Int'l b.o. numbers add up to '300'

Int'l b.o. numbers add up to '300'



The Hollywood Reporter.com




March 19, 2007




Thanks to smashing bows in five Asian territories plus exceptionally strong holdover-market performances, "300" decisively dominated international boxoffice for the weekend, battling its way to an estimated $15.6 million from about 1,300 screens in 13 markets.

The Warner Bros. International release took the No. 1 spot in each market it played. The fresh territories included South Korea (an estimated $6.3 million in five days from 353 screens), Turkey ($1.5 million from 115 sites), Thailand ($917,000 from 120 spots), Hong Kong ($730,000 from 33 sites for an astonishing $22,121 per-screen average) and India ($582,000 from 161 sites).

The biggest of the holdover markets for director Zack Snyder's rendition of Frank Miller's graphic novel about the Battle of Thermopylae in 480 B.C. is Greece, where the film earned an estimated $2.5 million at 140 screens in its second weekend for a per-screen average of $17,857. The second-weekend tally is exceeded only by "300's" record-setting opening weekend in the market. Upcoming this weekend are "300" openings in such major territories as the U.K., France, Italy, Spain and Mexico.

In second place overall for the weekend is another WBI release, "Music and Lyrics," which finished first the previous weekend. The romantic comedy starring Hugh Grant and Drew Barrymore warbled to an estimated $9.1 million from about 2,900 screens in 46 markets. Its overseas total is $56.6 million. The biggest of the five new markets is France, which saw the film take in an estimated $1.8 million from 350 locations, ranking No. 2 behind local-language "La Mome."

Ranking third for the frame is "Norbit," the Eddie Murphy comedy from Paramount Pictures International. It grossed an estimated $8.6 million from 2,405 screens in 33 markets to grow its overseas cume to $31 million.


"Norbit" had a solid Spain opening (an estimated $1.1 million from 234 spots) and a No. 1 bow in the Netherlands ($733,000 from 84 sites). Its strongest market by far remains the U.K., where the comedy ranked first with a weekend estimate of $2.1 million from 362 spots for a cume of $6.9 million. In Germany, the tally was an estimated $1.7 million from 505 screens for a market cume of $4.5 million.

In the fourth spot overall is "Ghost Rider," from Sony Pictures Releasing International, which blazed its way to an estimated $7.3 million from 3,635 screens in 56 markets, hiking its overseas gross to $87.5 million.

A No. 2 bow in Italy drew an estimated $1.7 million from 304 screens. In addition to first-place debuts in Sweden and Argentina, the Marvel Comics-based action fantasy starring Nicolas Cage remained No. 1 in its third weekend in Brazil, tallying an estimated $840,000 from 280 screens -- down a relatively mild 32% from last weekend -- to raise the market cume to $5.1 million.

At No. 5 for the weekend is 20th Century Fox International's "Night at the Museum," winding down its overseas run with a No. 1 debut in its final market, Japan, where the film nabbed an estimated $5.1 million, including previews, from 575 screens. Its overall weekend tally was an estimated $6.7 million from 1,900 situations in 19 territories, hoisting "Museum's" international total to $288.1 million.

The single-market powerhouse "Ho Voglia di Te," WBI's local-language romantic comedy, remained a strong No. 1 in Italy. The film's second-weekend tally was an estimated $3.9 million from 694 screens for a solo market cume of $15.5 million.

Fox's "Epic Movie" had a No. 1 opening in Mexico, with an estimated $1.3 million from 450 screens, and a solid debut in Russia, with $813,000 at 210 sites. That accounted for most of the comedy's overall weekend estimate of $3.4 million from about 1,000 screens in 11 markets. Its international cume stands at $21.4 million.

Buena Vista International's "Wild Hogs," expanding its overseas run to Russian and Ukraine, finished No. 1 in each of four markets overall and grossed an estimated $3.1 million from 478 screens. The Russian bow produced an estimated $770,000 from 200 screens. The film's biggest market remains Australia, where the suburban biker comedy pulled an estimated $2 million in its second weekend at 237 screens for a market cume of $5.5 million.

The international tally for "Hogs" is $7 million; its worldwide cume (it finished No. 2 for the weekend domestically) is $111 million. Bows in Finland and South Africa are set for this weekend.

Universal International's "Hot Fuzz," a cop-thriller spoof, opened in Australia with an estimated $1.3 million from 186 screens and in New Zealand, where it ranked No. 2 with $190,000 from 41 sites. "Fuzz" also remained strong in the U.K., where it placed No. 3 in its fifth weekend with $1.3 million from 439 sites for a 31-day cume of $37.5 million. Overall for the weekend, the three-territory tally was an estimated $2.8 million from 666 screens for a cume of $39 million.

"Premonition" opened via Entertainment Film Distributors in the U.K. simultaneously with its domestic bow, grabbing the market's No. 2 spot with an estimated $1.9 million from about 400 screens.

PPI opened the Weinstein Co./Bob Yari Prods. "Factory Girl" in the U.K. The drama, directed by George Hickenlooper and based on the 1960s relationship between Edie Sedgwick and Andy Warhol, grossed an estimated $284,000 from 120 screens.

Also in the U.K., BVI's "Becoming Jane," starring Anne Hathaway as a young Jane Austen, maintained its No. 4 spot in the market with an estimated $960,000 in its second weekend at 325 screens. Its market cume is $3.3 million. The film bows Aug. 3 in the U.S. via Miramax.

Sony's "The Pursuit of Happyness," starring Will Smith, keeps chugging along, garnering an estimated $2 million for the weekend at about 1,700 screens in 55 markets, lifting its international total to $135.4 million. The film's worldwide tally is $298 million.

DreamWorks/PPI's "Dreamgirls" sang and danced its way to an estimated $1.8 million from 1,393 sites in 57 markets. Its international gross is $47.4 million.

BVI's Denzel Washington starrer "Deja Vu" lifted its international total to $108 million (compared with $64 million domestically) thanks to an estimated $1.5 million bow in Japan at 300 screens. Its China debut is set for this weekend.

In Mexico, Sony's "Ninas Mal" (Charm School), the distributor's local-language title from Columbia Pictures Producciones Mexico, scored an estimated $1.2 million from 350 situations, down 28% from a strong opening weekend. Its Mexico market tally is $3.8 million.

Coming in with weekend estimates of $1.1 million apiece were Universal's "The Good Shepherd," playing 609 screens in 10 markets for an overseas cume of $11.1 million from Universal territories; Fox's "The Last King of Scotland," from 509 situations in 34 markets, including a No. 5 bow in Germany, for an international cume of $20.7 million; and Universal's "Smokin' Aces," from 600 spots in 28 territories, for an overseas cume of $17.8 million.

PPI's Hilary Swank vehicle "Freedom Writers" managed a weekend estimate of $1 million from 569 screens in nine markets for an international cume of $2.4 million.

Other overseas cume updates: Lionsgate International's "Saw III," $79.7 million; Fox's "Borat," $127.4 million; Universal's "The Holiday," $129.2 million (its international run winds up March 24 in Japan); Fox's "Rocky Balboa," $72.1 million (excluding Scandinavian territories handled by other distributors); PPI's "Charlotte's Web," $58.8 million; WBI's "Happy Feet," $174.8 million; Fox's "Notes on a Scandal," $20 million; Summit Entertainment/PPI's "Babel," $39.4 million (from Paramount territories only); and Fox's "Little Miss Sunshine," $37 million.



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