'New Moon' tops foreign boxoffice

Source: Hollywoodreporter.com

"While not quite matching its blazing opening pace domestically, "The Twilight Saga: New Moon" nonetheless topped the foreign circuit on the weekend, finishing at No. 1 with an estimated $118.1 million from 6,681 screens in a relatively contained opening break comprising 25 territories.

The girl-meets-vampire sequel notched an astronomical $17,677 per-screen average overall.

Ranking No. 2 was the prior weekend's No. 1 title, director Roland Emmerich's disaster epic "2012," which dropped nearly 40% from its mighty $165.2 million opening frame to finish with $100.5 million from 13,487 screens in 107 markets. Its 12-day overseas gross totals $341.1 million.

"New Moon," the second film version of Stephenie Meyer's teen-favorite novels starring Robert Pattinson and Kristen Stewart, set opening records in Australia ($13.3 million from 268 sites or a nearly $50,000 average per screen) and in New Zealand ($1.9 million from 90 sites), according to distributor Summit International.


"New Moon" dominated the U.K. ($18.7 million from 499 locations, or nearly $37,500 per screen), Italy ($13 million from 770 sites), France ($17 million from 751 situations) and in Spain ($13.7 million from 652 sites). The film's opening weekend gross worldwide came to $258.8 million.

"New Moon's" predecessor, 2008's "Twilight," grossed $384 million worldwide over the course of its entire run, of which $192 million came from outside the U.S. and Canada.

"2012" finished No. 3 on the weekend domestically, but its overseas total so far is more than three times its domestic cume. A No. 1 Japan opening, the biggest weekend bow of 2009 in the market, generated $7 million from 627 screens. Worldwide cume stands at $449.3 million.

"2012's" No. 1 second China frame came up with $9.7 million from 1,988 sites for a market cume of $30.5 million. In all, the disaster epic took the top weekend spots in at least 13 territories. Top five markets for the film so far: China, France (cume $28.6 million), Russia ($27 million), Germany ($24 million) and the U.K. ($21.3 million)

Opening in Italy was "Planet 51," a family-oriented animation title about an American astronaut confronting little green people on an alien planet, which grossed an estimated $600,000 from 242 screens. The HandMade Films/Ilion Animation outing features the voices of Dwayne Johnson, Jessica Biel, Gary Oldman and John Cleese.

Third on the weekend "Disney's A Christmas Carol," which continues to draw strongly in Russia ($3.5 million from 350 sites) and the U.K. ($3.3 million from 650 locations for a market cume of $13.9 million). The weekend overall for the director Robert Zemeckis' 3D performance-capture version of Charles Dickens' 1843 novella, starring Jim Carrey as Scrooge, provided $18.5 million from 4,434 screens in 41 markets for an overseas cume of $60 million.

No. 4 was "This Is It," which captured $5.8 million from 3,490 screens in 75 markets. Since its Oct. 28 overseas bow, the Michael Jackson concert-preparation docu has an accumulated boxoffice of $168.5 million. It ranked No. 2 in its fourth Japan round on the weekend with $2.9 million from 309 screens for a market cume of $39.7 million.

Fifth was the Pixar/Disney animation title "Up," which boosted its offshore cume to $379 million thanks to a $3 million weekend from 3,015 situations in 25 territories. A Japan opening is due Dec. 5.

Universal's "Couples Retreat" pushed its international cume to $37.7 million thanks to a $2.5 million weekend at 1,100 playdates in 23 territories. The Vince Vaughn comedy opened No. 4 in the Netherlands, held at No. 4 in Germany and was No. 2 in Austria. It has 38 more territories to play with openings in Bulgaria, Egypt and Finland due this week.

Making its Japan debut was the Weinstein Co./Universal's "Inglourious Basterds," which fought its way to $2.2 million overall on the weekend from 1,300 sites in 30 markets. Its No. 4 Japan bow generated $1.6 million from 315 screens.

The World War II drama from director Quentin Tarantino is winding down its overseas run and has accumulated $190.6 million overseas to date. The title has two more territories to play: Ecuador and the Philippines.

In the U.K., Lionsgate's release of "Harry Brown," a crime drama starring Michael Caine as avenger of a friend's murder, finished No. 4 in its second round with an estimated $1.3 million from 357 screens. Market cume is about $4 million.

Universal opened "A Serious Man" in the U.K. (finishing at No. 9 with $525,000 from 50 locations), Australia and New Zealand for an overall total of $770,000 from 93 sites. Focus Features is also releasing overseas the Coen brothers' look at the Jewish community circa 1967 in a Midwestern suburb.

Finishing at No. 4 in France was Pathe's release of director Claude Berri's final film, "Tresor" (Treasure), which in its second round garnered $1.4 million from 473 screens for a market cume of $4.5 million. Finishing fifth in the market was Diaphana Films' release of "Rapt," a drama from director/co-writer Lucas Balvaux about the kidnapping of a billionaire in the 1970s. Opening gross was $1.3 million from 230 locations.

Other international cumes: Disney's "G-Force," $159.1 million; Fox's "Amelia," $1.7 million; Mandate International's "Saw VI," $26.6 million; Fox's "Fantastic Mr. Fox," $13.4 million (U.K. and Singapore only); Universal's "Public Enemies," $107.7 million; Fox's Wild Bunch Distribution's "Le petit Nicolas," $46.4 million (from eight frames in France only); Universal's "Away We Go," $150,000 (Universal territories only); Disney's "Surrogates," $69.2 million; and Fox's "(500) Days of Summer," $22.9 million."