WBPI continues fantastic Journey on $14.7m, beats War

Warner Bros Pictures International (WBPI) tends to underestimate weekend results so the family adventure may well stay top when final results emerge on Monday.

The juggernaut opened in Germany on $1.7m from 438 and held well in the second weekend in Italy where $1.5m from 418 raised the score to $4.3m. France generated $2m from 464 for $9.5m after three.

Journey 2 has amassed $53.5m after four weekends in China, which remains the lead market so far, and stands at $17.3m in Russia after four, $11.5m in Mexico after five and $9.7m in the UK after five. The final tally in the six-weekend run in South Korea is $7.1m.

Comedy Project X opened day-and-date with the number two US launch, grossing $1.3m in Australia from 222 for first place. It also arrived in Holland on $457,000 from 60. Extremely Loud And Incredibly Close added $3.3m from 1,765 in 31 markets for $14.4m with 24 markets to go.

• Returning to This Means War, Fox International staff said the film was active on 3,962 screens in 51 markets and has reached $43.2m. It arrived in the UK on $2.9m from 487, set Fox’s best debut of 2012 in South Korea on $2.3m from 351 and opened in Germany on $2m from 528.

Chronicle grossed $6m from 2,308 in 35 for $44.4m and opened in Spain on $1m from 304, Mexico on $1m from 485 and Thailand on $393,000 from 90. The sci-fi stands at $5.4m in France after two weekends and has done well in the UK and Australia, where after five weekends it stands at $10.6m and $7.9m, respectively.

The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel continues to do a roaring trade in the UK, where it climbed 7% in the second weekend to finish first on $3.8m from 525 for a rejuvenating $11.1m.

Best adapted screenplay Oscar winner The Descendants stands at $83.7m, an excellent performance that lifts the worldwide tally to more than $160m, whileStar Wars: Episode I 3D is at $50.2m and New Regency’s sci-fi In Time is at $123.6m and has taken $15.4m from Japan in three weekends.

Fox International Production’s Russian hit August 8th stands at $8.4m in its native land, while Alvin & The Chipmunks 3 has reached $204.2m and We Bought A Zoo is at $25.7m.

Universal’s thriller Safe House coaxed a further $10.8m out of audiences through UPI and was active in 3,500 sites in 50 territories. It has reached $51.6m, which brings the worldwide tally to more than $108m.

Safe House opened in five, led by Italy in fourth place on $1.3m from 319, South Korea in fifth on $797,000 from 233 and Mexico in third on $780,000 from 389. The UK is the top holdover in fourth place on $2.2m from 426 for $7.6m after ten days. There are 13 territories to go.

Contraband stands at $14.4m and there are 32 territories to go. Dr Seuss’ The Lorax enjoyed a mighty North American debut and can look forward to a strong international run… but it will take time. UPI plans a slow roll-out with the majority of releases timed for Easter holidays at the end of March. It opened top in the Middle East at the weekend on a terrific $500,000 from 43 sites.

• PPI reported that Hugo, winner of five crafts Academy Awards last weekend including cinematography and visual effects, grossed $9.6m from 2,091 sites in PPI’s 34 markets for $51.7m.

It launched top in Japan on $3.3m from 212 over four days and has amassed $4.8m in Spain after two and $6.1m in Brazil after three weekends.

The Devil Inside grossed $7m from 2,034 in 37, propelling the running total to $24.4m. It opened in third place in Germany on $1.7m from 214 and stayed top in the second weekend in Mexico where it added $1.3m.

Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol has reached the dizzy heights of $95.7m in China after six weekends and a spectacular $476m internationally. DreamWorks Animation’s Puss In Boots stands at a terrific $386.3m.

• Sony Pictures Releasing International’s Underworld: Awakening grossed $4.6m from 1,900 in 43 markets for $81.1m and burst into Brazil in top place on a franchise-best $1.8m from 277.

The sci-fi fantasy also scored the biggest launch in the series in Argentina where it arrived at number one on $375,000 from 85. It has amassed $8.1m in Germany after five weekends.

Smash US romance The Vow has reached an early $36m internationally following a $4.1m weekend haul from 1,750 in 23. It opened in fifth place in Russia on $1.3m from 319. Adam Sandler comedy Jack And Jill stands at $71.9m and has grossed $9.4m in Brazil after four weekends.

• StudioCanal reported a couple of UK results, noting that Rampart added $69,700 for $361,000 while Carnage has reached $1.6m.