Lucy plunders $28.9m at international box office

UNIVERSAL PICTURES INTERNATIONAL

UPDATE: The cyberthriller has amassed $65.2m through Universal rising to $103.2m factoring in EuropcaCorp markets, which include a highly productive run in director Luc Besson’s home country, France. The global haul has reached $216.9m.

The film delivered an exceptional $6.2m number one result in Taiwan from 88 for Universal’s second biggest debut ever behind Fast & Furious 6 and an all-time Besson high, no doubt inspired by the filmmaker’s recent publicity tour in Taipei.

In two further Besson records, Lucy opened top in the UK on $5.1m from 487 for Universal’s fourth number one opening so far in 2014 and top in Spain on $3.4m from 328 for Universal’s top launch of the year-to-date.

There were number one debuts in Israel, New Zealand, Portugal, Serbia and Montenegro, Singapore, Slovenia, Sweden and Ukraine and a second-weekend number one hold in Germany on $3.1m from 556 for $9.9m. Australia has generated $12.2m after four sessions.

Expendables 3, which Universal is distributing in Russia, Spain and Italy, has grossed $6.3m in Russia and $3.3m in Spain, both after two weekends.

Neighbors is nearing the end of its run and has reached $116.7m. The comedy opened in Italy on $567,000 from 200 and debuts in its final market of Venezuela this week.

The Purge: Anarchy stands at $32.5m and Boyhood $8.5m including $4.4m in the UK after seven sessions.

WALT DISNEY STUDIOS MOTION PICTURES INTERNATIONAL

Guardians Of The Galaxy added $20.7m for $237.6m from roughly 70% of the international marketplace with China, Germany, Japan and Italy to come.

The UK has generated $37.1m, Russia $34m, Mexico $18m, Australia $17.8m, Brazil $15.5m, France $12.8m, South Korea $10.6m, Spain $6m and Malaysia $5.3m and the Philippines $5.1m.

The Marvel Studios release has grossed $489m globally and overtaken the final grosses of Thor on $449m and Captain America: The First Avenger on $371m. Internationally, Guardians has exceeded the $194m tally of Captain America: The First Avenger.

Maleficent has now grossed $510m internationally and $748m worldwide, passing X-Men: Days Of Future Past to become the second highest grossing global release so far in 2014 behind Transformers: Age Of Extinction.

PARAMOUNT PICTURES INTERNATIONAL

UPDATE: Paramount Pictures and Nickelodeon Movies’ Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles delivered a confirmed $15.5m from 35 territories to reach a relatively early $93.2m. The worldwide total stands at $238.8m.

The action film opened top in Thailand on $1.2m from 55 and added $3.6m in its second weekend in Brazil for $11.4m, $2.4m in Russia for $25.6m after three and $1.5m in Mexico for $15.6m after three.

Hercules delivered $8.3m from 29 for $91m and debuted at number one in Mexico on a muscular $4.3m from 654 sites. Still to come are Brazil, France, Germany, Spain and Japan.

Transformers: Age Of Extinction added $5.4m from 44 territories for $821.5m and was distinguished by a spectacular launch in its final market. The sci-fi delivered the biggest opening weekend in history in bountiful Venezuela, taking $2.2m from 70 sites – more than double the debut of Dark Of The Moon. Japan added $1.5m for $22.3m after three.  

FOX INTERNATIONAL

UPDATE: DreamWorks Animations’ How To Train Your Dragon 2 soared past $400m as $18.1m through all distributors resulted in a running total of $402.3m. Dragons 2 is on track to overtake The Croods and Puss In Boots in the coming days to rank as the 19th highest grossing animated title of all time internationally. 

Driving business as expected was the second weekend in China, where a further $11m through Oriental DreamWorks boosted the tally to $48.2m. The film added $2.3m in Italy for $7.3m after two and stands at $22.4m in Germany after five, $38.1m in the UK after seven and $9.9m in Spain after four.

Dawn Of The Planet Of The Apes generated $8.6m for $353.3m and reached $32.8m in France after four sessions, $15.7m in Germany after three and $52.9m in the UK after six.

The Fault In Our Stars added $5.4m for $156.6m, fired up by an impressive $2.4m number four debut in France.

Let’s Be Cops grossed $1.5m for an early $2.6m from a handful of markets. The comedy opens this week in the UK and Russia.

Fox International Productions’ Guten Tag, Ramon took $1.1m from 373 screens in Mexico to rank third and score the second highest per-screen average among wide releases.

Frank Miller’s Sin City: A Dame To Kill For opened top in Russia day-and-date with North America on $3.3m, while The Expendables 3 grossed $3.4m from Germany to rank second and $550,000 in a number one Austrian debut.

NU IMAGE

The Expendables 3 brought in a further $16.5m overall to reach an early $37.7m through Nu Image licensees and other distributors.

ASIA UPDATE

Gordon Chan’s latest entry in the Chinese action franchise The Four 3 grossed $15.1m. Deng Chao, Liu Yi Fei, Collin Chou and Ronald Cheng star. The first film in the series grossed $30m in 2012, while The Four 2 took $28m last November. Arclight Films handles international sales.

South Korea’s The Pirates added $8.3m for $40.2m.

WARNER BROS PICTURES INTERNATIONAL

UPDATE: Warner Bros’ weekend was defined by success with local productions as Rurouni Kenshin: Kyoto Inferno delivered reached $37.1m after a little over three weeks. The Warner Entertainment Japan production scored the biggest debut for a Japanese film in the Philippines on $1m from 136 screens. The third entry in the franchise, Rurouni Kenshin: The Legend Ends, opens in Japan on September 13.

Argentinian production Wild Tales (Relatos Salvajes), which premiered in Cannes, opened in Argentina, Uruguay, Chile and Peru and grossed $2.7m from 373 screens.

The Warner Bros Presentation of a K&S Films & El Deseo production opened top in Argentina on $2.5m on 31 screens to deliver the biggest ever launch for a local title in the market, the biggest launch of the year-to-date and the biggest Warner Bros debut, exceeding the Harry Potter films.

Warner Bros holds the rights in Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Mexico, Panama, Peru, Uruguay and Venezuela, as well as Spain and France.

Into The Storm grossed $8.8m from 43 markets for $30.2m and opened in the UK on $1.9m on 432 including previews, $1.7m in Japan on 371 including previews and $451,000 in Germany on 345.

SONY PICTURES RELEASING INTERNATIONAL

UPDATE: Deliver Us From Evil grossed $2.7m from 37 markets to boost the tally to an early $18m. The horror film opened in the UK on $672,000 and opened in Italy on $669,000, South Korea on $288,000 and Colombia on $254,000.

22 Jump Street added $2.6m from 32 markets for $117.9m and launched at number three in Spain on $709,000. Sex Tape took $3.7m for $38.9m and opened in Brazil in third place on $799,000 from 232.

LIONSGATE INTERNATIONAL

UPDATE: Step Up All In opened at number two in Italy on $2m from 281 screens. The dance film opened in Spain on $376,000 from 193.

Overall the film added $5m from 44 markets to propel the international total to $53.1m. Universal territories have contributed $11.3m. The next major debuts will be South Korea on September 4 and Australia on September 11 through Universal.