Around-the-World Roundup: 'Smurfs' Still on Top Overseas
With a nice boost from openings in Australia and Italy, The Smurfs led the foreign box office for the sixth-straight weekend. Over a month ahead of its U.S. debut, Johnny English Reborn got off to a strong start overseas, whileFriends with Benefits continued to score in Europe.
The Smurfs added an estimated $17.3 million from 72 markets for a huge $344.5 million foreign total. It debuted in first place in Australia ($3.75 million) and Italy ($3.7 million), and continued to hold well throughout other major European territories. It has now earned $482.1 million worldwide (domestic plus foreign), and will pass Rio in the next day or two to become the highest-grossing non-sequel of 2011.
Johnny English Reborn opened to $11.7 million from 1,372 locations in 15 territories, 13 of which were first place debuts. Its top market was Australia with $2.6 million, followed by Russia with $2.5 million. Also, distributor Universal Pictures International is reporting that it had their best opening ever in Malaysia, though the specific figure is not currently available. The first Johnny English made over $160 million worldwide in 2003, and the sequel set for a U.K. opening on Oct. 7 and a U.S. debut on Oct. 28.
Friends with Benefits grossed an estimated $9.2 million from 31 markets for a total of $42.8 million. It held well in Germany (off 28 percent to $1.85 million), the United Kingdom (off 35 percent to $1.6 million) and France (down 36 percent to $1.13 million), though its $1 million debut in Mexico wasn't all that impressive.
After holding second place for five weekends in a row,Rise of the Planet of the Apes dipped to fourth with an estimated $7.8 million. It added $1.8 million in Mexico and $1.2 million in Brazil, and its foreign total reached $219.7 million. On a worldwide basis the prequel has earned $391.3 million, and it still has debuts in Italy, Japan and China on the horizon.
Much further down the chart, Super 8 added $1.8 million to bring its foreign total to $129.2 million. In the process, it passed director J.J. Abrams's Star Trek reboot, which mustered just under $128 million in 2009.
Domestic champion The Lion King (in 3D), which has actually been rolling out overseas for the past two months, grossed an estimated $700,000 from 17 territories this weekend. The 3D re-release's foreign total is now at $12.1 million, which brings The Lion King's overall total to $467.9 million. On a worldwide basis, the Disney animated classic improved to $825.7 million, and now ranks 28th on the all-time chart.
Other Notables - Weekend Gross - Gross-to-Date
Final Destination 5 - $6.5 - $88.8
Captain America - $5.1 - $184.6
Crazy, Stupid, Love. - $4.7 - $27.3
Horrible Bosses - $4.2 - $84.5
Cowboys & Aliens - $4 - $64
Don Gato (Top Cat) - $3.4 - $3.4
Mannerherzen 2 - $3 - $3.5
The Change-Up - $2.6 - $11.1
Mr. Popper's Penguins - $2.5 - $110.7
Battle: Los Angeles - $2.2 - $121.4
Zookeeper - $1.6 - $75.4
Sanctum - $1.5 - $57.7
Harry Potter - $1.3 - $946.7
What a Man - $1.3 - $13.5
Contagion - $1.3 - $4.3
The Help - $1.1 - $5.6
Kung Fu Panda 2 - $1 - $494
