UPDATED WRITETHRU, 10:42 AM: For the second frame in a row and following a sizable expansion, Fox’s Ice Age: Collision Course leads the international studio weekend with $53.5M. Directed by Mike Thurmeier, the fifth film in the animated franchise took the total markets to 51 this session and brought the overseas nut to $127M.
Sony’s Ghostbusters, the weekend’s only major studio new release, kicked off in a relatively small slimeprint internationally, hitting just three key markets and a handful of other plays. It called up $19.1M on 3,900 screens, including $1M on 105 Imax screens. The remake oozed into the UK at No. 1 with a $6.1M opening on 900 screens, giving director Paul Feig his best start there ever. Australia was also a No. 1 debut with $3.7M on 493. Ghostbusters takes a bigger swing two weekends from now with Russia and Italy on July 28 followed by more majors in August.
In Brazil, GB had a $2.2M start but couldn’t outswim Finding Dory, which held No. 1 for the third frame in a row. Entering new waters, Ellen DeGeneres’ forgetful charmer notably dove into Japan and Mexico and rode a $36.5M wave for the weekend. This animated summer still has plenty of mileage ahead with several key plays to come on Dory, IA5 and Illumination/Universal’s The Secret Life of Pets, which is still to unleash in 57 markets. This frame, it held well in in the UK, where it is No. 2 behind Ghostbusters.
A highlight of overseas live-action, however, continues to be Lionsgate’s Now You See Me 2, which had a strong start in Korea to take the offshore total past $200M. In China after four weeks, it has now conjured $96.5M. Another counterprogrammer, WB’s The Conjuring 2, also lifted its overseas cume to $200M this frame.
China’s summer box office offerings continue to dominate the Middle Kingdom, with local pics holding the six top spots in the market for a combined $66.2M weekend, led by Cold War II with an $87.3M cume. Elsewhere in local titles, Salman Khan’s Sultan is now the No. 4 all-time Bollywood grosser worldwide with an estimated 435 crore ($65.4M) through the end of its first week. This does not include full weekend numbers for the second frame. To move up to No. 3 it will have to best 587 crore which Aamir Khan’s Dhoom 3 made a couple years ago.
Breakdowns have been updated below:
NEW
GHOSTBUSTERS
Sony staked out English-speaking territories first to kick off the update on the 32-year-old summer smash. In a much different world, that film made $53M overseas. Paul Feig’s all-female version is primed to surpass that after a $19.1M international opening this weekend in three majors and some smaller plays. The UK was tops with $6.1M and falling in the same range as Men In Black 3, Thor and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.
In Australia, Ghostbusters was also No. 1 with $3.7M and is tracking on par with MiB3 and Ant-Man, and ahead of TMNT by 8%. Brazil opened at $2.2M on 800 screens for the best debut of a Feig-directed film and also for star Melissa McCarthy.
Other comps include last summer’s throwback VFX comedy Pixels ($166M intl box office) and Feig’s team-ups with McCarthy like Spy ($125M) and Bridesmaids which also starred Kristen Wiig ($120M). Ghostbusting co-stars Kate McKinnon and Leslie Jones are less well known internationally, where SNL doesn’t have the same footprint.
Reviews have been strong with a 73% Rotten Tomatoes score domestically. As with domestic, the global marketing campaign has pulled out the stops and positioned the pic as a global summer tentpole with comedy, action, scale and fun. Promotional efforts were tailored to individual markets and regions with stunts that included a ghost metro in Madrid and the involvement of Spanish soccer star Andres Iniesta as well as a Stay Puft Marshmallow Man jutting up from the ground of London’s Waterloo station.
The latter was the largest station domination ever attempted in Europe’s biggest rail hub and saw the CCTV poles there oozing with slime while a mock-up of an NYC subway station was also installed. The stunt became a social media trending topic within hours. The UK opened in previews on Monday with over 4,000 phone boxes across the country rebranded with “Who you gonna call?”
There were tie-ins during the Euro 2016 soccer tournament in Germany, Italy, the UK and Russia with spots during key matches and mobile billboards that circled city squares where the games were being broadcast on large screens. Iniesta’s viral video reached an audience of 13M in its first 48 hours with all national TV news programs, save one, airing a piece.
An April Fool’s prank was rolled out globally a few months ago with the participation and cooperation across all Sony divisions. In Sony Corp’s first-ever corporate prank, it announced on April 1 that the world’s first ghost-catching device had been perfected.
In Singapore, which opened this weekend, a Guinness World Record was set for the largest gathering of ghosts with hundreds of people dressed up like the ghost in the film. Both McCarthy and Feig were in attendance. Singapore was the hub for the pan-Asian junket and hosted 16 influencers from major markets. Also in Asia, four local Japanese celebrities acted as ambassadors and performed a cover of the original song while a slime-run obstacle course was attended by over 2,000 in Malaysia.
Key upcoming markets inlcude Russia and Italy (July 28); Germany (August 4); France (August 10); Mexico and Spain (August 12); and Japan (August 19).
HOLDOVERS/EXPANSIONS
ICE AGE: COLLISION COURSE
Leading market share in 35 offshore hubs, Fox’s IA5 charted $53.5M from 15,132 screens in a total 51. The international cume is now $127M. France led openings with $7.2M from 873 screens. That’s a good start, if not a great one but given the tragic events in Nice on Thursday night locally, the box office was expected to see some impact. Russia kicked off at No. 1 with $5.9M on 1,236 screens, and the UK bow was good for No. 2 behind Ghostbusters with $5.2M at 1,107 dates including previews. However, Secret Life Of Pets is claiming No. 2 for the FSS. India was also a new play and took the top MPA slot with the biggest non-holiday animated opening ever at $1.66M. That market is currently dominated by Salman Khan’s smash Sultan.
In holds, now that European soccer is over and holidays are in full swing, Germany rose 24% for $3.4M at the weekend and a cume of $13.3M. Brazil dipped 36% for an $11.4M cume. Chile lifted 7% to take the cume to $4.5M. In Argentina, IA5 has the biggest-ever 2nd weekend for Fox in the market and the 3rd industry best. The total there is $7.7M.
The current top market is Mexico with $19.7M. Korea and Taiwan are on deck for Scrat, Manny, Diego, Sid and Buck next weekend, followed by Hong Kong, Indonesia and Poland the following frame. Italy opens August 22 with China the next day.
FINDING DORY
In her 5th weekend in overseas waters, the blue tang and pals splashed up a further $36.5M to take the international cume to $276.2M and the global total to $721.7M. There were big market debuts in Mexico, Japan and Hong Kong which contributed to a week-on-week increase of 18% and to take the total number of offshore hubs to 45.
Mexico gave the Andrew Stanton-helmed sequel a $9.4M start for the second biggest Disney Animation or Pixar opening of all time. Mexico also instantly joined the Top 10 overseas markets for Dory which has a full six weeks of summer vacation to pull in kids and families. In Japan, she had a two-day weekend with $6.3M on the Sat/Sun. It’s the top Western release for the frame and opened 63% above Inside Out at open. Tomorrow is a national holiday there. In Hong Kong, $1.9M ($2.8M including previews) worth of fans turned up at the aquarium for the No. 1 Western title and the 4th biggest animated opening ever.
In holds, Dory saw a 32% drop in Europe. In Belgium, she was up +27%. Despite the ongoing upset in France, there was only a 25% drop there. In the Netherlands, Dory held the No. 1 spot for the third consecutive weekends.
Family-friendly Latin America as a region has grossed $80.5M with Brazil the standout at $23.7M. Dory & Co are the No. 1 movie for three weekends in a row and the biggest Disney Animation or Pixar release of all time.
Elsewhere, Australia has now posted $33.7M for the biggest grossing Disney Animation or Pixar release ever and the No. 2 highest grossing industry animated release, behind Shrek 2. Dory’s China run concluded with $38.3M. That’s still the top ex-U.S. market with the UK and Germany still on deck.
THE LEGEND OF TARZAN
Italy, the Nordics and the completion of Euro 2016 soccer action helped the Warner Bros’ pic swing to another $22M on 8,600 screens in 55 markets. The international total for the update on Edgar Rice Burroughs’ classic character is $90.6M. Italy pounded out a No. 1 start at $1.6M on 550 screens while the Nordics generated a collective $4.5M. Star Alexander Skarsgard hails from Sweden and did a local promotional push there which helped the market ape out to a $2.2M start on 283 screens.
Despite the tragedy in Nice at the beginning of the weekend, France dropped just 4% on the film as folks sought escapist distractions. The cume there is $6.3M. The lead market is Mexico at $9.3M followed by the UK at $8.8M; Russia with $7.6M; France; Australia ($6.2M) and Korea ($6.1M).
Tarzan gets a special treat this week when he swings into a rare July slot for a Hollywood film in China on Tuesday. Brazil and Spain also open this week.
NOW YOU SEE ME 2
A strong start in Korea helped push Lionsgate’s heist sequel over the $200M milestone internationally. In total, the weekend pulled $17.5M from 77 markets for an offshore total of $203.7M. Most European majors have yet to bow.
In a crowded Korean frame, the horsemen rode to $12.5M (including previews) and a No. 1 start. In local currency, the bow is 89% above the original film. In China, the film is now at $96.5M after four weeks. That takes it past Batman V Superman to become the lucky 13th top grossing title of 2016. Mexico and Spain are on deck for Friday.
INDEPENDENCE DAY RESURGENCE
Opening in helmer Roland Emmerich’s native Germany, Fox’s IDR landed a $6.3M start for the 5th best bow of 2016. The total weekend was $16.2M from 7,605 screens in 55 markets. That brings the offshore invasion to $239.2M. Japan had a very good hold with $3.3M from 965 screens for a $14M cume locally. The not-so-out-of-this-world China run has now completed with $73.2M. Next week notably adds France.
CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE
From New Line and Universal, the Dwayne Johnson comedy tabulated another $10M in 54 territories. That takes the international total to a solid $63M. There were seven new openings in the frame including No. 1s in Lebanon, the UAE ($1.3M) and the other Middle East markets ($1M). Taiwan ($418K/71 dates), Hong Kong ($378K/30) and Italy ($366/225) also bowed. In the latter, the pic is running ahead of most comps and has little competition ahead. The top offshore markets are now Australia at $10M; the UK at $9.6M; Germany at $6.8M, There are nine more to go.
THE SECRET LIFE OF PETS
The international weekend estimate for this new entry in the Illumination/Universal canon is $4.4M in nine territories. There were no new openings this frame as the animated comedy continues rollout in 57 more markets over the next few months. The offshore total is $50.8M for a worldwide total of $254M. The UK scratched Pets’ belly with a No. 2 third frame and $2.8M at 524 dates. The cume there is a tail-wagging $34.9M and pacing above Zootopia over the same amount of release days. Argentina, Chile and Colombia will sit up in the next week.
ME BEFORE YOU
An excellent 39% drop greeted the Warner Bros tearjerker for an estimated $7.2M in 55 markets. After seven sessions of release, the offshore total is now $116.6M. The film has been solid counterprogramming in a summer crowded with sequels and soccer. It will play out over the coming weeks before it hits Italy on September 1. Brazil leads at $15.7M followed by the UK with $13.4M and Germany at $12.6M.
TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES: OUT OF THE SHADOWS
Taking the international cume over $150M, Paramount’s sequel served up $4.2M this frame in 26 markets. The total is $150.3M. This was the third session for the heroes on the half-shell in China where the run is falling off with a $2.1M gross at 2,000 sites for a $56.7M cume. Despite local investment from Alibaba, it would be a squeaker for TMNT2 to catch up to the first pic in the rebooted franchise’s Middle Kingdom run which topped out at just over $62.1M. TMNT2 was one of two Hollywood titles to secure a July release in China, but that little bit of grace from the PROC is still expected to be overshadowed by a month that sees a bevy of local films take over screens, including this weekend’s winner there, Cold War II. Elsewhere, TMNT2 grossed $412K at 349 cinemas in Italy for a total $1.5M after the sophomore run. In France, TMNT2 added $585K at 600 locations for a total $4.9M. Germany and Japan are still to bow next month.
THE CONJURING 2
In a big milestone, the Warner sequel has hit $200M internationally. Working as another example of summer counterprogramming for the studio, the pic added $3.9M in 60 markets this weekend. Mexico leads at $20.3M followed by the UK at $15M and Korea with $13.5M.
THE PURGE: ELECTION YEAR
The latest entry in the Blumhouse/Platinum Dunes franchise put $3.6M in the ballot box this weekend for an early international total of $7.2M. There were seven new candidates in the frame with better than expected openings. Spain opened No. 2 with $797K at 240 dates and Argentina was No. 3 with $752K at 100 dates. Both mark the biggest bow for the series in the respective markets. Malaysia ($376K), Singapore ($264K) and Thailand ($280K) also had good starts. In the 24 territories where it has been unmasked, Election Year is outpacing The Purge ($22M lifetime) and The Purge: Anarchy ($33M lifetime). Rollout will continue over the next few months.
THE BFG
In its 3rd overseas frame, Steven Spielberg’s BFG scooped up $2.9M in five territories where Disney is releasing. The international cume is $17.1M for a global total of $64.4M. While not a giant run for the folks involved, BFG is finding some strength in Australia where it dropped 43% this weekend. Argentina was new this frame, kicking off with $800K. There are several majors to come including family-friendly Brazil and Mexico, along with Korea and Japan.
MISC UPDATED CUMES/HIGHLIGHTS
Disney’s Alice Through The Looking Glass had a date with $2.6M for the frame in 22 territories. The offshore total has now crossed $200M with $200.4M to date and Korea on deck in September. The global cume has reached $276.7M. Fox’s comedy holdover Mike & Dave Need Wedding Dates picked up $2.1M in 21 markets. The international total is now $7M. Australia dipped 41% from open for a total $3.7M. More invitations go out in 10 markets two weeks from now including Brazil and Holland. Before taking the Bolly to Holland next weekend, Patsy and Edina have been sloshing it up in the UK with a 17-day $17.9M tally on Absolutely Fabulous: The Movie. The frame added $1.6M on 723 screens. Warcraft orc-ed out another $1M in 53 overseas markets this frame for a Universal total of $164.2M. Combined with the domestic and China grosses, the cume is now $432.2M.
Must Read Stories
Subscribe to Deadline Breaking News Alerts and keep your inbox happy.