Foreign crowds embrace Disney's 'Up'

Toon leads at overseas B.O. for Sept. 18-20, crosses $200 million mark

By DAVE MCNARY

It took nearly three months, but "Up" finally led all films in international markets for the first time.

The Disney/Pixar toon managed the feat during the Sept. 18-20 weekend with $13.7 million at 2,718 playdates in 23 markets. The Mouse House has opted for a strategy of opening the pic gradually rather than going day-and-date.

"Up" crossed the $200 million mark on Sept. 22, becoming the seventh 2009 release to hit that milestone but the first to do it outside the summer season.

Franchise films "Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs," "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince," "Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen," "Angels and Demons," "Terminator Salvation" and "Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian" were the others that made it past the mark, underlining Disney’s strategy to target specific markets at the best possible dates since "Up" isn’t the same kind of pre-sold property that audiences recognize instantly.

In Germany, the opening of "Up" finished a close second to Constantin’s second frame of tyke adventure "Vicky the Viking" with $6 million. "Up" launched with $5.4 million from 809, on par with last year’s "Wall-E" but below 2007’s "Ratatouille," which opened with more than $12 million in Germany.

In Australia, "Up" scored its third straight weekend as the first-place film with $2.8 million at 287 for an $8.5 million cume. In France, the pic managed to finish eighth in its eighth frame with $1.3 million -- off only 1% -- for a $38 million cume.

And "Up" has plenty of gas left in the tank. It opens in Scandinavia on Oct. 2, followed by the U.K. on Oct. 9, Italy on Oct. 16 and Japan in December.

The top Disney/Pixar title in foreign markets is "Finding Nemo" at $525 million, followed by "Ratatouille" at $410 million and "The Incredibles" at $362 million.

The frame also saw a continued strong performance overseas from Quentin Tarantino’s "Inglourious Basterds" with $11.2 million at 2,900 in 40 markets. The Nazi-hunting epic cumed $119 million overseas as of Sept. 22.

Spain saw a No. 1 opening with $4 million at 378 for a 38% market share, representing the biggest opening weekend ever for a Tarantino film. The helmer took San Sebastian by storm when he arrived for a gala opening of the festival with "Inglorious Basterds" on Sept. 18.

Pic is likely to become the top Tarantino title in that market, a distinction currently held by "Kill Bill Vol. 1" with $5.8 million.

In Israel, "Basterds" also launched at No. 1 with $260,000 at 28 after Tarantino attended the premiere in Tel Aviv.

"Basterds" held well in France, with $1.5 million at 260 dates, off 25% after a month for a total of $21 million. Pic finished in third place in its fifth German frame with $1.3 million at 388, down 30% for a total of $18.8 million.

In sunny Italy, where "Inglourious Basterds" does not bow until Oct 2, "Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs" held on to numero uno in its fourth frame and became Italy’s all-time top-grossing toon. Fox’s third "Ice Age" installment dropped just 33% in its fourth weekend for a $3.1 million take off 532 screens, nearly half of which were 3D.

"Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs" has now pulled a boffo $40 million in Italy to date, the year’s top take and the most ever pulled in Italy by an animated feature, beating "Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa."

The third "Ice Age" had cumed $678 million in foreign grosses as of Sept. 22. That’s the third highest mark overseas after those of "Titanic" and "The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King," with 41% of the total coming from 3D locations.

Woody Allen’s "Whatever Works" bowed solidly at No. 2 in Italy by scoring $1.5 million from 329 via Medusa, proving that Allen’s pics still work nicely in Italy, especially when set in Manhattan.

Sony’s New York-set action thriller "The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3," toplining Denzel Washington and John Travolta, outed at No. 3 with $1.3 million from 316.

Segueing from the Venice Film Festival, Steven Soderbergh’s Matt Damon-starrer "The Informant" bowed below par at $359,118 from 194 via Warner Bros.

Emilio Mayorga in Madrid, Ed Meza in Berlin and David Hayhurst in Paris contributed to this report.