'8 Mile' breaks Jan. B.O. mark in Oz bow
Rapper's debut reps a 30% weekend market share
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Rapper Eminem's star turn in helmer Curtis Hanson's fictionalized biopic registered the biggest January opening day ever Down Under, where it absorbed a 30% weekend market share.
Identical market share in Blighty and strong debuts in Mexico, the Netherlands, other smaller territories and holdovers in Germany and Austria saw "8 Mile" garner about $15 million from 1,700 screens in 14 countries.
In Blighty, "8 Mile" notched up Universal's sixth-biggest opening weekend ever, topping bows of "Gladiator," and "Jurassic Park III." It took about $6.8 million from 420 screens, 70% ahead of "Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers" which had dominated the box office there for four weeks.
In Australia, summer school holidays ensured Eminem's young fans were free to flock to the movies -- four-day estimate for "8 Mile" is $3 million from 161 screens.
The rapper is not a huge celebrity in Mexico, but still "8 Mile" opened No. 2 there this weekend, behind strong local pic "La hija del canibal." It took about $850,000 from 170 screens.
In the Netherlands "8 Mile" was UIP's seventh biggest opening -- roughly $765,000 from 66 -- and Israel registered a strong $170,000 from 28.
In Germany and Austria "8 Mile" dropped 30% in lap two against the preem for "Catch Me If You Can" and a stellar debut of "Star Trek Nemesis," which took about $3.2 million from 800 in Germany and roughly $266,000 from 59 in Austria.
Miramax's "The Quiet American" wowed auds Down Under in its second international outing after preeming in Blighty in November. Auds in helmer Phillip Noyce's homeland spent about $465,000 at 61 locations in four days, a hefty $7,623 per-screen average.
