'Devil' digs in its heels
Comedy wins fourth straight weekend at o'seas B.O.
|
Comedy continues to dominate foreign moviegoing, having won its fourth straight weekend at the international box office with $16.7 million at 4,400 playdates.
Meanwhile, "The Departed" continued to show traction outside the United States with $7.7 million from 900 prints in 22 markets, led by a first-place Spanish launch with $2.3 million at 364 and an Italian opening of $1.9 million at 425. "The Departed" also led in Australia for the third straight frame with $984,000 at 217.
Pic has cumed $36.8 million internationally and $128 million worldwide.
Clint Eastwood's "Flags of Our Fathers" debuted decently in its first foreign openings, finishing second in Japan with $1.7 million at 294 playdates and grossing $1.5 million at 425 in France.
As for "Prada," the Fox comedy, which has kept the offshore biz healthy during mid-autumn, took in nearly the combined grosses of the next two films -- family toon "Open Season" and German comedy sequel "Seven Dwarfs 2." With $130 million in the bag overseas, "Devil" has gone past the quarter-billion milestone worldwide with $255 million.
"Devil" posted its top figure in a No. 1 South Korean launch with $2.9 million at 241 engagements. It also opened impressively in Belgium with $807,000 at 60.
But as with its Stateside success, "Devil" scored solidly via holdover biz in European markets led by Germany with $2.7 million at 607, down just 27% in its third frame for a $13.5 million cume. Its third weekend in Italy declined 32% to $2.3 million at 400; its fourth Brit frame fell 29% to $1.8 million at 446; and its fifth French weekend edged up 3% to $1.7 million at 467.
With Japan opening in mid-November and its impressive staying power, "Devil" should remain a decent player for the rest of the year.
Overall biz was respectable though down compared with the same frame of 2005 when "The Legend of Zorro" led with $26.4 million and "Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit" followed with $13.9 million. Year-to-date offshore receipts for the Hollywood distribs (BVI, Fox, Sony, UIP, Warner) remain far ahead of last year's and on track to top 2004's record of $8.5 billion.
Lionsgate saw boffo Brit numbers for its day-and-date launch of domestic powerhouse "Saw III" with $4.9 million at 373 -- outpacing the combined total of the Nos. 2 and 3 pics ("Step Up" and "Open Season") and a far higher take than the U.K. openings of "Saw" ($2.2 million) and "Saw II" ($3.9 million). The horrorfest opens next weekend in Argentina, Brazil and Colombia via BVI.
Sony's "Open Season" finished a distant but decent second with $9.5 million at 3,400 in 40 markets, led by a first-place French soph sesh that edged up 4% to $2.4 million at 629 amid school holidays. "Season" also launched impressively in Russia with $2.24 million at 467, achieving the fourth-highest animated opening ever in that market, and held well in its third U.K. frame as it matched the soph sesh with $1.9 million at 457.
"Season," which opens next month in Australia, Germany, Japan and Spain, has grossed $38.5 million overseas and $115 million worldwide.
UIP's launch of "Seven Dwarfs: The Forest is Not Enough" was anything but smallish with $8.4 million at 930 as it led in the three German-speaking markets -- $6.6 million at 770 and 35% share in Germany; $1.5M at 100 and 43% share in Austria; and $300,000 at 58 in German Switzerland. And the sequel's prospects seem solid, given the $48 million German cume for the original "Seven Dwarfs" two years ago.
A quintet of pics -- "World Trade Center," "The Guardian," "Barnyard," "Flags of Our Fathers" and "Step Up" -- cleared the $3 million barrier with "The Guardian" grossing $3.7 million at 2,174 in 17 markets, led by $600,000 at 500 in its German soph sesh, off 38%. "The Guardian" has cumed $15.4 million overseas for BVI and $65 million worldwide.
"WTC" also grossed $3.7 million at 2,263 in 50 markets, led by its fourth Japanese frame with $1.1 million at 320. Japan's been by far the strongest international territory with a $15.4 million cume -- 20% of the foreign cume of $77.2 million.
"Barnyard" took in $3.6 million at 2,029 in 22 markets, led by a strong second Brit frame rising 20% to $1.5 million at 449 and a first-place Mexican launch of $777,000 at 385. International cume has hit $16 million for a worldwide $88 million total.
"Step Up" kicked in $3.1 million at 1,078 -- mostly from its Brit launch of $2.2 million at 308. Foreign cume for Summit/Universal has hit $19.8 million with worldwide at $85 million.
Three pics finished above $2 million -- UIP's "Children of Men" with $2.6 million at 862 in a dozen markets; UIP's "Over the Hedge" with $2.3 million at 956, pushing the foreign cume past $170 million; and Sony's "Click" with $2 million at 1,500 for an offshore total of $91.2 million or 40% of the worldwide gross -- by far the best international perf for an Adam Sandler film.
Warners reported "Pan's Labyrinth" grossed $1.5 million at 500 in Spain and Mexico for an $8 million cume. UIP's "An Inconvenient Truth" racked up $1 million at 460 to push its foreign cume to $9.2 million; Fox's "Little Miss Sunshine" also took in $1 million for a $17 million offshore total.
Fox saw quiet results from its ninth-place British opening of "A Good Year" with $791,000 at 285. The Russell Crowe drama launches Stateside on Nov. 10.
