Around the World Roundup: 'Pirates' on Top for Sixth Week
Buoyed by a record debut in Spain, Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest remained the international leader for the sixth weekend in a row. The supernatural swashbuckler amassed $43.8 million from 8,146 theaters across 45 territories, and its total soared to $463.7 million, eclipsing The Matrix Reloaded on the all time chart.
In Spain, Pirates scored $11.3 million from 980 screens, which represented a whopping 75 percent market share. The opening topped previous record holder The Da Vinci Code by about $300,000.
Pirates tumbled 52 percent in France to a still phenomenal $8.5 million second weekend, lifting its total there to $29.4 million. Elsewhere, its heftiest totals are in Germany ($45.8 million through three weekends), Japan ($55.3 million through four) and to the United Kingdom ($85.2 million through six).
Aside from Pirates, however, movies generally performed poorly over the weekend.
Garfield: A Tail of Two Kitties entered 12 new markets, the weekend's widest barrage, but nabbed a mediocre $8 million for a $44.5 million total. Only Germany and China were solid for the family sequel, while the other markets disappointed. In Germany, it posted an impressive $3.1 million from 611 screens, improving on the first Garfield.
China saw the arrival of two American movies last weekend, with Garfield hitting the best mark: $1.8 million from a generous 1,000 screen count. The other picture was When a Stranger Calls, which was oddly chosen by distributor Sony for the nation that has a cap on imported movies. It ranked second with $598,867 from 278 screens.
Another family feature, Monster House, had a mixed reception as well. Surprisingly, South Korea's $2.6 million opening from 205 screens was better than the U.K.'s $1.9 million from 423. With animated movies released nearly ever week, South Korea was considered flooded with the genre, but Monster House continued the trend of strong debuts for American pictures there. The U.K. start was beneath all of Pixar's fare and even below Thunderbirds. Overall, Monster House had a $5.6 million weekend for a $10.4 million total thus far.
Miami Vice's strong start Down Under pushed the crime drama to a $7.5 million weekend for a $20 million tally. It was No. 1 in Australia with $1.8 million from 232 screens, and it was tops in New Zealand as well with $400,000 from 44 screens. In the U. K., it was down a decent 40 percent to $2.2 million for an $8.6 million total.
Superman Returns generated $4 million from 56 markets for a $155 million total. The franchise revival opened in one country, Portugal, grossing a modest $319,000 from 75 prints. Notable totals include the U.K.'s $27.4 million, Mexico's $14.9 million and Brazil's $8.4 million, and the movie flies into Germany and Japan next weekend.
Nacho Libre was No. 1 in Mexico with $1 million from 296 sites, contributing to a $3 million weekend and a $3.7 million total. The comedy also nabbed $1.8 million from 367 screens in the U.K.
Germany welcomed The Break-Up with $2.5 million from 347 dates, and the comedy will top Wedding Crashers' entire total there by the end of the week. Overall, The Break-Up added $5.7 million for a $54.3 million foreign tally.
The Ant Bully bombed in both France ($597,000 from 427 prints) and Mexico ($726,000 from 406). Its weekend came to $2.4 million for a $4.6 million total.
Entering its first major market, Lady in the Water grabbed $863,000 from 287 sites in the U.K., which was writer-director M. Night Shyamalan's worst debut there by far. In all, the picture made a decent $2.65 million from seven mainly small markets.
United 93 showed promise in Japan with an estimated $1 million debut, topping the past starts of The Interpreter and Inside Man by 27 percent. With most of the world to go, United 93 has made $17.6 million thus far.
In Spain, Pirates scored $11.3 million from 980 screens, which represented a whopping 75 percent market share. The opening topped previous record holder The Da Vinci Code by about $300,000.
Pirates tumbled 52 percent in France to a still phenomenal $8.5 million second weekend, lifting its total there to $29.4 million. Elsewhere, its heftiest totals are in Germany ($45.8 million through three weekends), Japan ($55.3 million through four) and to the United Kingdom ($85.2 million through six).
Aside from Pirates, however, movies generally performed poorly over the weekend.
Garfield: A Tail of Two Kitties entered 12 new markets, the weekend's widest barrage, but nabbed a mediocre $8 million for a $44.5 million total. Only Germany and China were solid for the family sequel, while the other markets disappointed. In Germany, it posted an impressive $3.1 million from 611 screens, improving on the first Garfield.
China saw the arrival of two American movies last weekend, with Garfield hitting the best mark: $1.8 million from a generous 1,000 screen count. The other picture was When a Stranger Calls, which was oddly chosen by distributor Sony for the nation that has a cap on imported movies. It ranked second with $598,867 from 278 screens.
Another family feature, Monster House, had a mixed reception as well. Surprisingly, South Korea's $2.6 million opening from 205 screens was better than the U.K.'s $1.9 million from 423. With animated movies released nearly ever week, South Korea was considered flooded with the genre, but Monster House continued the trend of strong debuts for American pictures there. The U.K. start was beneath all of Pixar's fare and even below Thunderbirds. Overall, Monster House had a $5.6 million weekend for a $10.4 million total thus far.
Miami Vice's strong start Down Under pushed the crime drama to a $7.5 million weekend for a $20 million tally. It was No. 1 in Australia with $1.8 million from 232 screens, and it was tops in New Zealand as well with $400,000 from 44 screens. In the U. K., it was down a decent 40 percent to $2.2 million for an $8.6 million total.
Superman Returns generated $4 million from 56 markets for a $155 million total. The franchise revival opened in one country, Portugal, grossing a modest $319,000 from 75 prints. Notable totals include the U.K.'s $27.4 million, Mexico's $14.9 million and Brazil's $8.4 million, and the movie flies into Germany and Japan next weekend.
Nacho Libre was No. 1 in Mexico with $1 million from 296 sites, contributing to a $3 million weekend and a $3.7 million total. The comedy also nabbed $1.8 million from 367 screens in the U.K.
Germany welcomed The Break-Up with $2.5 million from 347 dates, and the comedy will top Wedding Crashers' entire total there by the end of the week. Overall, The Break-Up added $5.7 million for a $54.3 million foreign tally.
The Ant Bully bombed in both France ($597,000 from 427 prints) and Mexico ($726,000 from 406). Its weekend came to $2.4 million for a $4.6 million total.
Entering its first major market, Lady in the Water grabbed $863,000 from 287 sites in the U.K., which was writer-director M. Night Shyamalan's worst debut there by far. In all, the picture made a decent $2.65 million from seven mainly small markets.
United 93 showed promise in Japan with an estimated $1 million debut, topping the past starts of The Interpreter and Inside Man by 27 percent. With most of the world to go, United 93 has made $17.6 million thus far.
