“Valkyrie,” starring Tom Cruise as a rebellious Nazi officer, emerged at No. 1 on the international circuit for a second consecutive weekend, grossing an estimated $18.6 million from 3,900 screens in 26 markets and raising its overseas cumulative total to $38.9 million.
The MGM/UA production, handled overseas by 20th Century Fox and other local distributors, opened in 15 markets, finishing on top in at least five, including France and Spain.
In Germany, where “Valkyrie” was filmed, its second weekend produced $2.3 million from 400 locations, lifting its market total to $7.3 million, the largest for any overseas territory the film has played.
At No. 2 during the weekend was Warner Bros.’ “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button,” which grossed $11.5 million from 2,271 screens in 24 markets, pushing its foreign gross to $37.7 million.
The Brad Pitt vehicle — which leads this year’s Academy Awards nominations with 13 — opened at No. 1 in Germany, Austria and Switzerland, per Warners, and is vying for the top spot in the Netherlands.
The No. 3 title overseas, DreamWorks/Paramount’s “Revolutionary Road,” opened in 25 new markets and rolled up $11 million from 2,928 screens in 44 territories. The international total for the domestic drama — nominated for three Oscars — stands at $26.2 million.
Placing fourth was Warners’ Jim Carrey comedy “Yes Man,” which collected $8.5 million from about 3,500 screens in 56 territories — including a first-place premiere in Mexico — lifting its overseas gross to $96.5 million.
The No. 5 film, Sony’s “Seven Pounds,” starring Will Smith, pushed its overseas total to $72 million thanks to an $8.2 million weekend from 2,905 screens in 33 markets.
Just outside the top five was Summit International’s teen vampire saga “Twilight,” which garnered $5.8 million from 3,028 screens in 57 territories. The film’s overseas box office stands at $160 million.
With 10 Oscar nominations, “Slumdog Millionaire” continues to do gangbusters business overseas.
The Danny Boyle-directed title, distributed in many territories by Pathe, held the No. 3 spot during its third weekend in Paris and its suburbs and finished at No. 1 for a fourth consecutive frame in the U.K., where it tallied $3.4 million — down only 12 percent from the previous week — from about 370 situations for a market total of $18 million. Handling the film in India and one other territory is Fox, which reports that “Slumdog” tallied $638,102 from 358 screens in both territories for a combined gross of $4 million.
Universal’s “Mamma Mia!” is concluding its overseas run on a high note, grossing $4.3 million in its Japan debut. Universal said the smash musical, starring Streep, placed No. 2 in the market. “Mamma’s” foreign tally stands at $433.3 million.
Sony’s “Quantum of Solace” pushed its foreign total to $398 million thanks to $2.7 million from 455 screens in 21 markets, with Japan providing $12.7 million during the past 10 days. The film remains about $32.1 million shy of the overseas box-office record for a James Bond title, set by 2006’s “Casino Royale.”
(Source: Reuters / Hollywood Reporter)
