Sci-fi action-thriller Minority Report received a host of strong international openings this weekend - including the UK and Hong Kong - to gross $12.7m over the weekend, its third on international release. 20th Century Fox's film has taken $22.3m internationally so far and has yet to open in eight of the top ten international territories. In the US, the film has grossed $97.1m after three weeks.

Report grossed $5.9m (£3.9m) over the three-day weekend (July 5-7) from 426 sites in the UK and Ireland for a mighty average of $13,844 per site. Added to the $961,190 from 422 sites that the film, which features Ireland's Colin Farrell and British actress Samantha Morton alongside star Tom Cruise, claimed on Thursday July 4 - its official opening day - it amassed a four-day gross of $6.9m.

This made the Steven Spielberg film the fifth biggest opening of the year so far and provided the director his third highest UK opening ever behind The Lost World: Jurassic Park ($8.6m) and Jurassic Park ($7.4m), easily outshining last year's A.I. Artificial Intelligence ($3.5m) and 1998's Saving Private Ryan ($4.1m). It also brought Cruise his second biggest UK opening, behind 2000's Mission: Impossible 2 ($7.0m).

Sweden also saw the film take pole position at the weekend with $517,285 (skr4.8m) in three days from 93 screens and $884,200 over five days since opening on July 3.

Outside Europe the thriller delivered Fox its second highest opening weekend of all time in Hong Kong with a resounding $1.1m (HK$8.8m) from 67 sites - an average of $16,886 per screen. It also performed well in other Asian territories, opening in Thailand with $860,470 (Baht 35.5m) at 201 screens, $568,537 (S$998,860) from 45 in Singapore - a mighty $12,634 screen average - and $278,640 (Ringgit 1.06m) from 56 screens in Malaysia. Report also opened in Jamaica where it claimed $38,000 (J$1.8m) from six screens.

Minority Report received its international debut on June 20 in Australia, where it opened second to Scooby-Doo, taking $2.1m (A$3.8m) in its opening week. After three weekends on release its total stands at $4.8m (A$8.5). On its second international weekend (June 28-30) it became Fox's all-time biggest opener in Taiwan grossing $1.5m (Tai$49.8m) from 137 screens. That weekend also recorded launches in the Philippines ($356,000 from 110) and New Zealand ($289,000 at 60).

The next major territories to receive it are South Korea and Mexico on July 26, followed by Argentina and Brazil (Aug 1 and 2 respectively), Italy (Sept 27), Belgium and France (both Oct 2), Germany and the Netherlands (both Oct 3), Spain (Oct 4) and Japan (Dec 7). Spielberg's next film, Catch Me If You Can starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Tom Hanks, rolls out internationally in January 2003.

TOP TEN STEVEN SPIELBERG FILMS AT INTERNATIONAL BO

Title (Year of Int'l release) Total Int'l gross Total Worldwide gross
1 Jurassic Park (1993) $563m $920.1m
2 The Lost World: Jurassic Park (1997) $385m $614.4m
3 E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial (1982+2002) $335.8m ($305m+$30.8m) $770.6m*
4 Indiana Jones & The Last Crusade (1989) $297.6m $494.8m
5 Saving Private Ryan (1998) $263.2m $479.3m
6 Schindler's List (1993) $225.1m $321.2m
7 Jaws (1975) $210.6m $470.6m
8 Hook (1992) $181.2m $300.9m
9 Close Encounters Of The Third Kind (1978) $171.7m $300m
10 A.I. Artificial Intelligence (2001) $156.4m $235m

*20th Anniversary Edition re-release still on release.