The Avengers Robert Downy Jr. Mark Ruffalo - H 2012
Marvel
Marvel’s The Avengers played like a vacuum cleaner on the foreign theatrical circuit for the third consecutive round, sucking up a confirmed weekend tally of $93.8 million — $1.6 million less than was reported Sunday — from 54 territories, and leaving its competition to sort out the remaining box office pickings.
For all the hoopla about the Disney release’s astonishing domestic action ($373.1 million over two rounds), the action-paced mélange of comic book heroes is doing even better overseas ($627.4 million over three frames).
Avengers’weekend action was down 40% from the prior weekend’s take, a rate of decline that is considered muscular given the film’s lofty box office heights. In just a dozen days, it has out-grossed such previous Marvel titles as Captain America ($192 million total offshore), Iron Man ($266.7 million), Thor ($268.3 million) and Iron Man 2 ($311.5 million).
Besides setting industry opening records in a dozen offshore markets including Brazil and Mexico, the Robert Downey Jr.-Chris Evans-Scarlett Johansson vehicle directed by Joss Whedon has rolled up mighty market cumes in the U.K. ($64.9 million), China ($50.4 million), Mexico ($50.3 million), Korea ($41.6 million), Australia ($40.3 million), Russia ($35.1 million), France ($32.2 million) and Germany ($23.9 million).
Slightly denting The Avenger’s mighty foreign action was Warner Bros.’ Dark Shadows, which opened offshore at 5,760 sites in 42 territories for $37.3 million or nearly $6,500 per screen. It finished No. 2 on the weekend.
The eighth collaboration of Johnny Depp and director Tim Burton, a big screen sendup of ABC-TV’s 1966-1971 horror soap opera of the same title, drew 94% of what 2005’s Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (the fourth Depp-Burton combination) grossed in the same markets at “the same point in release,” said Warner Bros. (Factory went on to gross a total of $268 million offshore.)
Biggest single market for Shadows was Russia where playdates at 977 situations delivered $5.1 million. A No. 1 France opening generated $4.9 million at 474 situations while the U.K. produced $3.9 million at 510 venues.
No. 1 openings were also recorded in Spain ($2.4 million at 340 spots) and in Italy ($2.6 million at 518 situations). Australia opening action came to $3.9 million at 369 screens while Korea came up with $2.5 million at 386 sites. Japan opens on May 19 while Brazil and Mexico follow on June 22.
It’s official. Universal’s American Pie: Reunion, the fourth title in the raunchy comedy franchise begun with American Pie in 1999, is now the biggest overseas grosser of the series. It is also the No. 3 offshore title this round.
Weekend take at 4,220 playdates in 49 markets was $14.7 million, pushing the foreign total to $143.9 million, besting American Pie 2’s overseas tally of $143 million in 2001. A No. 2 second stanza in the U.K. delivered $4.1 million at 487 locations for a market cume of $19.7 million. Worldwide, Reunion has reached the $200 million mark.
Universal’s Battleship, which debuts Friday in the U.S. and Canada, has already grossed $215.2 million on the foreign circuit. Weekend action provided the sci-fi/action title based on a popular video game to $11.1 million drawn from 6,802 venues in 62 territories. Openings in 10 Latin American markets included a Mexican bow ($3.2 million at 566 engagements). It ranks No. 4.
In Japan, Toho’s release of Thermae Romae, a Fuji TV’s big screen version of Mari Yamazaki’s manga series, took first place in the market for the third straight round, collecting $4.5 million at 301 sites and lifting its market cume to $37 million. Opening No. 2 in Japan was Kadokawa Pictures’ release of Sadako 3D, a horror title about suicide and a high school teacher, which drew $3.1 million from 213 sites.
Sony’s 21 Jump Street, the big-screen version of the vintage American tv series, which collected $2.9 million at 1,726 screens in 42 markets, elevating its foreign gross total to $49 million. Fox Titanic 3D re-release has raked in $282.3 million overseas thanks in part to its $2.4 million draw at 1,546 venues in 39 markets.
Warner’s The Lucky One, the romantic melodrama starring Zac Efron, came up with $2.4 million from 1,605 screens in 27 markets, nudging its foreign cume to $22.7 million. Sony’s animation title, The Pirates! Band of Misfits, played at 3,027 venues in 59 markets and drew $2.2 million. Offshore cume stands at $74.6 million.
Top local language title in France was Pathe’s release of the comedy, Le Prenom, which in its third round generated an estimated $2 million at 450 situations, lifting its market cume to $15.9 million. Total weekend take from France and the French-speaking parts of Switzerland and Belgium came to $2.5 million from a total of 669 locations for a three-market cume of 19 million.
Disney said it broke the $1 billion foreign gross mark this past Friday for the 18th consecutive year. On Tuesday, Warner Bros. said it passed the same milestone for the 12th straight year.
Opening in some 30 offshore territories this coming week is The Dictator, Paramount’s comedy from writer-actor Sacha Baron Cohen. Biggest markets are the U.K., Germany, Russia and Australia.
Other international cumes:Disney’s John Carter, $210.4 million; Fox’s The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel, $76 million; Universal’s The Five Year Engagement, $4.7 million; Fox’s Chronicle, $61.2 million; DreamWorks Animation/Paramount’s Puss In Boots, $405.5 million; Fox’s Jannat 2, $10.9 million ; Hugo, $78.5 million from Paramount territories; Fox’s This Means War, $98.6 million; Pathe’s Houba! Sur las piiste due Marsupilami, $43.3 million over six rounds in France only; and Fox’s We Bought A Zoo, $38.8 million.
Also, Relativity Media’s Mirror Mirror, $97.9 million; Universal’s Dr. Suess’The Lorax, $94 million; The Weinstein Co.’s The Artist, $88.8 million (worldwide, $133.2 million); Universal’s Safe, $6.1 million in Russia only; The Weinstein Co.’s My Week With Marilyn, $18.4 million; and Universal’s Marley, $1.4 million over 17 days in U.K. only.
