Bridget Slims Down but Still Number One

November 24, 2004

Bridget Jones: Edge of Reason's second round of openings was no quite as strong as last week's, but it was still more than enough to keep its first place finish at the international box office. Overall the British comedy took in $20.6 million on 1,854 screens in 18 markets lifting its tally to $59 million. Out of the new openings, the film was most impressive in Spain with $2.6 million while its best market overall was the U.K. where the film dropped just 29% to $9.3 million. The film is still tracking well ahead of the original and is becoming one of the monster hits of the fall.

For the past few weeks several local flicks have done so well in their home markets that they've been able to place in the top five overall. This week the best local film was Howl's Moving Castle, the latest anime film from the director of Spirited Away, debuted in Japan with a massive $14.3 million on 448 screens. That represented 72% of the total box office in that market and was the third best opening all-time behind the first two entries in the Harry Potter franchise. It was also the widest opening of all time in Japan. The film will be distributed by Disney domestically, but no release date has been announced.

Alien vs. Predator opened well in both Spain and Italy with $2.4 million and $1.6 million respectively. Good news, those results helped pushed the film back into the top five with $6.3 million. Bad news, the film is still suffering from massive week-to-week drop-offs, for instance, the film lost more than 50% during its third weekend in Germany. Even so, with Japan as the only major market left, the film should beat its domestic total and cross $150 million worldwide.

Another week without any major openings left Shall We Dance? sliding into fourth place with $6.1 million on over 2000 screens in 17 markets. This film has shown amazing legs and is just a week away from topping $100 million worldwide.

The Incredibles still hasn't opening wide in a major market, but it has done extremely well in its releases so far. This week the film was able to break records for animated films in two more markets with $797,000 in Singapore (36% ahead of fellow Pixar classic, Finding Nemo) and $550,000 in Malaysia (50% ahead of previous best, Dinosaur.) The film opened in one more major market, sort of, the film played in just 2 theatres in the U.K. pulling in $280,000. And during its second weekend at the Grand Rex in Paris, The Incredibles broke the single-day admission record with 14,200 sold on way to $644,000 since it debuted last week. Overall the Super Hero tale earned $5.4 million to lift its international tally to $12.4 million.

Other highlights on the international scene include:

• Seven Dwarfs may have dropped out of the top five, but it is still earning big bucks in Germany, Austria and Switzerland with $4.8 million on less than 1000 screens helping its international box office rise to $45.1 million.
• The Manchurian Candidate had a mediocre opening in the U.K. with $1.2 million on 343 screens, but that was a better result than in most international markets. With a weekend box office of just $4.5 million, the film has earned just $18.8 million in 23 markets. At this pace, the film will struggle to hit $100 million worldwide.
• Shark Tale's weekend haul dropped by more than 50% to just $3.1 million, but that was enough to push its international box office to $145 million and its worldwide box office to $303 million, only the 9th film to hit that milestone this year.
• A Very Long Engagement continues to dropped during its fourth weekend of release, taking in $3.1 million in France, Belgium and Switzerland. So far the film has made $29 million internationally ahead of this Friday's domestic release.
• The Grudge opened in second place in Australia with $1.5 million, almost exactly the same as it earned in its third weekend in the U.K., (down 47%). Still early in the film's international run, it has nonetheless earned $13.5 million so far.
• Collateral's run is winding down but it still brought in an estimated $3 million this week to raise its international total to $110 million.
• Exorcist: The Beginning continues to suffer internationally with a mediocre $1.2 million opening in France, but in really suffered in Germany where it could only manage a $300 thousand debut, out of the top ten. During the weekend the film added $2.7 million to its $22 million international total.
• The Forgotten held up well in Germany and Brazil, which in turn helped the film bring in $2.6 million this weekend, bumping its international total to $22.4 million so far.
• Bad Santa earned a $600,000, fifth place opening in Italy while taking $500,000 in its seventh place opening in Germany. Overall the film made just over $2.1 million this weekend and $5.3 million internationally, but won't become the surprise hit it was domestically.
• Taxi opened in the U.K> over the weekend but could manage no better than a $1.0, million, fifth place finish. The film performed better in Brazil with a $400 thousand, third place opening. Those two results were most of the films $1.9 million weekend and a good chunk of its $6.5 million international total.
• Cellular continues to struggle internationally with a $1.0 million opening in France. And while that result was only good enough for fifth place in that market, it represented more than half of its $1.8 million weekend. After opening in 16 markets so far the film has brought in an anemic $8.6 million.
• After the Sunset started its international run in three markets with a so-so $1.2 million in the U.K., but was more respectable with $299,000 in Greece and $180,000 in Thailand.
• House of Flying Daggers opened in third place in France with $1.45 million. The film, which opens domestically next week, has brought in an impressive $44 million during its international run so far.
• White Chicks continues to beat expectations with $1.2 million on 800 screens in 26 markets lifting its international tally to $35.9 million so far. That's not a good result, just better than expected.
• Polar Express started its international run much like it did domestically, poorly. The film could only manage third place openings in both Australia and New Zealand with a combined $1.0 million dollars.
• The imaginative Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow flopped in yet another international market. This time it was in Germany where the film could only muster a $350,000, ninth place opening. In Italy the film saw its box office drop by more than 50% to just $400,000 during its second weekend there.
• Veer-Zaara held up well in the U.K. dropping just 33% to $600,000 for a two week total of over $2 million there.
• The Machinist started its international run with a $500,000, sixth place opening in Italy.
• The Village opened well in Turkey with $491,000 over the weekend to help push its international total to $141 million.
• The Terminal's weekend numbers are not available, but its international box office climbed to $98.8 million.

Source: Variety

Filed under: International Box Office, The Incredibles, The Polar Express, Shark Tale, The Village, The Grudge, Collateral, AVP: Alien Vs. Predator, The Terminal, White Chicks, The Forgotten, The Manchurian Candidate, Bad Santa, Shall We Dance?, Exorcist: The Beginning, Bridget Jones: The Edge Of Reason, Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow, Taxi, Cellular, Veer-Zaara, The Machinist, After the Sunset