International Top Five - Slow Reports

April 16, 2009

Easter delay was a little bigger than anticipated; in fact, we still don't have full numbers. (Hopefully they will arrive before the weekend for the International Details column.) We do know that Fast and Furious climbed into first place with $45.88 million on 5118 screens in 54 markets for a total of $90.93 million after just two weeks of release. This includes a first place, $7.26 million opening on 364 screens in the U.K., while it also placed first in Russia with $8.60 million on 689 screens. Meanwhile in France it pulled in an estimated $6 million on 500 screens, but its placing was not known. As far as holdovers go, the film was down 52% during its second weekend in Germany, but still added $2.89 million on 618 screens over the weekend for a total of $10.45 million after two. Mexico wasn't that far behind adding $2.07 million on 455 screens for a two-week total of $8.84 million.

Monsters vs. Aliens slipped to second place with $23.96 million on 7400 screens in 52 markets for a total of $88.83 million. The film opened in a few markets, but they were mostly of the smaller sizes including Hong Kong, where it placed first with $748,000 on just 38 screens. Holdovers were led by the U.K., despite the fact it was pushed into second place there with $4.17 million on 520 screens over the weekend for a total of $16.99 million after just two weeks of release. It climbed into third place in Spain with $3.35 million on 538 screens over the weekend for a total of $8.49 million after two. It held well in Australia down just 26% to $2.08 million on 382 screens over the weekend and $6.24 million after two, and was even better in Mexico down a mere 22% to $1.63 million on 550 screens over the weekend for a total of $6.82 million. The film opens in South Korea at the end of the month while it doesn't finish its run till it debuts in Japan in July. The film has already made enough to ensure a profit sometime during its home market run, and depending on how well it does going forward, it could reach profitability before it even gets to the home market.

Dragonball: Evolution climbed into third place with $10.34 million on 4500 screens in 35 markets for a total of $36.87 million internationally. This is more than it will make domestically; in fact, the $10.34 million it made over the weekend could be more than it makes domestically. Results from new markets were again mixed with the film placing fourth in Spain with $1.24 million on 348 screens over the weekend and $1.90 million in total, while it placed third in Mexico with $759,000 on 563. It was not as strong on Australia landing in sixth place over the weekend with $680,000 on 192 screens for a total of $924,000. And it really struggled in the U.K. with $643,000 on 319 screens. Hopefully its reported production budget of $100 million was overestimating things, otherwise there's little chance it will show a profit anytime soon.

We will get to the rest of the top 30 on Sunday, maybe. There is a chance we will be stuck with studio estimated for just a handful of films.


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Filed under: International Box Office, Monsters vs. Aliens, Fast & Furious, Dragonball Evolution