International Top Five - Pirates' Extend International Reach
July 19, 2006
Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest opened in another 17 markets over the weekend taking first place in all of them while adding $58 million on 3,336 screens. This gave it a two-week international total of $125 million and helped it become the seventh film this year to top $100 million internationally. The film's best opening of the week was in Russia where it captured 85% of the market while scoring a record-breaking $9.24 million on 552 screens over the weekend and $10.87 million in total. It also broke records in a trio of smaller markets: Singapore with $1.8 million on 65 screens, Malaysia with $1.1 million on 70 and in the Ukraine with $1 million on 125. Other multi-million dollar openings were Sweden, ($3.49 million on 127), Denmark, ($2.58 million on 85), and Netherlands, ($2.22 million on 132). Holdovers remained strong led by the U.K. at $11.14 million on 514 screens for a total of $49.23 million, but that was down 47% from its opening. On the other hand, the film was down just 32% in South Korea to $3.84 million on 396 screens over the weekend and $13.55 million in total and 37% in Australia to $5.31 million on 490 screens for a two-week total of $17.32 million.
Superman Returns rose to second place with $38.1 million on 6,000 screens in 36 markets for a total of $77 million internationally. The film opened mostly in markets where Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest has yet to debut, with the notable exception of the U.K. where it had to settle for second place with $7.99 million on 477 screens. The film opened first in Mexico with $4.74 million on 758 screens over the weekend and $5.08 million in total and topped France with $4.1 million on 645 and China with $4 million on 349, and Spain with $3.42 million on 560 screens over the weekend and $4.91 million in total. So far it has been opening significantly better than D.C. stablemate, Batman Begins, and at this rate should show a profit sometime during its home market run, However, it still well below studio expectations.
Over the Hedge slipped a spot to third with $14.1 million on 4,457 screens 44 markets for a total of $82.2 million so far. While the film added several markets, they were all of the smaller variety with Argentina being the biggest debut at $442,000 on 98 screens, good enough for second place. Holdovers were led by Germany where the film was down just 36% to $2.71 million on 821 screens for a total of $8.58 million while it also performed well in Mexico, ($1.99 million on 392), and the U.K., ($1.69 million on 460).
Cars continues to slip down the charts one spot at a time, this week hitting fourth with $9.6 million on 4,841 screens in 31 markets for a total of $82 million internationally. The film had only one opening this weekend, South Africa, but set a studio record for that market with $475,000 from 80 screens. With only one opening, the film had to rely on holdovers like Spain where was down just 31% to $2.24 million on 556 screens over the weekend and $8.00 million in total.
A trio of first place openings helped The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift climb back into the top five with $7.3 million on 1400 screens in 28 markets. The biggest was Germany with $3.66 million on 415 screens while it was not as impressive in either Italy with $1.15 million on 191 or Austria with $600,000 on 64. The film now has $42 million internationally with many, many more openings to go including South Korea, France, and Spain next weekend.
Filed under: International Box Office, Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest, Cars, Superman Returns, Over the Hedge, The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift