International Box Office: China Propels Alita to the Top

February 27, 2019

Alita: Battle Angel

Alita: Battle Angel rose to first place with $92.42 in 82 markets for totals of $202.68 million internationally and $263.70 million worldwide. The film debuted in China with $63.26 million over the weekend for a total opening of $64.31 million. This is a great start in that market and better than the film’s predicted $50 million opening and even better than its early $60 million projection. It won’t be enough to save the film’s financial future, but it will be enough to save face. The film only made $3.2 million during its opening in Japan, which is disappointing, as the movie was based on a Manga / Anime from Japan and many assumed it would perform better there. The film has no more openings but should top $400 million internationally with relative ease and with a bit of luck, could get to $450 million. We will know more next week, once we see how long its legs will be in China.

The Wandering Earth was pushed into second place with $36.7 million over the weekend for an international total of $679.34 million. Almost all of this total was earned in its native China.

How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World rose to third place with $35.1 million in 56 markets for totals of $217.5 million internationally and $277.5 million worldwide. This includes a first place, $10.87 million opening in 1,741 theaters in Russia. It was even better in neighboring Ukraine, where it earned $1.00 million in 184 theaters. This was the all-time biggest opening for an animated film in that market. It also had a franchise best opening in Spain ($2.79 million in 352 theaters) and the Philippines ($1.76 million in 213).

The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part re-entered the top five with $10.2 million on 8,532 screens in 73 markets for totals of $52.8 million internationally and $136.1 million worldwide. The film struggled in its two major market openings. It only managed $1.1 million on 452 screens in France and $992,000 on 500 screens in Italy. On the other hand, it continues to be a box office hit in the U.K., where it earned $3.1 million on 1,123 screens over the weekend for a three-week total of $18.2 million. That’s about the same as its run here, relative to the size of the two markets. The only major market left for the movie is Australia and at this pace, it’s going to struggle to get to $100 million internationally.

Total Dhamaal opened in fifth place with $9.9 million, including $9.6 million in its native India.

Filed under: International Box Office, How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World, The LEGO Movie 2: The Second Part, Alita: Battle Angel, Total Dhamaal, The Wandering Earth (流浪地球), How to Train Your Dragon