Beowulf's $19.4m estimated weekend haul raised the number one overseas film to an even $75m as Warner Bros Pictures International (WBPI) celebrated reaching the $2bn milestone for the year-to-date.
The action film's sterling year-end performance has been a timely one and propelled the distributor to its second $2bn mark after $2.2bn in 2004, which remains an all-time industry record.
Harry Potter And The Order Of The Phoenix's staggering $645m accounted for the bulk of WBPI's achievement, but it was the distributor's strength in depth that cast a spell over 2007.
300 took $246m, Ocean's Thirteen grossed $194m, Happy Feet took $74m of its $187m international total in 2007, and there was solid support from The Departed, Zodiac, Blood Diamond, Music & Lyrics and No Reservations.
WBPI marketing chief Sue Kroll and distribution chief Veronika Kwan-Rubinek also paid tribute to mighty performances by El Orfanato (The Orphanage) in Spain and Ho Voglia Di Te in Italy.
WBPI has been the top grossing overseas distributor four out of the last six years (2001, 2002, 2004 and 2005) and has crossed the $1bn box office mark for the last seven years.
'2007 has been a remarkable year for our division as we were given the opportunity to offer such a wide variety of extraordinary Warner Bros Pictures to audiences around the world, with great reception,' Kroll and Kwan-Rubinek said in a joint statement. 'We also see this as an acknowledgement of the strategic positioning of our films, as well as tremendous teamwork and cooperation from everyone involved in our organisation.'
The 2007 tally, $62m of which comes from Village Roadshow Pictures territories, is tracking 78% ahead of the comparable period in 2006. With I Am Legend starring Will Smith waiting in the wings and Beowulf still active, there may be more treasures to come in the final four weeks of the year.
Beowulf was active on more than 6,700 screens in 60 markets this weekend and performed well in three major launches. Japan generated $2m (¥211m) from 292 screens and was battling for the number one berth with local title Always 2.
Australia produced a number one $1.9m (A$2.2m) haul from 269 screens including 1 IMAX and 10 3D digital screens, while Brazil generated another number one result on $1.2m (R$2.18m) from 295 screens including five 3D digital screens).
Beowulf launched in second place in Turkey on $870,000 (US$780,000) from 139 screens nationwide that included previews, and opened top in New Zealand on $306,000 (NZ$407,000) from 61 screens.
After three weekends the adventure stands at $12.2m in the UK, $5.1m in Spain, $5m in Germany, $4.8m in Italy, $3.7m in Mexico and $3.1m.
Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures International's (WDSMPI) family film Enchanted added $10.7m from 1,600 theatres in 12 countries at the weekend to raise its tally to $20m.
The film soared to the top in France thanks to a $5m haul from 545 sites that claimed 35% market share, and it stayed top for the second weekend in Spain after dropping 35% on $2.2m from 340 for $5.9m.
Enchanted fell 46% in its second weekend in Russia on $1.4m for $4.4m and has already passed the lifetime total of Chicken Little.
It opened top in Malaysia on $600,000 and added $458,000 from 42 screens in Singapore after a 36% drop to reach $1.5m. Enchanted opens in Italy next weekend and the UK and Mexico the weekend after that.
WDSMPI's Ratatouille added $2.3m and now stands at $406m. It is now within reach of Spider-Man 2's $410m to become the 27th biggest international release of all time.
Fox International found the mark with Hitman as the video game adaptation earned $10m from 2,200 screens in 29 markets to raise the early running total to $11.8m.
The action adventure opened in second place in the UK on $2.5m from 350 screens, debuted in Russia on $2.4m from 350 screens and opened in fourth place in Spain on $1.2m from 300 screens.
In other launches, Hitman opened in third place in Mexico on $644,000 from 309 screens, took $635,000 in South Korea from 150 screens, placed first in Denmark on $462,000 from 41 screens and took $282,000 from 49 screens and $269,000 from 50 screens in Holland and Belgium, respectively.
A $2m weekend haul from 1,900 screens in 56 markets for Robert Redford's anti-war drama Lions For Lambs raised the international running total to $29.2m. The film has amassed $5.8m after four weekends in Spain and taken approximately $2m in France.
Universal's crime drama American Gangster took $7m from 1,600 venues in 17 territories through UPI for an early $41m international running total.
The film opened top in the United Arab Emirates on an unspecified amount, but the bulk of weekend business came from strong holds. American Gangster ranked third in the UK in its third weekend as $2.2m (£1.1m) from 420 sites raised the tally to $15.7m (£7.8m), and placed second in Germany on $1.2m from 346 sites for $7.3m after the same amount of time.
It added $1.4m from 366 locations in France for $8.2m after three weekends and is expected to overtake the lifetime gross of Inside Man next weekend. The film ranked number one in Austria for the third weekend in a row as $200,000 from 62 raised the tally to $1.1m.
Elizabeth: The Golden Age took $2m from 1,070 sites in 22 territories for $32m. The historical drama ranked fourth in Australia in its third weekend on $520,000 from 223 sites for $3.3m, and ranked third in New Zealand after the same amount of time on $80,000 from 54 for $500,000. The UK tally stands at $10.1m after five weekends and there are 35 territories to go over the next three months.
The Kingdom grossed $1.2m from 707 locations in 37 territories for $34.8m, Atonement stands at $30.9m and has 45 territories to go over the next three months, and The Bourne Ultimatum added $1m from 400 venues in 15 territories for $210.5m.
Universal's Japanese co-production Midnight Eagle held well in its second weekend in Japan as $975,000 from 313 sites raised the tally to $2.6m. In its second weekend Universal's Italian acquisition Lezioni Di Cioccolato (Chocolate Lessons) ranked fifth in Italy on $790,000 from 163 venues to stand at $2.1m. Brazilian co-production Tropa De Elite (Elite Squad), ranked 10th in its ninth weekend in Brazil and the crime drama has grossed $11.2m.
DreamWorks-Paramount's The Heartbreak Kid added $6.8m through PPI from 2,191 sites to raise the running total to $72m. The comedy remake opened in France on $2.1m from 319 locations.
The animated family film Bee Movie added $6m from 1,345 locations in 11 territories for $18.8m, fired up by six launches. The highlights were $2.4m in Mexico from 397 screens, $2.3m in Spain from 421 sites and $208,000 from 31 screens in Israel.
The fantasy adventure Stardust is bearing down on $100m after a $1.3m weekend haul from 1,104 locations in 60 territories raised the international running total to 94.7m.
Resident Evil: Extinction grossed $1.4m from 875 screens in 28 markets through Sony Pictures Releasing International (SPRI) for $58.2m. The action horror grossed $1.5m through all distributors and stands at $92.9m overall.
The animated title Surf's Up added $1.5m from 1,390 screens in 27 markets for $83.9m. It opened at number one in South Africa on $235,000 from 75 screens.
30 Days Of Night added $1m on 405 screens in nine SPRI markets for $2.6m. The vampire thriller opened in fourth place in Mexico on $340,000 from 175 screens and opened in third in Taiwan, Hong Kong and Singapore on $210,000 from 55, $165,000 from 25 and $160,000 from 25, respectively. SPRI and Mandate International share overseas rights.
Mandate International's Saw IV raised its tally by $4m from 30 territories to $49.5m.
The action film's sterling year-end performance has been a timely one and propelled the distributor to its second $2bn mark after $2.2bn in 2004, which remains an all-time industry record.
Harry Potter And The Order Of The Phoenix's staggering $645m accounted for the bulk of WBPI's achievement, but it was the distributor's strength in depth that cast a spell over 2007.
300 took $246m, Ocean's Thirteen grossed $194m, Happy Feet took $74m of its $187m international total in 2007, and there was solid support from The Departed, Zodiac, Blood Diamond, Music & Lyrics and No Reservations.
WBPI marketing chief Sue Kroll and distribution chief Veronika Kwan-Rubinek also paid tribute to mighty performances by El Orfanato (The Orphanage) in Spain and Ho Voglia Di Te in Italy.
WBPI has been the top grossing overseas distributor four out of the last six years (2001, 2002, 2004 and 2005) and has crossed the $1bn box office mark for the last seven years.
'2007 has been a remarkable year for our division as we were given the opportunity to offer such a wide variety of extraordinary Warner Bros Pictures to audiences around the world, with great reception,' Kroll and Kwan-Rubinek said in a joint statement. 'We also see this as an acknowledgement of the strategic positioning of our films, as well as tremendous teamwork and cooperation from everyone involved in our organisation.'
The 2007 tally, $62m of which comes from Village Roadshow Pictures territories, is tracking 78% ahead of the comparable period in 2006. With I Am Legend starring Will Smith waiting in the wings and Beowulf still active, there may be more treasures to come in the final four weeks of the year.
Beowulf was active on more than 6,700 screens in 60 markets this weekend and performed well in three major launches. Japan generated $2m (¥211m) from 292 screens and was battling for the number one berth with local title Always 2.
Australia produced a number one $1.9m (A$2.2m) haul from 269 screens including 1 IMAX and 10 3D digital screens, while Brazil generated another number one result on $1.2m (R$2.18m) from 295 screens including five 3D digital screens).
Beowulf launched in second place in Turkey on $870,000 (US$780,000) from 139 screens nationwide that included previews, and opened top in New Zealand on $306,000 (NZ$407,000) from 61 screens.
After three weekends the adventure stands at $12.2m in the UK, $5.1m in Spain, $5m in Germany, $4.8m in Italy, $3.7m in Mexico and $3.1m.
Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures International's (WDSMPI) family film Enchanted added $10.7m from 1,600 theatres in 12 countries at the weekend to raise its tally to $20m.
The film soared to the top in France thanks to a $5m haul from 545 sites that claimed 35% market share, and it stayed top for the second weekend in Spain after dropping 35% on $2.2m from 340 for $5.9m.
Enchanted fell 46% in its second weekend in Russia on $1.4m for $4.4m and has already passed the lifetime total of Chicken Little.
It opened top in Malaysia on $600,000 and added $458,000 from 42 screens in Singapore after a 36% drop to reach $1.5m. Enchanted opens in Italy next weekend and the UK and Mexico the weekend after that.
WDSMPI's Ratatouille added $2.3m and now stands at $406m. It is now within reach of Spider-Man 2's $410m to become the 27th biggest international release of all time.
Fox International found the mark with Hitman as the video game adaptation earned $10m from 2,200 screens in 29 markets to raise the early running total to $11.8m.
The action adventure opened in second place in the UK on $2.5m from 350 screens, debuted in Russia on $2.4m from 350 screens and opened in fourth place in Spain on $1.2m from 300 screens.
In other launches, Hitman opened in third place in Mexico on $644,000 from 309 screens, took $635,000 in South Korea from 150 screens, placed first in Denmark on $462,000 from 41 screens and took $282,000 from 49 screens and $269,000 from 50 screens in Holland and Belgium, respectively.
A $2m weekend haul from 1,900 screens in 56 markets for Robert Redford's anti-war drama Lions For Lambs raised the international running total to $29.2m. The film has amassed $5.8m after four weekends in Spain and taken approximately $2m in France.
Universal's crime drama American Gangster took $7m from 1,600 venues in 17 territories through UPI for an early $41m international running total.
The film opened top in the United Arab Emirates on an unspecified amount, but the bulk of weekend business came from strong holds. American Gangster ranked third in the UK in its third weekend as $2.2m (£1.1m) from 420 sites raised the tally to $15.7m (£7.8m), and placed second in Germany on $1.2m from 346 sites for $7.3m after the same amount of time.
It added $1.4m from 366 locations in France for $8.2m after three weekends and is expected to overtake the lifetime gross of Inside Man next weekend. The film ranked number one in Austria for the third weekend in a row as $200,000 from 62 raised the tally to $1.1m.
Elizabeth: The Golden Age took $2m from 1,070 sites in 22 territories for $32m. The historical drama ranked fourth in Australia in its third weekend on $520,000 from 223 sites for $3.3m, and ranked third in New Zealand after the same amount of time on $80,000 from 54 for $500,000. The UK tally stands at $10.1m after five weekends and there are 35 territories to go over the next three months.
The Kingdom grossed $1.2m from 707 locations in 37 territories for $34.8m, Atonement stands at $30.9m and has 45 territories to go over the next three months, and The Bourne Ultimatum added $1m from 400 venues in 15 territories for $210.5m.
Universal's Japanese co-production Midnight Eagle held well in its second weekend in Japan as $975,000 from 313 sites raised the tally to $2.6m. In its second weekend Universal's Italian acquisition Lezioni Di Cioccolato (Chocolate Lessons) ranked fifth in Italy on $790,000 from 163 venues to stand at $2.1m. Brazilian co-production Tropa De Elite (Elite Squad), ranked 10th in its ninth weekend in Brazil and the crime drama has grossed $11.2m.
DreamWorks-Paramount's The Heartbreak Kid added $6.8m through PPI from 2,191 sites to raise the running total to $72m. The comedy remake opened in France on $2.1m from 319 locations.
The animated family film Bee Movie added $6m from 1,345 locations in 11 territories for $18.8m, fired up by six launches. The highlights were $2.4m in Mexico from 397 screens, $2.3m in Spain from 421 sites and $208,000 from 31 screens in Israel.
The fantasy adventure Stardust is bearing down on $100m after a $1.3m weekend haul from 1,104 locations in 60 territories raised the international running total to 94.7m.
Resident Evil: Extinction grossed $1.4m from 875 screens in 28 markets through Sony Pictures Releasing International (SPRI) for $58.2m. The action horror grossed $1.5m through all distributors and stands at $92.9m overall.
The animated title Surf's Up added $1.5m from 1,390 screens in 27 markets for $83.9m. It opened at number one in South Africa on $235,000 from 75 screens.
30 Days Of Night added $1m on 405 screens in nine SPRI markets for $2.6m. The vampire thriller opened in fourth place in Mexico on $340,000 from 175 screens and opened in third in Taiwan, Hong Kong and Singapore on $210,000 from 55, $165,000 from 25 and $160,000 from 25, respectively. SPRI and Mandate International share overseas rights.
Mandate International's Saw IV raised its tally by $4m from 30 territories to $49.5m.
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