With "Avatar" poised to blanket the foreign circuit this week, Summit Entertainment's "The Twilight Saga: New Moon" ends its monthlong rule as the No. 1 title overseas with a weekend gross of $23.2 million from 8,735 screens in 66 markets, raising its offshore cume to $360.1 million.
The offshore circuit is primed for the arrival of "Avatar," the much-anticipated 3D epic from director James Cameron, which 20th Century Fox will begin rolling out Wednesday. "Avatar" will play some 16,550 foreign screens in about 106 territories with most openings coinciding with the film's domestic debut Friday.
"New Moon" enjoyed a strong month on top of the foreign charts. Combined with its domestic cume, the teen favorite has racked up a worldwide gross of $627.5 million.
Opening in 10 foreign markets day-and-date with its No. 1 domestic debut was Disney Animation's fairy tale "The Princess and the Frog," which garnered $7.2 million from 1,486 situations. In the U.K., Warner Bros. opened "Where the Wild Things Are," director Spike Jonze's adaptation of the Maurice Sendak children's story, in the No. 2 spot with a gross of $1.44 million from 491 locations.
In addition, Warner Bros. opened director Clint Eastwood's "Invictus" with Morgan Freeman co-starring as former South African President Nelson Mandela at 73 screens in South Africa. Take for the rugby-related title, which co-stars Matt Damon, came to $204,000 drawn from 73 screens, which Warner Bros. says is the biggest ever opening figure of any Eastwood title in the market.
The weekend's most explosive solo-title opening occurred in Japan, where Toei Animation/Fuji TV's "One Piece Film: Strong World," the latest in a long series of animation fantasy or "anime" films, took the No. 1 market spot with $11.7 million drawn from just 188 locations. Average gross per-screen was a humongous $62,234, a new record for a national release in Japan. The latest "One Piece" ranked overall as the weekend's No. 4 title.
Ranking No. 2 on the weekend was Sony's "2012," which grabbed $20 million from 8,540 situations in 77 markets. Overseas cume so far stands at $555.6 million, making director Roland Emmerich's disaster epic the 13th-biggest international release of all time and the biggest ever from Sony Pictures Releasing International.
Third was "Disney's A Christmas Carol" with Jim Carrey as Scrooge, which generated $13.9 million from 5,298 situations in 50 markets and an overseas cume of $145.8 million. Worldwide, it has grossed $270.3 million. Director Robert Zemeckis' 3D performance-capture version of the Charles Dickens novella finished at No. 1 in the U.K. with $2.5 million in its sixth weekend playing at 434 screens for a market cume of $26 million.
Finishing No. 5 on the weekend was the No. 1 title in Germany and Austria for a second straight weekend, Warner Bros.' local-language German co-production "Zweiohrkuken," a romantic comedy written, directed and co-authored by Til Schweiger. Its second-round take from the two markets was $7.25 million from a combined 809 screens for market cumes of $18.7 million in Germany and $1.6 million in Austria.
The No. 1 title in France, "Arthur et la vengeance de Maltazard," grossed an estimated $6.4 million in its second round at 925 situations. Cume for the English-language family-oriented animation title from director/co-writer Luc Besson stands at $17.9 million in France only.
Early but incomplete reports indicate that low-budget phenomenon "Paranormal Activity" is holding well in its 27-market run on the foreign circuit. Director Oren Peli's horror-thriller finished with $2 million from 244 sites in France for a market cume of $7.3 million. In its second Australia round, the tally was $1.5 million from 227 spots for a market cume of $5.2 million. A No. 4 finish in the U.K. provided $1.2 million from 399 screens for a market cume of $14.2 million.
Total weekend action is estimated at $5.5 million. IM Global, which is handling the title overseas, says "Paranormal" has grossed a total of $34.7 million as of the end of last week. Weekend action is likely to push the title near or over $40 million.
"Up" now ranks as the third-biggest-grossing Pixar/Disney animation title ever released with a total foreign take of $401.7 million. The weekend overall generated $6.5 million from 663 locations, mostly in Japan, where it ranked No. 2. Its Japan market cume is $17.3 million. "Up's" total foreign take still trails that of the 2007 Pixar/Disney predecessor "Ratatouille" (which grossed $414 million foreign).
Disney's "Old Dogs" laughed all the way to $3.4 million from 1,142 sites in six markets. Cume for the John Travolta-Robin Williams comedy stands at $13 million. Warner's action title "Ninja Assassin" drew $3.1 million from 1,350 situations in 20 markets, pushing its cume to $17.3 million.
No. 1 in Spain for a second straight weekend was Fox's "Spanish Movie," director Javier Ruiz Caldera's local-language spoof of contemporary Spanish films. Weekend take was an estimated $1.7 million from 382 sites for a market cume of $7.2 million.
Top newcomer in France was No. 2-ranked "R.T.T." from Studio Canal, director Frederic Berthe's comedy filmed largely in Miami. Opening gross was an estimated $2.8 million from 525 locations. Debuting at No. 3 in the market was Pathe's "Loup," director Nicolas Vanmier's drama about a young reindeer herdsman. Opening figure was an estimated $2.1 million from 512 spots.
Other international cumes: Fox's "Jennifer's Body," $16.5 million; Universal's "Public Enemies," $110.7 million (after a $1.9 million weekend in Japan at 325 spots); Sony's "Zombieland," $17.7 million; Paramount's "Law Abiding Citizen," $7.8 million; Disney's "G-Force," $165.6 million; Sony's "Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs," $72.2 million; and the Weinstein Co./Universal's "Inglourious Basterds," $197.7 million.
Also: Universal's "Couples Retreat," $46 million; Paramount's "Celda 211," $11.2 million (Spain only); Studio Canal's "Le villain," $5.7 million (in France only); Universal and other distributors' "Los Abrazos Rotas" (Broken Embraces), $32 million from 29 markets; Focus Features/Universal's "A Serious Man," $6.3 million; Universal's "The Invention of Lying," $13 million (from six markets); Screen Gems/Sony's "Armored," $600,000 (in six markets); and Universal's "Circque du Freak: The Vampire's Assistant," $11.7 million.
And: DreamWorks/Universal's "The Soloist," $6.1 million; Paramount's "An Education," $1.9 million; Focus Features' "Love Happens," $8.8 million; Paramount's "Law Abiding Citizen," $7.8 million; Focus Features/Universal's "9," $15.2 million; and Paramount's "Capitalism: A Love Story," $1.4 million.
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