Around
the World Round Up
by Kenan
Bresnan
Once
again, the Chinese came to help us on the
battlefield, but not in war, at the box
office. Pearl Harbor,
one of the seven films the government
allowed to enter the Chinese market, took
a record-busting $2.4 million in three
days on 272 screens. That is the highest
opening weekend of all-time in China
crushing Titanic's $1.4
million on 177. Boosted by the succes of Enemy
of the Gates (currently at $2.1
million in 20 days), Pearl Harbor
looks to become the highest
grossing movie ever in China.
Among
other late openers for the Disney
blockbuster were India and Hungary. In
India it collared an outstanding $341,000
on 102 screens, which, in local currency,
is the market's fifth-biggest bow ever.
It garnered $267,000 on 33 in Hungary for
the industry's second largest entry ever.
All
told, the WWII epic coined $6.6 million
and toppled past $205 million. The
picture will eventually pass The
Mummy Return's $213,927,588 to
become this year's highest grossing
movie. But The Mummy Returns is
still trying to work out release in
China; if it is granted one it could then
pass Pearl Harbor.
The Obon
vacation week in Japan boosted sales by
more than 10%. The territory was once
again led by Sen to Chihiro no
Kamakaushi (Spirited
Away) which spiked up 6% in its
fourth weekend to a huge $78.1 million.
Following Spirited Away was
Jurassic Park III abating
by 13% in its second weekend. It has
already reached $14.8 million an should
do above $35 million. Planet of
the Apes has scored a handy
$17.8 million through its third lap,
slipping 16%. Pearl Harbor increased
sales by 3% in its fifth weeknd where it
has cumulated $36.5 million and A.I.:
Artificial Intellgence continues
its mega-run taking $65.2 million in its
seventh. It could do north of $80
million.
Tim
Burton's Planet of the Apes continued
to roll out in the smaller territories
with very good numbers. It had muscular
openings in New Zealand ($357,952 on 45),
Singapore ($524,000 on 48), Malaysia
($300,162 on 54), Norway ($298,535 on
50), Israel ($242,654 on 28), Chile
($252,567 on 32), and Ecuador ($70,300 on
14). Running down the records broken:
Singapore had Fox's second highest
opening of all time, Chile has Fox's
second biggest opening of all time and
the seventh highest of all movies, and
Ecuador has Fox's second highest opening
and coincidentally the territory's second
highest opening of all time. In Australia
the film conjured up $2.1 million on 346,
including sneaks, for Fox's third-highest
debut of all-time, August's second
highest behind Independence Day,
and the territory's seventh highest
opening of all-time.
In the
sophomore sessions of many territories
the film hasn't dropped as high as in the
states. In Mexico it fell 46% earning
$6.8 million to date, in Brazil it
dropped 39% to $3.2 million, in Argentina
it dropped a whopping 52% to $2.4 million
to date, and in Colombia it has $911,000
through nine days. Apes swallowed
$11.6 million on 2,544 screens from 24
markets, cuming $45.8 million.
The
winner, again, this week was Jurassic
Park III. The dino-pic racked up
$16.7 million from 3,230 engagements in
22 territories totaling $97,924,541, all
UIP's territoires. The pic will cross the
century mark on Monday to become the 12th
title to accomplish that feat since Lara
Croft: Tomb Raider just
accomplished that, peaking at $101
million, with Japan and Italy ahead.
The
dinosaurs landed in France for a third
time with a sturdy, but not stellar $3.3
million on 731. But the better openings
were in Hong Kong, Belgium, Denmark, and
Indonesia where it took $1.3 million on
30, $818,000 on 72, $304,000 on 50, and
$136,000 on 42 respectivley. In Hong Kong
it took UIP's sixth largest bow ever, and
the territories seventh biggest foreign
preem of all time. And in Indonesia it
was Universal's third largest opening
ever.
The
pictured tumbled by 50% in Germany,
amassing a great $10.6 million in 11
days, where it was dented by rookie Dr.
Dolittle 2 wich fetched a decent
$2 million on 700 screens. The Eddie
Murphy starrer reigned in Spain, coining
$863,000 on 275 pushing its foreign
talley to $39.3 million
Venturing
into other markets in its seventh week of
international release, A.I.:
Artificial Intelligence scored
in Seoul with $700,000 in two days on 41
screens, with an estimated nationwide
talley of $1.3 million on 83, just behind
local pic Wierd Girl.
The Seoul number is a Warner Brothers
record, topping The Matrix
by 14.5%. The sci-fi fantasy also picked
up $1.5 million on 300 in Mexico
(trailing Planet of the Apes),
where the market is saturated by the
heavy amount of openers in the past
weeks.
Cats
& Dogs dropped a trifling
11% in the United Kingdom's pushing its
totaled to an outstanding $15 million in
10 days. Rush Hour 2
continued its park at the number two spot
in Blightly, making a juicy $12.3 million
in the same frame. Cats &
Dogs opened in French
Switzerland with a healthy $50,000 on 16
screens. It has amassed $24.96 million
and could cross the century mark if it
can do well in France and Australia.
In its
first offshore tryouts, Mandalay's The
Score scored fantastic numbers
in France where it was behind Jurassic
Park III, but was overpowered in
Germany taking a good $655,000 on 206
screens.
Next
weekend Jurassic Park III flys
into French Switzerland and Croatia,
while Cats & Dogs takes
on France, Spain, Portugal, and Mexico. Planet
of the Apes opens in Finland,
the United Kingdom, Indonesia, the
Philippines, and Bolivia. Moulin
Rouge is just two weeks away
from its Latin America tryout, but it
opens in Thailand this week. In Germany,
the French box office wonder Amelie
From Monmartre debuts along with
Get Carter and The
Mexican. Brazil receives Heartbreakers
and Swordfish. Along
Came a Spider, Driven,
and The Tailor of Panama are
among the films that are released in
Australia. Along with Cats &
Dogs, Final Fantasy: The
Spirits Within and Drowning
Mona take on France. And crazy/beautiful
makes its offshore tryout in the
United Kingdom along with Planet
of the Apes.
Next
weekend expect Cats & Dogs and
Final Fantasy to have a
run for their money in France, while Planet
of the Apes leads the United
Kingdom with $6 million. Don't be
surprised to see Amelie From
Monmartre to beat The
Mexican in Germany, but Der
Schuh des Manitu should lead
again. Australia will probably be led by Planet
of the Apes for a second time.
These are my predicted
foreign totals for the selected films:
Lara Croft: Tomb
Raider: $141 million
Swordfish: $85
million
Shrek: $259
million
Bridget Jones's
Diary: $134 million
Moulin Rouge: $82
million
A.I.: Artificial
Intelligence: $311 million
Cats & Dogs:
$110 million
Final Fantasy: The
Spirits Within: $101 million
Planet of the Apes:
$210 million
Rush Hour 2:
$151 million
*Numbers are changed
whenever a market produces unexpected
numbers.
Check out the FRANCE
FORECAST
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