Around-the-World Roundup: 'Hobbit' Journeys Past $1 Billion
Thanks to strong grosses in China, The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey finally passed $1 billion worldwide this weekend. Otherwise, with most countries preparing for the upcoming debut of Oz The Great and Powerful, there wasn't much going on at the foreign box office this weekend.

The Hobbit added $8.6 million in China for a new total of $37.6 million there. That helped push the international total past $700 million, making it just the 10th movie ever to reach that level (and the seventh movie in the past two years). Add in the $301.4 million at the domestic box office, and The Hobbit is now the 15th movie ever to reach $1 billion worldwide.

The movie's worldwide gross is still well below that of The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King ($1.12 billion), though it is at least ahead of Fellowship of the Ring ($872 million) and The Two Towers ($926 million). By the end of its run, it should finish just short of Alice in Wonderland, which currently ranks 13th all-time with $1.024 billion.

The Hobbit is the fourth movie from 2012 to pass $1 billion following The Avengers ($1.51 billion), Skyfall ($1.11 billion) and The Dark Knight Rises ($1.08 billion). That's the most billion-dollar movies ever in one year; while it's too early to say for certain, it seems unlikely that 2013 will match this level.

A Good Day to Die Hard once again took first place overseas with $17.5 million, which is off 50 percent from last weekend. Its top market was France with $3.2 million. To date, the fifth Die Hard movie has earned $160.6 million; with China and Australia on the way, it will absolutely close above $200 million, though reaching its predecessor's $250 million is starting to look tough.

Hansel and Gretel: Witch Hunters expanded in to three more major markets this weekend and earned $14.9 million. It had excellent first place starts in Germany ($5.3 million) and Spain ($2.2 million), and was also on top in the U.K. with a less-impressive $2.4 million. For a movie that was basically written off a year ago, its $125.1 million foreign total is not bad at all, and with an opening in France coming up next weekend it should get past $200 million worldwide in the near future.

While its domestic debut left something to be desired, Jack the Giant Slayer opened to a very good $14.3 million from 10 Asian markets (taking first place in eight). Its highest-grossing territory was South Korea, where it took third with a healthy $4.8 million. On the weekend of March 15, it begins its expansion in to the rest of the world with openings in Germany, Spain and Mexico.

Worldwide hit Les Miserables added $10.4 million from 50 markets this weekend, which includes a strong $3.9 million start in China. The musical has now earned $264.3 million overseas for a worldwide total north of $411 million.

Already writer-director Quentin Tarantino's highest-grossing movie, Django Unchained earned $8.4 million this weekend for a great foreign total of $233.6 million. It began its expansion in to Asia, though it disappointed in Japan with less than $1 million. Still, by Friday the Oscar-winning Western should reach $400 million worldwide.

Other Notables - Weekend Gross - Gross-to-Date (in millions)

Beautiful Creatures - $9.7 - $26.6

Silver Linings Playbook - $6.9 - $71.3

Flight - $4.8 - $48.9

Argo - $4.3 - $85.2

Mama - $4 - $33.9

Wreck-It Ralph - $4 - $247.9

Lincoln - $3.8 - $73.7

Life of Pi - $3.3 - $476.5

Hotel Transylvania - $2.6 - $193.5

Stoker - $2.4 - $2.4

Warm Bodies - $2 - $27.3

Anna Karenina - $1.7 - $46.3

Cirque Du Soleil - $1.4 - $19.1

Ted - $1.4 - $324.5

Escape From Planet Earth - $1.4 - $1.4

Cloud Atlas - $1.3 - $91.3

This Is 40 - $1.1 - $13.1

Discuss this story with fellow Box Office Mojo fans on Facebook. On Twitter, follow us at @boxofficemojo, and follow author Ray Subers at @raysubers.

Related Stories:

Around-the-World Roundup: 'Die Hard' Leads Again, 'Hobbit' Debuts in China

Weekend Report: 'Jack' Not Very 'Giant'