The buccaneers won't stop here
'Pirates' pillage box office for seventh straight win
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Even with no new openings and a 42% decline from the previous frame, BVI's "Dead Man's Chest" nearly matched the combined grosses of the next three films -- UIP's "Miami Vice," Fox's "Garfield: A Tale of Two Kitties" and Warner's "Superman Returns."
The seventh victory, tying the record set by "Pirates of the Caribbean: Curse of the Black Pearl" in 2003, drove the sequel's foreign cume to $522.7 million and the worldwide total to $923.8 million -- sixth place on the list just behind "Star Wars: Episode I -- The Phantom Menace," at $924.3 million, and "The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers," at $926.3 million.
"Dead Man's Chest" soon will be challenging "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone" for the No. 3 slot at $969 million combined. And with Greece and Italy still to open, "Dead Man's Chest" has a decent shot at becoming the third film after "Titanic" (with $1.8 billion) and "The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King" ($1.1 billion) to gross more than a billion dollars worldwide.
"Dead Man's Chest" will soon pass the foreign cume for "The Da Vinci Code" at $532 million. That duo's kept the overall international biz well ahead of last year's pace; "Chest" took in more than double the winner of the same frame a year ago, when "The Island" led with $12.4 million.
"Dead Man's Chest" pulled in its top number at its Spanish soph sesh with $5.1 million at 758, lifting the 10-day cume to $24.6 million. Pic already set an opening week record of $19.9 million and may have enough gas in the tank to best "Code," at $32.4 million, for the leading 2006 mark.
"Chest" held decently in France, down 40% to $4.8 million at 750 in its third frame, and in Germany, to $3.5 million at 1,380 in its fourth. In Japan, the fifth frame slid just 9% to $4.1 million at 711 to push the market cume to $69.3 million.
In the U.K., the seventh weekend was down 29% to $1.9 million at 471. Blighty total is $89 million. "Chest" nearly matched the day-and-date launch of "Snakes on a Plane," which took first with $2 million at 380.
"Miami Vice" added some spark to foreign biz with $13 million at 2,500 engagements in 31 markets, led by a first-place French launch with $5.1 million at 687.
It's the first time since July's last frame that any pic other than "Dead Man's Chest" has topped $10 million overseas during a weekend. The pricey "Vice," which opens next weekend in Germany and Brazil, has cumed $38 million internationally and $98 million worldwide.
"Garfield: A Tale of Two Kitties" remained a respectable draw among family audiences with $8 million at 4,500 engagements, led by a Russian launch of $2.1 million at 350, an Italian opening of $1.7 million at 340 and a second Chinese frame of $1.1 million at 700. Sequel's cumed $61 million overseas, half of 2004's "Garfield: The Movie."
"Superman Returns" continued to post mixed rather than blockbuster results with $7.9 million from 3,500 prints, led by a first-place Japanese launch with $3.5 million at 517. But the Man of Steel's German opening was less robust at $1.9 million at 667, barely half of the fourth weekend of "Dead Man's Chest."
"Superman Returns" has cumed $166 million internationally, with Italy the only remaining major market to open, set for Sept. 1. Worldwide total has hit $360 million.
Sony's "Monster House" scared up $4.7 million at 1,475 playdates in 14 markets.
Sony also saw some traction for "Click," with $4 million at 1,710 in 23 markets, led by a first-place Mexican launch with $1.7 million at 418. And UIP's "The Break-Up" took in $3.7 million at 1,500 in 37 territories.
"Click" has ticked $26 million offshore and $161 million worldwide, while "The Break-Up" has totaled $61 million offshore and nearly $180 million worldwide.
BVI's "Cars" and UIP's "Over the Hedge" continued to operate in tandem, with "Cars" taking in $3.1 million at 2,617 and "Hedge" grossing $2.4 million at 2,746. Foreign cumes are $145 million for "Cars" and $150 million for "Hedge."
Eight other pics topped $1 million.
Sony's first foreign launch of "Talladega Nights: The Legend of Ricky Bobby" hit the wall in Spain with $320,000 at 250, as the laffer was hindered by an 18 rating, limiting attendance to those over 17.
