While Shrek 2 hit araft of new territories last weekend, claiming records for best animatedopening ever in most (see ScreenDaily.com, June 23) including Mexico,Brazil, Australia and New Zealand, it is not yet on enough screens or in enoughterritories to topple Harry Potter.

The boy wizard's thirdcinematic adventure, The Prisoner Of Azkaban, retained the top spot internationallyafter adding eight new territories. These included a number one bow in Spainwhere the film featured twice in the weekend top 20, at number one for thegeneral release and at 15 for the three screen Imax release (see ScreenDaily.comWorld Box Office section for details).

Despite the additionalterritory launches Potter lost over 1000 international screens this weekand as Shrek 2 spreads across Europe over the next couple of weeks thescreen power will continue to shift towards the animated hit.

Fox's The Day AfterTomorrow continues to whip up a storm internationally and should pass $300mnext weekend, an achievement reached by fellow blockbuster Warner Bros' Troylate last week. Tomorrow currently stand son $275m after four weeks, Troyon $313m after six.

Strong launches in France andFrench-speaking Switzerland saw Gerard Pires' (Taxi) latest comedy DoubleZero take fifth position.

This was followed in sixth bygood showings for US hit teen-comedy Mean Girls. The Lindsay Lohanvehicle opened in small territories Iceland and Slovenia but took most of itsmoney from a strong showing in the UK and Ireland. The Republic Of Ireland wasparticularly strong where the film ranked top of the chart knocking HarryPotter off (see ScreenDaily.com World Box Office section fordetails).

Japanese hit Crying OutFor Love In The Center Of The World continued to play well in its homecountry and has now passed $50m since its debut seven weeks ago for Toho.

Garry Marshall's latestcomedy, Raising Helen, gained three new territories to leap 98% andthree positions to 12th. The film, which stars Kate Hudson, has yet to openin most territories. In Germany this weekend, its biggest territory launch sofar, it managed only fifth place in the chart. Meanwhile in Australia it saw a58% drop in its third week but this was one of the smaller chart drop-offs inthe wake of Shrek 2's opening.

Four territories took part inthe first leg of Around The World In 80 Days which managed an okay$5,515 average from 157 screens. It scored number ones in Thailand ($270,000from 95 screens), Malaysia ($195,000 from 21) and Singapore ($310,000 from 28).The comedy adventure will need to perform well internationally if it is to makeup for the disastrous start to its North American run at the weekend.

For full international boxoffice chart, click here

International box office chart compiled by Leonard Klady