The total gross of Screen International's international chart was down 7.8% week on week for the first box-office weekend of September. Warner Bros' The Dark Knight was knocked from the top spot for the second time, ousted by Universal Pictures' Mamma Mia! The Movie which opened in a further six territories this week. The musical boasted a 38% week-on-week increase, earning $16.4m from 39 territories, and is poised to pass the $300m mark internationally.

Warner Bros' RocknRolla, directed by Guy Ritchie, entered the chart as the highest new entry at number 16, after debuting at number one on home turf in the UK. The London-set crime caper stars Tom Wilkinson, Gerald Butler and Thandie Newton. It took $2.9m, from 362 screens for a screen average of $7,905, putting RocknRolla on track to overtake the $6.7m international gross of Ritchie's Revolver in 2005. Ritchie's most successful film in the international market is 2000's Snatch, which took $53.2m.

Pathe's costume drama The Duchess also opened in the UK this week, entering the international chart at number 18. Directed by Saul Dibb, whose credits include Bullet Boy, the film stars Keira Knightley as the 18th century Duchess of Devonshire. The Duchess garnered $2.6m from 426 screens for a screen average of $6,017.

Che, Part One: The Argentine, the first part of Steven Soderbergh's epic Che Guevera biopic, opened in its first territory in Spain via 20th Century Fox. IFC has North American rights The Argentine topped the Spanish chart with $2.7m from 336 screens.

Toho's Twentieth Century Boys earned the highest screen average of $12,934 in the international chart for the second consecutive week. The sci-fi manga-based film grossed $4m from 310 screens, leapfrogging Spri's Hancock to reach the top of the Japanese chart.

Analysis: International box-office Weekend September 5-7
(Last3-day
week)Film (origin)gross $ScrsCume $Terr
1(2)Mamma Mia! The Movie (US)$16,355,8303430$281,536,87639
2(7)The Mummy: Tomb Of The Dragon... (US)$12,728,7644505$257,140,04855
3(1)The Dark Knight (US)$12,241,3694786$435,500,26757
4(5)Wall-E (US)$6,812,2833050$184,692,18137
5(3)Kung Fu Panda (US)$6,718,7652758$397,334,10135
6(14)Wanted (US)$6,125,0871590$147,684,81829
7(9)Babylon AD (Fr)$5,138,1612004$18,366,42519
8(6)You Don't Mess With The Zohan (US)$5,110,3082167$78,387,15832
9(22)Bangkok Dangerous (US)$4,770,2341442$9,616,65010
10(8)Hellboy II: The Golden Army (US)$4,738,7311741$51,913,81925
11(16)Journey To The Centre Of The Earth (US)$4,116,7561433$58,819,22820
12(4)Hancock (US)$4,039,3711084$362,429,38029
13(10)Twentieth Century Boys (Jap)$4,009,427310$14,333,8631
14(27)The Divine Weapon (S Kor)$3,787,400580$5,987,3111
15(11)Ponyo On The Cliff By The Sea (Jap)$3,482,862481$123,817,5111
16NewRocknRolla (US-UK)$2,861,622362$2,861,6221
17NewChe, Part One: The Argentine (US-UK)$2,720,073336$2,720,0731
18NewThe Duchess (UK)$2,563,222426$2,563,2221
19(15)Step Brothers (US)$2,464,357551$8,420,3045
20(13)Tropic Thunder (US)$2,425,910845$17,904,50815
21(12)Star Wars: The Clone Wars (US)$2,411,9523128$25,935,27335
22*Nim's Island (US)$2,129,746777$43,582,7618
23(19)Get Smart (US)$1,899,9071036$88,547,61631
24NewHigh School Musical: El Desafio (Mex)$1,853,611361$1,853,6111
25NewDisaster Movie (US)$1,712,478354$1,712,4783
26(20)Detroit Metal City (Japan)$1,690,501241$13,316,4341
27(24)The Chronicles Of Narnia: Prince Caspian (US)$1,627,8261261$275,571,79216
28NewComme Les Autres (Fr)$1,626,538251$1,626,5381
29(18)The Strangers (US)$1,616,385451$11,970,0329
30(21)Taken (Fr)$1,544,919768$46,505,0787
31NewA Perfect Day (It)$1,350,865403$1,350,8651
32(23)Meet Dave (US)$1,218,501851$33,305,56314
33*X-Files: I Want To Believe (US)$1,198,236541$42,070,21911
34(25)Space Chimps (US)$1,171,446869$14,533,82411
35(26)Sex And The City (US)$1,088,935445$251,801,55712
36(37)The Accidental Husband (US)$1,015,428276$7,314,8213
37(31)Rock On (Ind)$1,001,733402$3,443,10315
38(30)The Girl From Monaco (Fr)$963,652400$5,413,4493
39(33)Happy-Go-Lucky (UK)$927,489267$9,540,7266
40(32)Arn: The Kingdom At Road's End (Swe)$845,629227$5,188,7893
*Re-entry (c) Screen International, compiled by Leonard Klady