.2 million in 11 days.
Positioned to cash in on the Easter school holidays, which begin today in Victoria and next weekend in other states, "The Emperor's New Groove" generated a promising $325,000 on 217, while "Rugrats in Paris" ponied up $236,000 on 191.
Gus Van Sant's "Finding Forrester" is struggling to find auds abroad as it did domestically, typified by indifferent weekend preems in Spain ($267,000 on 173), Taiwan, Sweden and New Zealand.
