Around the World Roundup: 'Charlie' Still Sweet
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory led the foreign box office once again over a quiet weekend. The only stand out came from Spain, where the local comedy, Torrente 3: El protector, smashed all debut records with Euros 7.2 million ($8.7 million) from 465 screens, surpassing Star Wars: Episode III—Revenge of the Sith's Euros 6.14 million.
Results elsewhere weren't in the same ballpark. Serenity found its fan base and very little else in its Australian opening. Firefly's big screen leap earned $841,397 from 159 screens, ranking sixth in the market. The picture will roll out internationally over the next four months.
Coinciding with its domestic launch like Serenity, Into the Blue struggled for air with mediocre launches in Malaysia ($123,000 from 31) and New Zealand ($150,437 from 35).
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory churned out $11.4 million from 54 countries, lifting its total to $219.9 million. In Japan, Tim Burton's family feature was tops for the fourth straight weekend, down 20 percent to $3.1 million from 361 screens for a $28.1 million total. In Italy, it was off a mere two percent and also retained the top spot with $2.7 million from 428 screens. Its $6.7 million total there is 209 percent better than Shrek had at the same point.
Debuting in eight new territories, The 40-Year-Old-Virgin maintained a modest pace. Highlighting its $5.3 million weekend was Germany's $2.1 million from 543 screens—an opening that more than tripled Wedding Crashers' start there earlier this year, but was well short of the American Pie trilogy. Other solid debuts included Austria's $341,641 from 78 screens, Israel's $166,790 from 30 and Portugal's $222,650 from 40. Thanks predominately to the United Kingdom's $12.3 million, the Steve Carroll comedy has snagged $17.5 million worth of business.
Flightplan ruled Mexico with a strong $2.1 million launch. The opening was a big improvement on Panic Room and became the biggest of the Jodie Foster's career. Along with Malaysia's two-week run, the thriller has grossed $2.9 million to date.
Four Brothers notched a second place start in the U.K. with an okay $1.4 million from 352 screens. However, the revenge drama's weekend was characterized by mostly pitiful launches, such as Argentina's $17,802 from 20 and Sweden's $13,137 from seven screens. Historically, American street crime pictures don't break the language barrier. Four Brothers has $3.8 million to date.
Holding well, Pride and Prejudice fell 25 percent in the U.K. and rose 18 percent in the Netherlands. Respective totals grew to $17 million and $593,282. The period drama also opened in limited release in German-speaking Switzerland with an impressive $235,388 from 32 screens.
Cinderella Man had a $4.5 million weekend for a decent $35 million total, but it was lackluster in its Australian premiere—star Russell Crowe's homeland. The boxing drama did land in first place, but with a meager $950,000 from 245 screens.
Japan marked the final salvo of Sin City's foreign campaign. The ultra-violent crime saga was welcomed with a $1.4 million opening from 222 screens. The international tally climbed to $77.7 million and should wind up with nearly $90 million. Stand-out performances have included France's $8.2 million, Germany's $8.6 million and the U.K.'s $12.8 million.
Results elsewhere weren't in the same ballpark. Serenity found its fan base and very little else in its Australian opening. Firefly's big screen leap earned $841,397 from 159 screens, ranking sixth in the market. The picture will roll out internationally over the next four months.
Coinciding with its domestic launch like Serenity, Into the Blue struggled for air with mediocre launches in Malaysia ($123,000 from 31) and New Zealand ($150,437 from 35).
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory churned out $11.4 million from 54 countries, lifting its total to $219.9 million. In Japan, Tim Burton's family feature was tops for the fourth straight weekend, down 20 percent to $3.1 million from 361 screens for a $28.1 million total. In Italy, it was off a mere two percent and also retained the top spot with $2.7 million from 428 screens. Its $6.7 million total there is 209 percent better than Shrek had at the same point.
Debuting in eight new territories, The 40-Year-Old-Virgin maintained a modest pace. Highlighting its $5.3 million weekend was Germany's $2.1 million from 543 screens—an opening that more than tripled Wedding Crashers' start there earlier this year, but was well short of the American Pie trilogy. Other solid debuts included Austria's $341,641 from 78 screens, Israel's $166,790 from 30 and Portugal's $222,650 from 40. Thanks predominately to the United Kingdom's $12.3 million, the Steve Carroll comedy has snagged $17.5 million worth of business.
Flightplan ruled Mexico with a strong $2.1 million launch. The opening was a big improvement on Panic Room and became the biggest of the Jodie Foster's career. Along with Malaysia's two-week run, the thriller has grossed $2.9 million to date.
Four Brothers notched a second place start in the U.K. with an okay $1.4 million from 352 screens. However, the revenge drama's weekend was characterized by mostly pitiful launches, such as Argentina's $17,802 from 20 and Sweden's $13,137 from seven screens. Historically, American street crime pictures don't break the language barrier. Four Brothers has $3.8 million to date.
Holding well, Pride and Prejudice fell 25 percent in the U.K. and rose 18 percent in the Netherlands. Respective totals grew to $17 million and $593,282. The period drama also opened in limited release in German-speaking Switzerland with an impressive $235,388 from 32 screens.
Cinderella Man had a $4.5 million weekend for a decent $35 million total, but it was lackluster in its Australian premiere—star Russell Crowe's homeland. The boxing drama did land in first place, but with a meager $950,000 from 245 screens.
Japan marked the final salvo of Sin City's foreign campaign. The ultra-violent crime saga was welcomed with a $1.4 million opening from 222 screens. The international tally climbed to $77.7 million and should wind up with nearly $90 million. Stand-out performances have included France's $8.2 million, Germany's $8.6 million and the U.K.'s $12.8 million.
