Fox's
"Night at the Museum" continued a dominant run overseas, proving that international and U.S. auds are of the same mind these days.
Pic topped the charts for the fourth straight frame internationally, taking in just under $15 million off 45 markets abroad.
Look for the pic to continue drawing big numbers: It has yet to open in Spain, France, Japan and Italy.
Sylvester Stallone's unlikely B.O. belter
"Rocky Balboa" also punched up some solid numbers overseas after scoring a better than expected perf Stateside last month.
Pic came in second to "Museum" with $11.8 million from just nine markets.
Most notable perf, perhaps, came from the U.K., where the pic socked almost $7.2 million from 405 locations.
Per-screen average for "Rocky's" Blighty debut was a whopping $17,742, and the pic should have some nice legs in the market.
"Rocky" also saw a decent opening round in Mexico, where it topped the charts, barely beating out "Museum" in its third weekend.
"Rocky" took in $1.55 million from auds south of the border, off 262, for a per-screen average of almost $6,000.
"Museum" was playing in 126 more theaters in Mexico than underdog "Rocky."
But the champ wasn't tops everywhere he traveled: Second-frame biz slid sharply by 57% in Italy, to $1.6 million at 370, and by 60% in Spain, to $1.46 million at 312.
Away from the top of the charts, a number of Golden Globe winners -- and current Oscar nominees -- got some international heat.
Paramount Pictures Intl. sent its starry, globe-trotting ensembler "Babel" to the U.K. where the pic took in $1.7 million off 130 for a healthy per-screen average of almost $9,000.
Brad Pitt has a winning track record in the U.K., which was a major factor in the pic's success there.
Brazil gave pic nominee "Babel" $363,000 off 58.
Pic has already cumed $44.1 million to date abroad. That's nearly double its domestic take, where it should get a nice bump from its Oscar noms.
Par's other Oscar hopeful, the bigscreen musical
"Dreamgirls," turned in a decent $975,165 Down Under, and $143,631 more in New Zealand, for its first taste of overseas booty.
Pic next opens in Italy, Mexico and Spain.
Another Oscar nominee, Fox's
"The Last King of Scotland," held well in Blighty. Pic landed at No. 4, just behind "Museum" in the U.K. charts, with a 15% decline to $1.4 million.
Fellow awards fave, Martin Scorsese and Warner Bros.'
"The Departed" bowed in Japan with a first-place finish of $2.4 million at 370.
Pic took in $1.6 million from 32 other markets to lift foreign cume to $131.4 million and worldwide to $253 million.
But the main story overseas from foreign exhibs' standpoint has been "Museum's" boffo run.
Pic has hit $173.9 million abroad. That brings the Ben Stiller starrer's worldwide take near $380 million, and has managed kept the 2007 foreign biz on pace.
Pic has now matched the perf of "The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe."
Pic has begun to see solid Latin American returns as well: It launched in pole position in Argentina with $508,000 at 110, as well as in Chile with $317,000 at 76 and in Uruguay with $38,000 at 13 -- the fifth best opening ever in that market.
As in the States, Will Smith starrer
"The Pursuit of Happyness," from Sony, has been playing in "Museum's" shadow, but has still been seeing some impressive returns for a straight drama.
Pic generated $8.9 million over the latest frame, from 11 markets, to land in third behind "Rocky."
Smith pic was powered by solid soph seshes in Italy, with $3.8 million on about 1,600, and the U.K., with $3.6 million at 419. Pic also saw an impressive German launch of $3.2 million at 500. "Happyness," which opens next weekend in Japan, has topped $24 million overseas.
"The story (of 'Happyness') has great appeal," said one German bizzer, "especially in Germany. Many people have been touched directly or indirectly by unemployment over the past decade and there's a lot of sympathy for Will Smith's character, especially since it's a true story."
German unemployment remains high at nearly 10%.
In other action, Buena Vista's
"Deja Vu" has been playing to much better numbers abroad than it did Stateside.
The Jerry Bruckheimer-produced sci-fi thriller, starring Denzel Washington, took in $7.3 million in 36 markets over the latest frame.
Pic has hit $90.1 million overseas; it's taken in $63.3 million domestically.
Top markets included an Australian opening of $2 million at 275 and a Brazilian launch of $650,000 at 90.
Pic should easily cross the $100 million foreign mark with launches yet to come in China and Japan.
Sony's latest James Bond pic is also still playing solidly abroad, and is another project with better numbers abroad.
Pic has played to just under $400 million internationally, and to $164.5 million Stateside.
Secret agent added $5.9 million to his cume in the latest frame, from 52 markets.
But despite all of Hollywood's big guns, local productions are still making hay in early 2007 as they did last year.
Local laffer
"Manual of Love 2" scored big time in Italy, where the saucy cross-generational romancer pulled in a boffo $8 million on 590, making it the country's second-best opener ever.
Latest hit from Aurelio De Laurentiis' Filmauro stable, "Love 2" interweaves four contempo skits packed with homegrown A-list talent, including Monica Bellucci in a wheelchair sex scene.
"Love" bumped "Happyness" from first to second place.
And in France, Gallic pics took the top five spots at the B.O.
Nick Vivarelli in Italy, Ed Meza in Germany, David Hayhurst in France, Archie Thomas in the U.K. and Dave McNary in Hollywood contributed to this report.
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