While Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber Of Fleet Street was the highest entrant in this week's international box-office chart, there were a number of new European entries that catch the eye.
The Warner Bros film, directed by Tim Burton, took $8,111,368 over the weekend, playing on 1,092 screens in five territories. It will now be looking for a further bounce from this week's Oscar nominations.
Best picture nomination Juno finally made it into the international chart, after its phenomenal US success (currently number four in the North America chart, grossing $87,092,615 to date).
With Twentieth Century Fox distributing, Juno logged gross takings of $1,673,695 across 168 screens in its opening international release in Australia.
French affair
Two non-US debuts made the top-20 this week. France's A Widow At Last (Enfin Veuve) reached number 15 with its weekend takings totalling $4,268,093. The Gaumont-released film is currently playing in both its home territory and Belgium, for an average of $8,502 across 502 screens.
Widow is actress Isabelle Mergault's second film as a director, and stars Michele Laroque and Jacques Gamblin.
The best screen average of the week went to Alex de la Iglesia's The Oxford Murders, which entered the chart at 17 after opening in Spain. The film sees John Hurt and Elijah Wood star as a professor and a grad-student who combine their efforts to solve a series of murders connected by the appearance of mathematical symbols at the crime scenes.
The Spain/UK/France co-production will have strong international ambitions with de la Iglesia's track record on films such as La Comunidad and Ferpect Crime. It is also based on a Argentinian Guillermo Martinez's award-winning novel, which has sold well worldwide. The film had the highest screen average of the week at $12,346, playing on 263 screens and amassing $3,246,990 to date solely in Spain.
Monster smash
The Paramount/UIP-distributed Cloverfield has landed at the top of the North American chart, and looks set to repeat this success internationally, particularly if word-of-mouth and its viral internet campaign continue to have an influence.
Grossing $4,389,402 and playing on 457 screens, the JJ Abrams-produced film had a more-than-decent screen average of $9,605. The handheld action film is told from the point of view of a group of party revellers trying to survive a monster attack on New York.
The international top 10 this week continues to be dominated by the studios, with Will Smith's I Am Legend still clinging to the top spot.
| ANALYSIS: INTERNATIONAL BOX-OFFICE WEEKEND JANUARY 18-20 | ||||||
| (Last | 3-day | |||||
| week) | Film (origin) | gross $ | Scrs | Cume $ | Terr | |
| 1 | (1) | I Am Legend (US) | $28,120,820 | 5,369 | $260,893,456 | 49 |
| 2 | (3) | Alien Vs Predator: Requiem (US) | $11,237,043 | 4,116 | $69,082,131 | 48 |
| 3 | (4) | Alvin And The Chipmunks (US) | $10,135,493 | 3,662 | $95,198,448 | 38 |
| 4 | (7) | American Gangster (US) | $9,144,231 | 1,658 | $93,042,516 | 37 |
| 5 | (13) | P.S. I Love You (US) | $8,916,644 | 1,438 | $31,113,806 | 13 |
| 6 | (2) | National Treasure: Book of Secrets (US) | $8,370,194 | 3,883 | $143,299,731 | 36 |
| 7 | New | Sweeney Todd ... (US) | $8,111,368 | 1,092 | $8,673,954 | 5 |
| 8 | (6) | Enchanted (US) | $5,913,704 | 3,358 | $161,158,330 | 32 |
| 9 | (5) | The Golden Compass (US-UK) | $4,723,651 | 3,724 | $252,991,908 | 48 |
| 10 | (16) | Charlie Wilson's War (US) | $4,669,680 | 882 | $10,295,773 | 10 |
| 11 | (10) | Keinohrhasen (Ger) | $4,568,679 | 691 | $36,149,585 | 3 |
| 12 | New | Cloverfield (US) | $4,389,402 | 457 | $4,389,402 | 6 |
| 13 | (11) | Atonement (UK) | $4,362,930 | 1,052 | $50,065,359 | 27 |
| 14 | (8) | Bee Movie (US) | $4,302,465 | 3,244 | $148,301,549 | 44 |
| 15 | New | A Widow At Last (Fr) | $4,268,093 | 502 | $4,268,093 | 3 |
| 16 | (12) | Women's Team Handball (S Kor) | $3,761,725 | 430 | $10,597,622 | 1 |
| 17 | New | The Oxford Murders (Sp-UK) | $3,246,990 | 263 | $3,246,990 | 1 |
| 18 | (28) | The Kite Runner (US) | $3,076,475 | 512 | $8,738,113 | 9 |
| 19 | (9) | L'Allenatore Nel Pallone 2 (It) | $2,535,255 | 481 | $10,116,005 | 1 |
| 20 | (18) | 27 Dresses (US) | $2,500,996 | 286 | $7,310,948 | 4 |
| 21 | (14) | Earth (Fr) | $2,476,062 | 331 | $25,211,566 | 3 |
| 22 | (65) | No Country For Old Men (US) | $2,468,402 | 206 | $5,231,700 | 2 |
| 23 | (15) | The Irony Of Fate 2 (Rus) | $2,284,372 | 767 | $52,723,430 | 5 |
| 24 | (20) | Into The Wild (US) | $2,029,708 | 282 | $8,443,398 | 5 |
| 25 | (17) | Open City (S Kor) | $1,993,256 | 338 | $7,026,330 | 1 |
| 26 | (39) | Love In The Time of Cholera (US) | $1,824,109 | 711 | $15,494,841 | 14 |
| 27 | (19) | Black And White (It) | $1,822,754 | 301 | $5,116,657 | 1 |
| 28 | New | Juno (US) | $1,673,695 | 168 | $1,673,695 | 1 |
| 29 | (22) | St Trinian's (UK) | $1,672,249 | 381 | $20,298,329 | 1 |
| 30 | (29) | The Mist (US) | $1,477,904 | 435 | 7,954,023 | 5 |
| 31 | New | Hellcats (S Kor) | $1,460,624 | 274 | $1,811,549 | 1 |
| 32 | (35) | Maskeli Besler: Kibris (Tur) | $1,398,965 | 367 | $3,325,862 | 5 |
| 33 | (*) | 1408 (US) | $1,393,397 | 356 | $55,220,882 | 6 |
| 34 | (40) | Lust, Caution (Tai/HK) | $1,358,174 | 405 | $54,828,377 | 10 |
| 35 | (23) | Season Of Snow (Jap) | $1,207,860 | 266 | $4,904,830 | 1 |
| 36 | (30) | The Water Horse (US) | $1,190,170 | 466 | $6,620,430 | 3 |
| 37 | (*) | Survivre Avec Les Loups (Fr) | $1,097,425 | 204 | $1,644,505 | 2 |
| 38 | (24) | Arn ... Knight Templar (Swe) | $1,076,923 | 257 | $14,534,552 | 3 |
| 39 | (*) | Mr Bean's Holiday (UK) | $1,008,152 | 137 | $193,054,838 | 1 |
| 40 | (63) | Saw IV (US) | $975,544 | 375 | $55,824,722 | 12 |
| * Re-entry (c) Screen International, compiled by Leonard Klady | ||||||
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