'Syriana' was the top Hollywood film overseas during a weekend in which no U.S. film topped $6 million.
The final weekend of the Winter Olympics chilled the foreign box office as "Syriana" led a modest showing by Hollywood films with $5.9 million at more than 1,300 playdates in 20 markets.
Frame represented the second straight weekend in which no U.S. film topped $10 million. Biz was especially mild in comparison with the same sesh in 2005, when "Meet the Fockers" led with $20 million to edge "Constantine" with $19.4 million.
Only two other U.S. entries -- sequels "Bambi II" and "Big Momma's House 2" -- managed to pull in $5 million during the frame, which saw French comedy fave "Friends Forever" register the strongest performance on the foreign front for the fourth weekend in a row with $8.1 million at 950 screens in France. "Friends Forever" dropped only 22% and has cumed $68.4 million for Warner France.
"Syriana" received most of its coin -- opening in key European markets France, Italy and Germany -- as Olympics counter-programming to take advantage of its Oscar noms for supporting actor and original screenplay. Best numbers came from France with $1.7 million at 274, including previews, and matched launches by "Mystic River" and "A History of Violence."
"Syriana" also posted second-place finishes in Italy with $1.3 million at 242 and in Germany with $1.1 million at 359. Its Australian soph sesh declined 23% to $484,000 at 91.
Frame also saw best picture Oscar nominee "Capote" generate decent returns in a quartet of smallish launches -- Spain with $430,000 at 108, the U.K. with $405,000 at 50, Australia with $220,000 at 51 and Brazil with $145,000 at 50.
"Brokeback Mountain" padded its foreign total with another $3.5 million to push its foreign cume to $51 million.
Fox's "Big Momma's House 2" remained a respectable overseas performer with $5 million at 650 playdates in 22 markets, with its best numbers coming in its third U.K. frame with $1.9 million at 313. The sequel has eclipsed $42 million overseas and $108 million worldwide -- $66 million behind the 2000 original.
BVI's "Bambi II," which went direct to DVD in the United States, stayed solid in its foreign release with $5 million at 1,917 in 21 markets to lift its offshore cume to $22 million. Top perf for the kidpic came in France, with $2.3 million in its third frame at 587 repping no decline, and pushing the pic's French cume to $10.6 million.
"The Pink Panther" took in $4.1 million at 1,300 engagements in 11 markets for Fox, followed by holdovers "Munich" and "Fun With Dick and Jane," both at $3.9 million. "Munich," which had led among U.S. films for the past four weekends, is running out of steam with $71 million foreign and $46 million domestically; top European total for the weekend came in Spain with $382,000.
"Dick and Jane" performed best with a lukewarm French launch of $1.7 million at 377. The Jim Carrey laffer has quietly managed to hit $75 million overseas for a decent worldwide total near $185 million.
BVI saw a pair of family pics hit box office milestones, as "Chicken Little" feathered its nest with $3.6 million at 2,132 in 30 markets to push its foreign cume to $170 million and its worldwide total past $300 million -- the 16th Disney animated pic to do so. And its "The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe" took in $1.2 million to move its foreign cume to $379.9 million, becoming Disney's top live-action grosser overseas, ahead of "The Sixth Sense."
"Narnia" will open in its last major market next weekend in Japan, followed by a Chinese launch in several weeks.
Fox's "Date Movie" generated $3.5 million at 620 sites, with most coming from a No. 1 opening in the U.K. with $2.3 million, while its "Walk the Line" continued to generate moderate takings with $3.1 million at 2,000 for a foreign cume of $35.6 million.
BVI's "Casanova" wooed its way to $3 million, while Sony's "Hostel" scared up $2.4 million at 545 and UIP's "Get Rich or Die Tryin'" shot up $2.3 million at 402, nearly all of that from its French launch.
Contact Dave McNary at
dave.mcnary@variety.com