Box Office Shocker: 'The Tourist' has Become an International Hit

Remember The Tourist, starring Angelina Jolie and Johnny Depp?

The movie -- which underperformed in the United States -- has turned out to be quite the world traveler, grossing a mighty $210.7 million at the international box office. The Tourist, directed by Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck, captured the imagination of international moviegoers across the globe, where it earned more than three times its domestic gross of $67.6 million.

With its run coming to an end, The Tourist's worldwide total now stands at an impressive $278.3 million.
When The Tourist didn't work in North America, there was plenty of chatter about whether Graham King and Tim Headington's GK Films would take a financial hit, considering the movie's budget was close to $100 million.

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GK Films produced The Tourist with Spyglass Entertainment in association with StudioCanal. Sony Pictures released the action-thriller in the U.S., per its deal with GK Films, and also picked up a number of foreign territories.

When all is said and done, those backing The Tourist did fine by it.

In fact, it's Jolie's fourth most successful film after Salt, Wanted and Mr. & Mrs. Smith, and Depp's best showing after the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise, Alice in Wonderland and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.

The top territory for The Tourist was Japan, where the movie earned $22.5 million. Depp is a huge star there, and attended the Tokyo premiere of in March.

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China was second best at $20 million. Jolie in particular is well-known to Chinese audiences because of the Kung Fu Panda franchise, while Donnersmarck went to China for the premiere.

The Tourist also did well across Europe--where it was set--including in Italy, where it grossed $16 million. Elsewhere, the movie earned a hearty $11 million in Australia and $10.1 million in Brazil.

One international box observer says foreign moviegoers can be more swayed by big stars than domestic audiences. Also, some countries, such as Japan, fall easily for romantic adventures. 

Either way, the controversial Golden Globe nomination earned by The Tourist now makes sense.