The 3D sequel opened big thanks to families, sweeping past the 3D "Star Wars" rerelease.
A lethargic weekend on the foreign theatrical circuit saw Journey 2: The Mysterious Island tenuously holding onto the top box office spot for the fourth consecutive weekend, grossing $15.7 million from 6,381 screens in 52 territories.
The New Line/Walden Media/Warner Bros. family adventure costarring Josh Hutcherson and Dwayne Johnson opened No. 4 in Germany by tallying $1.7 million from 438 screens. Journey 2’s total foreign box office now stands at $185.6 million, $42.6 million more than the overseas total compiled by 2008 predecessor Journey To The Center Of The Earth.
Universal’s 3D animation title, Dr. Seuss’The Lorax, which opened No. 1 domestically, tested international waters on the weekend via 52 Middle Eastern dates, grossing $363,916. The distributor plans a big overseas push late this month for Easter holidays. More than 60 territories will play the Illumination Ent. adaptation of the children’s classic over the next five months.
Opening in eight markets, 20 Century Fox’s romantic comedy This Means War rolled up a $14.4 million weekend playing at 3,958 screens in 51 markets, and hoisting its overseas gross total to $43.5 million. Best of the new openers was the U.K. where the Reese Witherspoon-Chris Pine-Thomas Hardy vehicle staked out the No. 3 spot, collecting $2.9 million from 487 locations. It ranks No. 2 on the weekend overall.
Making its debut in five markets, Universal’s Safe House, a thriller starring Denzel Washington, hoisted its foreign gross total to $51.8 million thanks to $11 million weekend at 3,584 situations in 50 territories. Along with a No. 1 bow in Indonesia, the film premiered No. 4 in Italy ($1.3 million at 319 locations). It took the weekend’s No. 3 spot overall.
Fourth was DreamWorks/Disney’s young-man-and-horse drama, War Horse, which galloped to $10.6 million on the weekend, playing in 52 territories. Foreign gross total for the Steven Spielberg film comes to $79.1 million.
No 5 was Director Martin Scorsese’s Hugo, which received an Academy Awards boost, grossing $10.2 million on the weekend at 2,262 venues in 32 territories handled by Paramount. A Japan opening yielded $3.3 million from 212 situations. Overseas cume from Paramount territories comes to $52.6 million.
Opening in 22 territories, the low-budget horror title from Paramount, The Devil Inside, nailed down $6.7 million on the weekend from 1,887 sites in 36 markets. A No. 3 Germany introduction drew $1.7 million from 214 situations. Overseas cume stands at $24.1 million.
Fox’s Chronicle, about high schoolers with supernatural powers, grossed $6.17 million from 2,315 situations in 35 markets. A No. 3 hold in France came up with $1.75 million from 346 spots, raising the market cume to $5.5 million. Total foreign gross comes to $44.5 million.
Underworld: Awakening, the vampire versus werewolf sequel starring Kate Beckinsale, premiered No. 1 in Brazil ($1.9 million from 277 locations) and drew $4.6 million on the weekend from 1,808 sites 43 territories handled. Total take overseas for the title, $90.1 million.
Opening No. 5 in Russia, Sony’s The Vow came up with $4 million on the weekend overall at 1,770 screens in 23 territories. Overseas gross total for this amnesia-themed drama starring Rachel McAdams comes to $37.8 million. Fox’s The Descendants starring George Clooney pushed it overseas gross total to $83.7 million thanks to a $3.2 million weekend grossed at 2,131 sites in 49 territories.
Its best-film Oscar victory propelled director-scripter Michel Hazanavicius’ The Artist, starring Jean Dujardin, to a nifty $7.7 million weekend at 2,543 overseas screens in 29 territories. Foreign gross total comes to $65.3 million versus its $36.8 million domestic total thus far. In France, The Artist rebounded
from the No. 11 slot in France last round to No. 2 this stanza. Weekend gross was $2.4 million drawn from 580 spots, lifting the film’s market cume to $22.2 million collected over 21 weeks.
Also in France, best-actor Oscar winner Dujardin had a banner round. His latest starring vehicle (which he also co-produced, co-directed and co-scripted), is Les Infideles (The Players), which opened No. 1 in the market via Mars Distribution.
Debut take was $7.8 million from 501 locations. Les Infideles is an episodic comedy about male infidelity as seen by seven directors including Dujardin.
Taking the No. 1 spot in the U.K. was Fox International’s release of The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel, director John Madden’s comedy-drama costarring Judi Dench, Maggie Smith andTom Wilkinson about impoverished English pensioners moving to a retirement hotel in India. Second round at 510 spots jumped to $3.7 million, pushing the film’s market cume to $11 million.
In Italy, Filmauro’s release of director Carlo Verdone’s Posti in piedi in paradiso (Standing In Paradise) opened No. 1 at 609 screens for $4.1 million. The comedy-drama concerns three divorced men forced to live together to save expenses.
In South Korea, director Jeon Gye-soo’s third feature, Love Fiction, about the romantic tribulations of a shy writer and his paramour, opened No. 1 with an estimated $7 million registered at 615 locations.
In Germany, the French comedy sensation Intouchables remains No. 1 after nine frames in the market. Latest round drew $3.37 million from 745 screens, lifting the market cume to an estimated $56.5 million.
Other international cumes: Sony and other distributors’ Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance, $56.9 million (after a $5.9 million weekend at 3,477 sites in 44 markets); Paramount’s Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol, $477.7 million; Universal’s Contraband, $14.5 million; Fox’s Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace, $50.5 million; DreamWorks Animation/Paramount’s Puss In Boots, $386.4 million; Fox’s In Time, $124.4 million; Sony’s Jack and Jill, $71.6 million (after a $2.4 million weekend at 1,320 screens in 40 markets; Fox’s August 8, $8.6 million from Russia only; Disney’s The Muppets, $69.8 million; Fox’s Alvin and the Chipmunks: Chipwrecked, $204.2 million; and Fox’s We Bought A Zoo, $25.7 million.
Also, Warner’s Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close, $14.1 million (after a $3.2 million weekend at 1,600 screens in 30 markets); Momentum’s The Woman In Black, $17.6 million in U.K. only; Universal’s Wanderlust, $1 million from four markets; Paramount’s Young Adult, $4.2 million; Focus Features’ One Day, $43.6 million; Weinstein Co.’s My Week With Marilyn, $11.8 million; Universal’s Big Miracle, $3.9 million; Sony’s The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo, $127.1 million; Focus Features’ Another Year, $16.5 million; Universal’s Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, $7.8 million in Australia only; Focus Features’ Jane Eyre, $21.4 million; Warner’s Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows, $331 million; and Focus Features’ The Conspirator, $4.2 million.
