Mafia Rubs Out Competition

September 18, 2005

Marrying the Mafia 2 is the latest local film to lead the South Korean box office as it opened with $5.555 million on 449 screens, $7.515 million including Thursday. Not only was that easily enough for first place in its home market, but also put the film in third place on the overall international box office charts.

Other international highlights this week:

  • The Island's incredible run on the international scene is winding down as the film fell out of the top five with $3.2 million on 2000 screens. It's best markets this past weekend were France at $927,000 581 screens and Turkey with $215,000 on 110 screens, which was enough to remain in first place in the latter market. Overall the film has made $117.3 million internationally, more than three times what it made domestically, but only half of what it needed to make to show a profit.
  • The Brothers Grimm had its first major market debut on the international scene scoring a first place finish in Spain with $1.69 million on 300 screens over the weekend and $1.75 million including previews. It also debuted in first place in Hong Kong with $283,000 on 38 screens and in Mexico the film opened with $$920,000 on 300 screens. And the film remained in top spot in Taiwan with an estimated $300,000 for a running total of $2 million. Overall the film managed $3.0 million over the weekend for a $4.3 million total so far and should easily top its domestic total. The real question is, will it show a profit? It will need to make about $110 million internationally to pay for the production budget and about $50 million - $80 million more to cover the P&A expenses. If it can finish someone where in-between those totals, then the film should earn a profit sometime after the initial push on the home market.
  • Broken Flowers debuted in top spot in France with $2.11 million on 229 screens and in fourth place in Germany with $630,000 on just 73 screens.
  • Duelist opened in its native South Korea with $2.73 million over the weekend and $4.0 million since Thursday.
  • The Skeleton Key slipped out of the top five with $2.5 million on 1575 screens for a international box office of $32 million so far. The film opened in Italy with just $368,000 on 128 screens, barely enough for fifth place, but the film performed much better during its second weekend in Mexico with $853,000 on 300 screens for a $2.00 running tally in that market. On a side note, the film opened in the United Arab Emirate the weekend before last finishing in third place with 12,590 admission, or roughly $100,000.
  • Stealth opened in Australia with just $665,000 on 211 screens, which was still enough to finish in second place there. In Italy the film fell 65% to just $57,000 on 91 screens for a $327,000 running tally there. Overall, the film made $2.5 million over the weekend for a $24 million international box office.
  • The Wedding Crashers opened in fourth place in Italy with just $792,000 on 318 screens but performed better on Greece with $250,000 on 39 screens. The film made $2.4 million over the weekend for a $51 million running tally, more than half of that coming from the U.K., ($24.1 million including $65,000 this weekend) and Australia, ($11.4 million including $623,000 this weekend).
  • The Longest Yard debuted in top spot in the U.K. with $2.31 million on 379 screens compared to the $2.5 million the film debuted with in Australia earlier in the year. Overall the film has just $21.1 million internationally, which is not surprising since Adam Sandler has never really cultivated a following outside the United States.
  • The Transporter 2 debuted in first place in Russia with $730,000 and remained in second place in Germany with $1.11 million, nearly flat from last weekend. Amazingly, the film hung onto tenth place in France with $360,000, which was also nearly flat from last weekend. It's $8.43 million in that market is easily the best of its $13.9 million international box office so far, and the film is closing in on the $18.6 million the orignal made on the international scene.
  • Herbie: Fully Loaded added another $2 million on 3359 screens to its $70 million international box office. $700,000 of that came from the U.K., up 20% from the previous weekend, but the film fell 54% to $215,000 in Italy.
  • April Snow (Going Out) was one of four local films to finish in the top four places in South Korea this weekend. It managed a third place opening with $1.86 million on 354 screens over the weekend and $2.71 million since Thursday.
  • The 40-Year Old Virgin dipped by just 10% during its second weekend in the U.K., (not including previews) landing at $1.84 million slipping to second in the process. So far the film has $7.6 million in that market alone but its first challenge won't come till the end of the month when it opens in Germany.
  • George A. Romero's Land of the Dead earned $1.7 million on 750 screens for a running tally of $16 million internationally. It had a few openings this weekend, the biggest in terms of raw dollars being Spain with $575,000 on 120 screens, ($600,000 including previews), but that's not a particularly strong start for a horror film in that market. It's best ranking came in Taiwan where the film finished in second place with $182,000 on 18 screens. On the other hand, it missed the top ten in Holland with $35,000 on just 16 screens. It also is still doing strong business in Germany where it lost nearly half of its opening in 8th place with $338,000 on 197 screens.
  • Welcome to Dongmakgol was finally knocked out of the top spot in South Korea but it still was able to add $1.56 million to its $40.43 million box office there.
  • Mr. and Mrs. Smith is coasting on holdovers at the moment, and will until the film opens in Italy and Japan early in December. This week it's best market was Spain with $907,000 on 410 screens for a $14.4 million in the market. It also performed well in France dipping by just 8% to $694,000 on 354 screens for a $20.8 million total. Overall the film now has $238.3 million internationally and $423.4 worldwide.
  • The Beast in the Heart opened in Italy scoring a second place finish with $1.225 million on 264 screens, not a bad start for a film that cost $10.8 million to make.
  • Dark Water opened in sixth place in Hong Kong with $64,000 on 18 screens and had the worst week-to-week drop-off in the top ten in France losing 29% of its opening landing at seventh place with $644,000 on 290 screens. It's only other market where the film is making significant returns is Spain where it dropped out of the top ten with $240,000 for a $2.1 million three-week total. So far the film has earned $14.4 million internationally and should match its domestic total eventually.
  • The Dukes of Hazzard again had the worst week-to-week drop-off in the top ten in the U.K. falling to eighth place with $650,000 on 363 screens and it was even worse in Spain where the film plummeted 63% to $52,000 on 83 screens. It held on much better in Italy slipping by just 16%, but its opening was so weak that it hardly matters as the film managed just $227,000 on 96 screens. While its performance in the Netherlands was in between the two extremes down 26% to $105,000 on 50 screens.
  • Green Street, a.k.a. Green Street Hooligans or simply Hooligans debuted in its native market of the U.K. with $822,000 on 225 screens, which is not a bad result, but not terribly good either.
  • Deuce Bigalow: European Gigolo lost nearly half its opening weekend box office in Russia dropping to third place with $240,000. In Spain it held up much better falling by 33% to $410,000 while in the Netherlands it added $65,000 to its $845,000 running tally. Overall the film has $6.4 million, which is what one would expect this early in its international run.
  • The Man was no better internationally than it was domestically earned $700,000 on 260 screens in three markets, the vast majority of that coming from its $605,000 on 235 screens in the U.K.
  • To Paint or to Make Love fell out of the top five in France with $682,000 for the weekend and $3.7 million during its run.
  • Monster-In-Law remained in second place in Brazil with $675,000 for the weekend and $2.95 million during its three-week run.
  • Crash slipped by just 18% during its fifth weekend of release in the U.K. adding $624,000 to its $9.0 million running tally in the market. That one market is the vast majority of the film's $10.5 million international run, which is not surprising since talky dramas tend to be a hard sell overseas.
  • The Adventures of Shark Boy and Lava Girl opened in Australia, sort of, the film debut in theatres in only some of the provinces and doesn't open in the rest of the country till next weekend. The film just missed the top ten with $135,000 on just 50 theatres, but should perform better as it expands. It's best market this weekend continues to be the U.K. despite falling out of the top ten there; regardless, it was able to add $455,000 over the weekend to its $2.7 million, three-week total there. Overall the film has $16.5 million internationally with several more major and midlevel markets to go.
  • Nightwatch held up about as well as one would expect during its second weekend in Spain adding $565,000 to its $1.98 million total there. The film will come close to matching its $4 million production budget in this one market alone, but it's hard to use its success here as a judge for its chances on the domestic market.
  • Sin City continues to to be popular in Germany where the film earned $370,000 over the weekend for a five-week total of $8.2 million. It's having a similar run in Spain where it managed another $170,000 for a five-week total of $5.9 million. Overall the film now has $74.2 million, just ahead of its domestic total, and should hit $150 million by next weekend, or very shortly after word.
  • Downfall expanded during its second weekend in Mexico doubling its theatre count to 120 while boosting its box office to $535,000 for the week and $1.05 million during its run.
  • The Business lost 46% of its opening in the U.K. falling out of the top ten with $525,000 during the weekend and $2.1 million during its run.
  • Howl's Movie Castle opened in Italy over the weekend but could manage no better than 10th place with $203,000 on 81 screens. While in Germany the film grew by 15% but couldn't climb back into the top ten placing 11th with $308,000 on 412 screens for a $1.25 million box office there.
  • Salaam Namaste opened simultaneously in the U.K. and Australia earning $380,000 on 35 screens and $100,000 on 9 screens respectively.
  • A Sound of Thunder had the worst week-to-week drop-off in the top ten in Holland losing 43% and landing at $38,000. The same was true in Spain where the film fell 45% to $382,000 for the weekend and $3.25 million during its run. That is a poor result for the market, but more than the film will earn during its entire run domestically.
  • The Jacket slipped 26% during its third weekend in France with a $404,000, ninth place finish lifting its box office in the market to $2.43 million.
  • Perfect Catch opened in Australia but business was mild, to put it gently, as the film managed just $400,000 on 183 screens finishing in fifth place.
  • Little Fish opened in its native market of Australia in semi-limited release earning $350,000 on 45 screens for the best per screen average in the top ten.
  • Sky High opened in parts of Australia over the weekend, specifically Victoria and Queensland, earning $290,000 on 114 screens finishing in eighth place for the whole country. It also opened in Turkey with $52,000 on 41 screens, strong enough for sixth place.
  • The Descent opened in Norway with $27,000 on just 6 screens, while in Spain the film fell out of the top ten with $313,000 on 233 screens.
  • Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy fell out of the top ten in France but still managed an estimated $300,000 over the weekend for a $3.5 million running tally there.
  • Must Love Dogs recovered somewhat during its third weekend in Germany slipping by just 16% to $291,000 on 362 screens for a $2.0 million running tally there.
  • The Cave continued its quick descent in U.K. free-falling by 63% to $177,000 for the weekend and $2.99 million during its run. It performed even worse in Hong Kong where it lost nearly two third of its weekend take landing at $96,000.
  • Mindhunters added another $222,000 to its three-week total in Italy of $2.35 million so far. That's more than half of what the film earned domestically in a market that is about one-tenth the size.
  • Leave When Clapping fell to sixth place in South Korea losing 87% of its box office in the process adding $160,000 to its $14.9 million running tally.
  • In Australia, Kicking and Screaming lost 76% of last week's box office earning just $18,500 and fell from 9th to 20th in the process. The film also opened in Mexico with just $142,270, but its ranking isn't known at the moment.
  • Don't Come Knocking rebounding during its third weekend in Germany losing just 15% while finishing with $142,000 on 114 screens.
  • Batman Begins is starting to slip on the charts in Sweden dropping to fifth place with $127,000, but that was still enough to push its totals to $3.3 million in the market and $167 million internationally.
  • Danny the Dog saw its weekend haul in Australia slashed in half, again, falling out of the top ten with $105,000 on 108 screens for a $1.975 million running tally in that market.
  • Me and You and Everyone We Know grew by 36% during its fourth weekend in the U.K. adding $96,250 to its $705,000 running tally.
  • It was a milestone weekend for The Amityville Horror as it crossed $100 million worldwide with $36 million of that coming from the international scene. Part of that came from its $45,000, tenth place debut in Sweden on just 15 screens. It's doing better in Argentina where it added $47,000 on 30 screens during its third weekend of release for a $262,500 box office there.
  • Tommys Inferno remained in third place in its native Norway with $90,000 over the weekend and now has $1.08 million during its four-week run.
  • The Aristocrats made its international debut with $88,000 on 37 screens in the U.K. In comparison, the film opened with a per theatre average of nearly $61,000 here. I think the reason the film did so poorly there is that the British are a lot hard to shock.
  • Valiant dropped another spot in Poland landing in third place with $80,000 for the weekend and $836,000 during its four-week run. It should eventually reach $1 million there, which is like making $100 million domestically.
  • Some are reporting that The Perfect Man opened in Australia with $64,000 on 34 screens, however, that was just its previews and the film doesn't open officially until this weekend.
  • The Great Raid opened in the United Arab Emirate with $60,000 on 16 screens over the weekend and $90,000 including previews.
  • Fantastic Four coasting on holdovers as it added $55,000 on 105 screen in the U.K. to its $22.7 million total in the market and $150 million international box office.
  • Mean Spirit lost more than two third of its Hong Kong box office falling to $53,000 over the weekend and $775,000 during its run
  • Guess Who practically disappeared during its second weekend in South Korea losing 92% of its opening plummeting to $50,000 on 62 screens for a $889,000 total in the market. Even so, that was enough to help push the film's box office to $31.3 million international and worldwide it has reached $100 million.
  • Asylum opened in the U.K. with just $47,000 on 24 screens.
  • fell to seventh place in Argentina with $45,000 on 22 screens for a 2-week total of $150,000.
  • Raise Your Voice was flat in Mexico dipping by less 1% to $37,400 for the weekend and $360,000 during its 8-week run.
  • Sprung! The Magic Roundabout debuted in Poland with just $37,000 on 55 screens ($50,000 including previews). This is very low for a market that usually rewards this type of film.
  • Kung Fu Hustle added another $35,000 in New Zealand and now sits just a few thousand dollars away from $100 million worldwide.
  • Layer Cake debut in Mexico with $33,000 on 21 screens for the week.
  • Last Days lost more than half its opening box office in the U.K., falling to $33,000 for the weekend and $150,000 in 10 days.
  • The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants opened in the United Arab Emirate with $27,500 on 6 screens, including previews.
  • Son of the Mask opened in Turkey with just $22,000 on 17 screens, barely enough for ninth place.
  • P.S. started slowly but fell fast during its second weekend in Australia losing half of its box office landing in 19th place with $20,000 on 21 screens.
  • In Good Company almost ceased to exist at the South Korean box office losing 93% of its box office landing in ninth place with $19,170 over the weekend. It now has 1.345 million during its run there and $15 million internationally.
  • Lords of Dogtown opened in eighth place in the Czech Republic with $16,000 on 18 screens.
  • Sympathy for Lady Vengeance lost more than 80% of last weekend's box office in South Korea, but was still able to climb back into the top ten with $13,500.
  • The Honeymooners lost 75% of its opening in the U.K. earning just $7500 this week for a $36,500 two-week total.
  • It's All Gone Pete Tong fell to 14th place with $6,600 during the weekend and $28,000 during its run.
  • A Dirty Shame added a second screen in Australia bumping its weekly haul to $5900 for a two week total of $13,000.
  • Rock School debuted in the U.K. but earned an anemic $5,000 on 7 screens.
  • There's no box office numbers for Japan, but we do know that Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith finished seventh there during its 10th weekend of release. Overall the film has $462.6 million internationally and $842.6 million worldwide and should continue to add a significant amount from Japan.
  • War of the Worlds dropped out of the top ten in Japan, the last market to do so, and unless the studio publishes an final total, the last known international box office will be $352 million.

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Filed under: International Box Office, Star Wars Ep. III: Revenge of the Sith, War of the Worlds, Wedding Crashers, Batman Begins, Mr. and Mrs. Smith, The Longest Yard, Fantastic Four, The 40 Year-old Virgin, Monster-in-Law, The Dukes of Hazzard, Sin City, Guess Who, Herbie: Fully Loaded, The Amityville Horror, Sky High, Crash, Kicking and Screaming, The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, The Skeleton Key, In Good Company, Must Love Dogs, The Transporter 2, Fever Pitch, The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants, The Brothers Grimm, The Island, Stealth, Dark Water, Danny the Dog, Deuce Bigalow: European Gigolo, George A. Romero's Land of the Dead, Valiant, Kung Fu Hustle, Son of the Mask, The Perfect Man, The Cave, Broken Flowers, The Honeymooners, Lords of Dogtown, Raise Your Voice, The Great Raid, The Man, Doogal, The Jacket, Der Untergang, Hauru no ugoku shiro, Mindhunters, Me and You and Everyone We Know, Layer Cake, A Sound of Thunder, Nochnoy dozor, A Dirty Shame, Last Days, Don’t Come Knocking, Asylum, Green Street Hooligans, P.S., It's All Gone Pete Tong, Rock School, Little Fish, The Adventures of Sharkboy and Lavagirl in 3-D, The Aristocrats