Skyfall was directed by Sam Mendes, the Oscar-winning director of American Beauty. Watch the trailer here.
Seizing the No. 1 box office spot offshore for the third consecutive round, Skyfall – with a weekend tally of $86.5 million from 11,909 locations in 83 markets – is now poised to become the biggest-grossing James Bond title ever released on the foreign theatrical circuit.
Since its overseas opening on Oct. 26, the third Bond outing starring Daniel Craig as 007 has collected $429.6 million, just $2.6 million shy of the $432.2 total foreign gross of the existing franchise record holder, 2006’s Casino Royale, also starring Craig.
Skyfall is expected to overtake Casino Royal on Monday, said Sony, which has collected $367.1 million of the total overseas take while co-distributor MGM has taken in $62.5 via various licensees.
Weekend action was dominated by the U.K. which contributed $16.8 million from 1,786 sites in Skyfall’s third round there, pushing the film’s market cume to $116.2 million and making it the fourth largest-grossing title ever in the U.K.
In Germany, the second round tally was $14.6 million at 1,338 situations for a market total of $43.5 million. France came up with $8.5 million in the third stanza at 825 sites, for a market cume of $42.8 million.
The 22 previous Bond titles dating from the first, 1962’s Dr. No (which generated $43.4 million overseas) to 2008’s Quantum of Solace ($407.7 million), have tallied total foreign revenues of $3.277 billion.
Wreck-It Ralph, Disney’s 3D family animation title, held steady overseas as its second round in 18 territories generated $11.2 million, almost equal to the $12 million opening weekend take. Foreign gross total comes to $26.3 million while its worldwide take stands at $120 million.
Newcomers to various overseas markets included Sony’s Here Comes the Boom, a comedy starring Kevin James as a biology teacher turned martial arts fighter. Debut round at 1,029 screens in 21 markets delivered $4 million. A No. 2 premier in Germany kicked in $2.3 million at 531 locations, while a No. 4 debut in the U.K. delivered $687,470 from 281 sites.
Bowing in Japan was Paramount’s Cirque du Soleil – World’s Away, which opened at the Tokyo International Film Festival and then took the market’s No. 5 spot with $1.39 million drawn from 230 sites. Top local language newcomer in France was Pathe’s release of Nous York, a comedy about five Frenchmen set loose in the Big Apple, which collected $2.8 million from some 380 playdates.
Thanks to solid opening performances in France ($2.4 million including previews at 343 spots) and in the U.K. (No. 3 with $2 million drawn from 331 locations),Argo, actor-director Ben Affleck’s international thriller, grossed $12 million on the weekend overall in 36 territories. Offshore cume stands at $27.2 million.
Sony Animation’s Hotel Transylvania, a comedy voiced by Adam Sandler and Kevin James about a boy who discovers Dracula is real, grossed $12.1 million at 5,223 sites in 61 markets. The title’s foreign gross total stands at $130.5 million.
Finally showing overseas box office traction after two lackluster rounds on the foreign circuit playing in Turkey, South Africa, India and Iceland, Cloud Atlas, the soul-searching sci-fi drama costarring Tom Hanks and Halle Berry, openedNo. 1 Russia via Twentieth Century Fox (working on a distribution fee basis with A Company Russia).
Debut take was $9 million (including previews) over four days at 1,438 locations for a per-screen average of nearly $6,300. Cloud Atlas also opened in the Ukraine and Bulgaria. Foreign cume thus far totals an estimated $12 million.
Still lighting up South Korea in its second round in the No. 1 spot was C.J. Entertainment’s release of director Jo Sunghee’s coming of age romantic melodrama, Neukdae Sonyun (A Werewolf Boy), which drew an estimated $8.7 million from 857 locations, lifting its market cume to an estimated $23.2 million.
Pushing its foreign gross total to $77.9 million was Paramount’s Paranormal Activity 4, which collected $5.9 million on the weekend from 3,792 spots in 48 markets. A France second weekend registered $1.7 million from 250 spots raising the market cume to $7 million.
The biggest grossing French-language title in France on the weekend continued to be Wild Bunch Distribution’s release of Asterix et Obelix: Au Service De Sa Majeste, the fourth comedy adventure directed by Laurent Tirard based on a series of popular French comic books.
The live action title in 3D starring Gerard Depardieu repeated as No. 2 in the market (after Skyfall) in its third round with $4.5 million drawn from 794 playdates, a modest 25% drop from the prior round. France market cume stands at $31.3 million. Overall, in 23 territories, Asterix drew $6.3 million from 2,354 sites for an international cume of $46.4 million.
Superceding 2010’s Shrek Forever After as DreamWorks Animation’s biggest foreign grosser, Madagascar 3: Europe’s Most Wanted piled it on with a $3.7 million, 23rd weekend at 2,413 sites in 23 markets. Current international cume stands at $517.6 million, as per distributor Paramount.
Landing $4.11 million at 2,819 locations in 57 territories handled by Fox and coproducer EuropaCorp, Taken 2 starring Liam Neeson has rolled up a foreign cume of $218.4 million. EuropaCorp territories provided $61.9 million of the total.
Disney’s Frankenweenie, director Tim Burton’s comedy animation with horror overtones, drew $3.1 million in its fourth round overseas playing in 35 territories, raising its foreign cume to $29.4 million. Worldwide tally stands at $63.2 million.
Universal’s The Bourne Legacy pushed its international gross total to $157.9 million after a $3.1 million weekend at some 5,190 sites in 18 markets.
Other international cumes: Universal’s Ted, $280.5 million; Fox’s Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter, $77.6 million; Universal’s Un Plan Perfect (Fly Me To The Moon), $6.9 million in France only; Fox’s Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Dog Days, $27.6 million; Universal’s Pitch Perfect, $3.5 million; Fox’s Ice Age: Continental Drift, $716.7 million; Universal’s ParaNorman, $41.8 million; Warner’s Stars Des Annees 80, $10 million in France only; Universal’s Savages, $30.8 million; and Fox’s The Watch, $32.5 million.
Also, Paramount’s Flight, $841,808; Focus Features’ To Rome With Love, $55.8 million; Universal’s Dr. Seuss’ The Lorax, $135.2 million; Focus Features’ Moonrise Kingdom, $19.5 million; Fox’s The Sessions, $334,147; and Warner Bros.’ Lo Impossible, $46.3 million over five rounds in Spain only, No. 1 in the market all the way.
Opening this week: Paramount’s Flight in Russia; and DreamWorks Animation’s Rise of the Guardians in China.
