The Da Vinci Code maintained its grip on theinternational marketplace this weekend, while X-Men: The Last Stand slidand Poseidon had mixed fortunes in its first major-territory launches.

The Da Vinci Code's estimated $52m gross from 11,625screens in 84 markets kept the Holy Grail adventure from Sony PicturesReleasing International (SPRI) ahead of the pack for the third successiveweekend. The tally was only 44% down on the film's second-weekend internationaltake of $92.8m (which came from more screens but a couple fewer markets).

With its international total now standing at $410m, DaVinci will this week overtake Spider-Man (which ended up with$417.9m from international markets) and become SPRI's highest-grossing filmever.

Da Vinci opened in just one new market, grossing$690,000 from 34 screens in the United Arab Emirates. But over its thirdweekend it held up impressively well in many of its holdover territories.

In Japan, the estimated gross of $7m from 857 screens wasdown only 23% and kept the film at number one, with a total for the territoryof $48.4m.

Italy was among the Catholic European countries in which DaVinci fared particularly well. The gross was down just 5% to $5.7m from 894screens, pushing the total for the territory to $31.4m and keeping the film intop place.

Germany produced another chart-topping gross, $5m (down 54%)from 1,171 screens, for a total of $36.8m.

Da Vinci came second in France, with $3.6m (down 53%)from 945 screens (total - $26.6m), and in the UK, with $3.6m (down 60%) from1,070 screens (total - $45.5m).

It was top in Spain, with a gross of $3.5m (down 41%) from748 screens (total - $25.5m); second in Australia, with $2m (down 28%) from 493screens (total - $15m); second in Brazil, with $2m (down 31%) from 534 screens(total - $13.1m); third in Korea, with $1.6m (down 60%) from 221 screens (total$19.1m); and third in Mexico, with $1.6m (down 44%) from 768 screens (total -$15.8m).

Da Vinci topped box office charts in smallerterritories including Switzerland, Austria, Holland, Belgium, Denmark, Sweden,Argentina and New Zealand.

Fox International's X-Men: The Last Stand took anestimated $33.5m over the weekend, from 8,108 international screens. That was56% down from the sequel's $76.1m debut on 8,543 screens (though the firstweekend total was from 95 territories and Fox said only 58 territories reportedfor the second weekend figure). Last Stand dropped an average of 48% inmajor markets.

The film's international total reached $135.5m, which meansthat Last Stand will this week pass the $139m international take of theoriginal X-Men (the franchise's second installment, X2: X-Men United,finished with $192m internationally).

Last Stand took an estimated $4.4m (down 61%) from450 screens in the UK, for a territory total of $26.1m. It grossed $3.5m (down67%) from 756 screens in France, but held on to top spot and brought its totalto $15.2m.

A gross of $3m (down 47%) from 1,000 screens kept the filmat the top in Mexico (where the total reached $11.6m). Spain produced a grossof $2.4m (down 48%) from 460 screens, for a total of $8.1m. And Germany added$2.3m (down 55%) from 881 screens, for second place and a $9.1m total.

Last Stand was number one in Australia, with $2.1m(down 57%) from 395 screens (total - $8.4m), and in Brazil, with $2m (down 37%)from 563 screens (total - $6.9m).

Italy produced a number two ranking and another $2m gross(down 13%), this one from 513 screens (total - $5.4m). Russia contributed $1.5m(down 50%) from 420 screens (total - $5.3m).

Warner Bros International's Poseidon had its firstmajor-territory openings this weekend and brought in an estimated $22.9m from3.5m admissions and 3,360 prints in 15 markets. That brought the film'sinternational total to date to $34.1m.

The disaster adventure was expected to be number one inKorea, where it opened with $6.2m from 932,500 admissions and 255 prints.Warner said that in Seoul, Poseidon opened better than Armageddon and TheDay After Tomorrow.

In Japan, the gross was $2.7m from 227,500 admissions and415 prints, which is expected to rank Poseidon third.

The film was expected to hold onto top spot in Taiwan, wherethe second-weekend gross was $620,000 from 82,000 admissions and 180 prints.

Poseidon is likely to finish third in the UK, whereit opened with an estimated $2.4m from 441 situations. Second place is expectedin Italy, where the gross was $2m from 265,000 admissions and 350 prints.

In Mexico, where a number two ranking is expected, Poseidonopened with an estimated $2.6m from 682,200 admissions and 504 prints.

In Australia, the opening gross was an estimated $1.4m from184,200 admissions and 302 prints.

Also getting its first international openings this weekendwas Universal's United 93. Distributed by UIP, the film grossed anestimated $2m from 528 play dates in the UK, Germany, Austria andGerman-Switzerland.

The September 11-themed docu-thriller opened at number fivein the UK, with $1m from 276 dates, and at number four in Germany, with$710,000 from 195 dates.

The weekend's other new international launch was SPRI's RV,which grossed $1m from 311 screens in nine markets. It opened with $745,000from 182 screens in Australia and $225,000 from 100 screens in Italy.

Several longer-term international holdovers had goodweekends.

Paramount's Over the Hedge grossed $6.7m throughdistributor UIP from 730 locations in nine territories, bringing itsinternational total to $8.6m. The animated movie opened with $2.1m from 220locations in Korea (where UIP is not distributing) and with $4m from 321locations in Russia.

Paramount's Mission: Impossible III, also handled byUIP, had another strong weekend, grossing an estimated $6.6m from 3,500locations, off 49% from last weekend. With China, India and Japan still toopen, the film's international total has reached $193.9m.

The Wild, from Buena Vista International (BVI),grossed an estimated $3.5m from 1,700 locations in 24 territories, pushing itsinternational total to $43.2m.

The animated children's film opened at number three inGermany with $1.2m from 400 locations. And in its second weekend in the UK itfell only 31% to $1.3m from 400 locations, for a number four placing and aten-day total of $6.4m.

BVI's Scary Movie 4 took $1.1m from 950 locations in21 territories, bringing its total international take to $65.5m. The spoofcomedy opened with $815,000 from 150 locations in Brazil, a 20% improvement onthe third film in the franchise.

SPRI's When A Stranger Calls grossed $790,000 from400 screens in 12 markets, for an international total to date of $11.3m. Itopened at third place in Spain, with $740,000 from 250 screens.

Universal/UIP's Inside Man grossed $650,000 from 550dates in 25 territories, raising its total to $87.9m. And the samestudio/distributor's Curious George took $600,000 at 712 dates in fourterritories, for a total of $3.2m. The animated kids' film was off 40% in itssecond weekend in the UK, with an estimated weekend gross of $375,000 from 309dates.