Sony's "Ghost Rider" rode to No. 1 for the third straight weekend at the international box office. Box office was helped by local fare performing well, as much of the Hollywood studio competish remained timid.
"Ghost" is one of a handful this year that has managed to rake in significant B.O. bucks worldwide without the benefit of positive reviews.
Pic trounced the competish internationally, taking in a full $10 million-plus more than the No. 2 pic, also from Sony, "The Pursuit of Happyness."
"Ghost" rolled to $16.7 million over the latest frame, driving cume to $61.6 million abroad.
Pic won't have too much competish going into its fourth frame. Rivals coming on the world stage will include Eddie Murphy comedy "Norbit," sci-fi mindbender "The Fountain" and romantic comedy "Music and Lyrics."
"Ghost" is haunting 50 markets and 3,570 screens.
Meantime, Paramount's "Dreamgirls," the bigscreen adaptation of the Motown inspired legit musical had a harder time connecting with auds.
Pic took in $5.9 million from 42 markets, raising its international cume to $37.7 million.
But its Japanese sesh, with $1.3 million, dropped off only 20%. Japan has become the top "Dreamgirls" market, with more than $9 million to date.
Studio hasn't pushed the pic too forcefully internationally as common knowledge dictates that musicals have a harder time connecting abroad, as do pics featuring largely African- American casts.
Nevertheless, the pic landed in the top five, at No. 5, playing just 1,787 screens abroad.
Sony's "Ghost" opened promisingly in Blighty, meantime, taking $3.6 million at 342 for second spot in the charts. Per-screen average of $10,411 was a weekend best, edging out "Hot Fuzz," which managed $9,678.
Bookers say "Rider's" hot bow came thanks to a punchy trailer and TV spots. But the superhero actioner is not expected to hold that well.
In fact, "Ghost" couldn't even hog the No. 1 B.O. of local holdover sensation "Hot Fuzz."
Hit "Fuzz" held top spot comfortably in its third weekend of release in the U.K.
Buddy cop comedy-actioner tore up $4.3 million at 441 for a cume of $30.2 million.
Brit bookers liken the "Fuzz" buzz to "Borat" last year, as local comics are able to reap B.O. in Blighty.
Speaking of "Borat," Italy, which customarily lags behind the rest of Europe in getting hot pics, finally saw the kooky Kazakh journo hit its screens.
And "Borat" easily won the Italo frame, scoring a solid $3 million on 407 in its final foreign outing.
Voiced by local TV comic Pino Insegno, pic did not get lost in translation, proving that Fox's belated but painstakingly prepped Italo "Borat" launch strategy paid off.
Local helmer Ferzan Ozpetek's "Saturn in Opposition" stayed put in the No. 2 slot in Italy, though the ensembler slipped 44%, pulling $1.7 million on 399 for a $6 million two-week cume via Medusa.
Timely "Saturn," which depicts the mourning of a bunch of friends, including a gay couple, is in release just as debate rages over gay marriages in Italo parliament.
Also in Italy, homegrown hit comedy "Night Before Exams -- Today" slipped 63% to $1.2 million on 391 in its third frame for a $14.4 million cume via 01 Distribution.
Eugenio Cappuccio's disease-themed drama "Uno su due" opened modestly pulling $406,000 on 176, also via 01.
And Fox's "Night at the Museum" is showing Italo staying power, ensconced in the fifth slot after five weeks despite a 57% drop.
Oscar pics, as at home, had trouble making a big impact after the envelopes were read. Medusa's attempt to cash in on "The Departed's" Oscar gold fell flat with its re-release of Martin Scorsese's mob pic pulling a paltry $215,000 on 123, a mere $1,700 screen average that did not much improve pic's $12 million cume.
But "Ghost" wasn't rising high everywhere.
Pic dropped to No. 5 after two frames behind local product and Fox's "Night at the Museum." In France, local fare also stayed strong: Top three spots were all homemade pics. "La Vie en rose" raked in just under $5 million for the week on 711 screens for TFM, and has cumed $27.26 million in its third frame.
"Taxi 4" and weeper "Michou D'Auber" -- the latter starring Gallic perennials Gerard Depardieu and Nathalie Baye -- have EuropaCorp laughing all the way to the bank. Scribed by Luc Besson, "Taxi 4" promises to be the biggest title of his career in Gaul, cuming $29.13 million after three frames on 836.
In Spain, Hollywood pics were playing well.
Handled by DeAPlaneta, "Bridge to Terabithia" bowed with 304, taking $1.8 million for an average $6,006 per copy and went straight to No. 1, dwarfing No. 2.
Pic performed up to exhibs' expectations, with predictions ranging between $1.5 million and $2 million.
"We needed new kids' fare, but at the same time it's become the number one family entertainment option," says one exhibitor.
Another says " 'Terabithia' could have done much better in Easter, when kids flood cinemas."
"Ghost" fell to No. 2 in Spain in its second frame.
Spanish top five was rounded out by "Blood Diamond," "The Grudge 2" and "Bordertown."
In Germany, "Ghost Rider" in its second week kept the pole position, and local kids pic "Die wilden kerle 4" (The Wild Soccer Bunch 4) in its fifth week remained strong on No. 2.
Nick Vivarelli in Italy, Christian Koehl in Germany, Gorka Bilbao in Spain, Archie Thomas in the U.K. and David Hayhurst in France contributed to this report.
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