Shock Tactics

The Jason Statham vehicle electrified audiences in 12 territories alongside North America, including the UK, Russia and Germany where the film took the top spot with $3.1m from 405 screens. Its opening there was a massive 267% boost over the 2006 original’s performance, but the UK market stayed more or less level at $810,000 from 319. Overall the film grossed more than $9m from 1,442 screens, averaging $6,300 a screen (see review, p23).

Political thriller State Of Play (currently number two in the North American chart) began its international campaign in four markets, including Spain where it debuted in the top spot. Russell Crowe, Ben Affleck and Helen Mirren star in the big-screen adaptation of the BBC TV mini-series, and the film took $2m from 386 screens, mostly from Spain. After opening in the UK this weekend, and Italy and South Korea on April 30, State Of Play will continue to roll out internationally through May and June.

French spy spoof OSS 177: Rio Ne Repond Plus, charted one place behind Crank: High Voltage, earning $8.7m from 627 screens in France, Belgium and French-speaking Switzerland. The comedy, which stars Jean Dujardin, is a follow up to OSS 117: Cairo, Nest Of Spies, which opened on the same weekend in 2006, and took a total of $18.9m across its worldwide run.

Debuting at number one in the Japanese chart, Toho’s Detective Conan: The Raven Chaser came sixth in Screen’s chart. The 13th instalment in the anime series, the film played on 341 screens and took $6m, 28% up on the series’ previous best opening. It also earned the film the highest screen average of the week, with $17,600. The last three films in the franchise have all grossed more than $20m locally, with 2006’s Detective Conan: The Private Eye’s Requiem leading the pack on $26.1m.