Opens: June 8
After it premieres at the Cannes Film Festival in May, DreamWorks Animation and Paramount’s third outing in the popular Madagascar franchise opens in North America on June 8. The threequel finds the gang in Europe, and opens in Monte Carlo, where the lovable penguins wreak havoc in the famous casino.
With soccer preoccupying Europe and popular local language titles playing in Japan and South Korea, the foreign theatrical circuit logged a lackluster session with Madagascar 3: Europe’s Most Wanted hanging on to its No. 1 ranking for the third consecutive stanza, drawing $35.4 million from 9,499 locations in 43 territories.
The DreamWorks Animation title has glided past the $200-million total gross mark ($214.2 million) since opening overseas on June 6. Distributor Paramount plans no foreign openings of Europe’s Most Wanted this week as the European Cup soccer tournament comes down to its series of semi-finals and finals.
The Germany versus Greece match on Friday resulted in a 70% drop in theatrical box office in the former market, while dips of 45% were registered in France and Spain on Saturday as teams from those two territories squared off. Box office action in the U.K. and Italy took hits on Sunday as teams representing the markets take on each other.
Complementing its No. 1 domestic opening, Pixar’s Brave made its debut overseas, generating $14 million in its premier launch in 10 markets, which distributor Disney describes as “17% of the international market.”
Top territory for the fantasy about a warrior princess was Russia where the gross was $5.4 million. Australia came in with a No. 2 ranking with $3.6 million while the film’s China debut took 17% of the market with $2.9 million. Overall, Brave ranked as the weekend’s No.3 title.
Finishing outside the top five was 20th Century Fox’s release of co-producer Tim Burton’s Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter, which opened offshore to $8.5 million at 2,678 venues in 17 markets for a per-site average of slightly more than $3,000.
A No. 1 debut in the U.K. generated $1.74 million at 460 locations. The Civil-War-set action fantasy, starring Benjamin Walker as Honest Abe with ax, drew $4.1 million in Russia from 1,482 situations.
The weekend No. 2 title was Universal’s Snow White and the Huntsman, which took the top spots in Japan, Australia and New Zealand and collected $23.6 million overall at 6,430 sites in 60 territories. The Down Under bow generated $6.3 million from 244 playdates. Director Rupert Sanders’ period action fantasy costarring Kristen Stewart, Chris Hemsworth and Charlize Theron has grossed a total of $161.5 million so far overseas.
Fourth on the weekend was Men In Black III, which drew $13 million from 7,962 sites in 88 markets with Japan leading the cumulative pack with $36.7 million. Director Barry Sonnenfeld’s special effects extravaganza in 3D costarring Will Smith, Tommy Lee Jones and Josh Brolin has accumulated$418.2 million since its offshore opening on May 23.
Dropping to fifth place was Fox’s Prometheus, drawing $12.7 million from 6,876 situations in 62 territories. With such key Japan, Germany, Italy and Spain yet to open, director Ridley Scott’s sci-fi/action film has grossed more than $150-million ($153.2 million) to date on the foreign circuit.
Dark Shadows, Warner Bros.’ release of director Tim Burton’s period fantasy starring Johnny Depp opened smartly in Latin America, drawing $7.1 million on the weekend overall from 3,480 sites in 54 markets. A No. 2 Mexico bow generated $2.65 million from 656 situations. Cume stands at $143.6 million.
Still No. 1 in its second China round was Lionsgate’s The Hunger Games, which drew $6.7 million out of the market, elevating its market cume to nearly $20 million ($19.8 million). Overseas gross total now stands at $269.5 million while Games’ worldwide take is $672.4 million.
With openings in France and Lebanon, Paramount’s The Dictator grossed another $5 million on the weekend at 2,094 spots in 36 territories. The No. 3 France take was $2.16 million at 336 sites. Foreign cume for the Sacha Baron Cohen comedy stands at $83.9 million rolled up since May 16.
Sparking the Spain market was Warner’s release of Tengo Ganas De Ti (I Have Wanted You), director Fernando Gonzalez Molina’s local-language production (Zeta Cinema/Antena 3 Films), the latest in a series of romantic dramas. Its No. 1 opening generated $4.3 million at 538 locations, representing the second biggest market debut this year.
Marvel’s The Avengers from Disney has a foreign cume of $838.3 million (versus $598.4 million domestic) thanks in part to a $24 million weekend playing in 56 markets. Sony’s That’s My Boy, Adam Sandler’s latest R-rated comedy costarring Andy Samburg, drew just $991,582 from 249 screens in seven territories, for an early foreign cume of $2.87 million.
Warner Bros.’ Rock of Ages, director Adam Shankman’s big-screen version starring of the hit Broadway musical, grossed $2.8 million at 2,400 screens in 24 territories. The Tom Cruise vehicle has accumulated an anemic $8.5 million overseas thus far.
Opening No. 3 in the U.K. was The Five-Year Engagement, Universal’s release of director Nicholas Stoller’s comedy costarring Jason Segel and Emily Blunt, which collected $1.6 million from 454 market locations. Offshore cume to date stands at $9.6 million.
Top-grossing local language title in France was UGC Distribution’s release of Adieu Berthe: l’enterrment de meme (Goodbye Berthe or Grandma’s Funeral), director Bruno Podalydes’ comedy about a philandering pharmacist and his grandparent. Opening round at 237 screens drew $1.5 million, sufficient for a No. 4 market ranking.
Other international cumes: Lionsgates’ What To Expect When You’re Expecting, $23.9 million; Focus Features/Universal’s Moonrise Kingdom, $9.67 million; Universal’s Hanni and Nanni 2, $5.5 million; Fox’s This Means War, $101.7 million; Universal’s Battleship, $236.6 million; Pathe’s Le Prenom, $23.8 million over nine rounds in France only; Sony’s 21 Jump Street, $59.6 million; Universal’s American Pie: Reunion, $175.5 million; Fox’s We Bought A Zoo, $44.3 million; and Universal’s Dr. Seuss’ The Lorax, $99 million.
