International Box Office: Inception Eyes $500 million
August 11, 2010
Inception remained in top spot on the international box office, with $47.70 million on 7287 screens in 59 markets for a total of $259.27 million internationally and $486.90 million worldwide. It won't have to wait till the weekend to get to $500 million. It opened in first place in Spain with $4.55 million on 491 screens, but had to settle for second place in Brazil with $2.03 million on 313. It also added $3.83 million on 418 screens over the weekend in Australia for a total of $20.64 million after three. While in the U.K., it made $3.60 million on 468 screens over the weekend for a total of $41.02 million after four. With openings in China and Italy ahead of it, $600 million worldwide is virtually guaranteed, while $700 million isn't out of the question.
Toy Story 3 remained in second place earning $28.12 million on 7652 screens in 40 markets for a total of $497.90 million internationally and $894.29 million worldwide. It is in 16th place on the all-time chart and will overtake Goblet of Fire shortly, if it hasn't already. This weekend it opened in South Korea, but only managed third place with $3.69 million on 423 screens over the weekend and $4.61 million in total. That's not a bad start. It did have the best per screen average in the top ten, but weaker than its overall average. On the other hand, it has been locked in the top spot in the U.K. for three weeks now adding $7.44 million on 555 screens over the weekend for a total of $82.18 million and it should cross the century mark there sooner rather than later.
Salt held onto third place with $17.18 million on 2288 screens in 37 markets for a total of $62.92 million. Its biggest market of the weekend was Mexico, but it could do no better than third place with $1.35 million on 460 screens. By comparison, it made $1.43 million on 253 screens during its second weekend in Brazil, bringing the total to $4.72 million in that market. In South Korea it added $3.06 million on 464 screens over the weekend for a total of $14.07 million after two.
Aftershock rose to fourth place with $14.14 million on 1902 screens in 5 markets for a total of $80.73 million. It is now reportedly the biggest Chinese blockbuster of all time. The next major news for the film will be it reaching $100 million, while distributors here and elsewhere might be eying the film for their markets.
Grown Ups rocketed from 15th place to 5th with $13.74 million on 2288 screens in 27 markets for a total of $34.55 million. The film was surprisingly strong in Germany with $5.30 million on 443 screens. This was enough for a close second place. It is very unlikely that the film will match its domestic numbers internationally, but it should do well enough to earn a profit sometime on the home market.
The Last Airbender also saw growth, although not as dramatically. It hit sixth place with $12.05 million on 2472 screens, in 24 markets for a total of $54.63 million after a month of release. It also took in $3.14 million on 579 screens in Spain earning second place in the process. While in France, it added $1.93 million on 477 screens, for a total of $6.40 million after two weeks of release.
Step Up 3D started its international run in seventh place with $11.72 million on 1366 screens in 10 markets over the weekend, for a total opening of $12.23 million. Much of this came from two major markets: The U.K. and South Korea. In the former it placed fourth with $3.21 million on 400 screens, while in the latter it earned fifth place with $1.87 million on 278 screens over the weekend and $2.36 million in total.
Knight and Day slipped 16% to $11.26 million on 4459 screens in 47 markets for a total of $127.66 million internationally and $202.51 million worldwide. In the U.K. it opened in second place with $3.83 million on 434 screens. It also added $2.88 million on 612 screens over the weekend for a total of $8.26 million after two.
Shrek Forever After fell from fourth to ninth with $10.76 million on 4652 screens in 43 markets for a total of $428.70 million internationally and $665.25 million worldwide. The next major markets for this film are Italy at the end of the month and Japan at the end of the year.
Thanks to strong results from Latin America, Despicable Me was relatively flat this past week. It fell just 2% to $10.06 million on 1680 screens, in 24 markets, for a month-long total of $43.61 million. In Brazil it opened ahead of Inception and in first place, with $3.11 million on 379 screens. Meanwhile in Mexico, it held onto first place with $3.03 million on 1045 screens over the weekend and $10.27 million in total. It has only opened in a few major markets, so it is hard to predict where the film will end up, but its spread-out release schedule could keep it on the chart for months.
Filed under: International Box Office, Inception, Despicable Me, The Last Airbender, Salt, Shrek Forever After, Grown Ups, Toy Story 3, Knight and Day, Step Up 3D