French films accounted for nearly a quarter of the international top 40 revenue this weekend, spearheaded by a whopping $32.5m opening from top film Bienvenue Chez Les Ch'tis.
The comedy, released through Pathe, played on 838 screens and boasted the highest screen average of the year so far with a mammoth $38,816 per screen.
It scored the all-time best opening week and weekend in the country, beating out Les Bronzes 3: Amis Pour La Vie in 2006, and reported 3,586,497 admissions over the three-day period.
The film is the second feature from local comedian Dany Boon - he also wrote and directed 2006's La Maison Du Bonheur, which took a more modest $8.4m in the territory. Ch'tis has generated $37.4m from three territories, including previews.
Pathe enjoyed another top 10 hit with holdover title Asterix At The Olympics which took $6.4m from 3,039 screens for a $2,097 screen average. The family film was at number seven and fell by 37% in its sixth weekend. It has generated a robust $118.6m to date.
Meanwhile, StudioCanal's romantic comedy Paris dropped 45% in its second weekend with a $3m gross. The film, starring Juliette Binoche, played on 515 screens in three territories for a $5,738 screen average. It has generated $9.9m to date.
New entry Taken made the top 30 this weekend with a $2.2m take on 350 screens in France. The thriller, starring Liam Neeson and Maggie Grace and directed by Pierre Morel, enjoyed a solid $6,161 screen average. It is distributed by Europa.
South Korea makes strong showing
Two South Korean titles generated $6.7m at the weekend. Showbox's thriller The Chaser continues its strong box-office stride, falling just 8% at the weekend with a $4.4m take. The film played on 459 screens in its home territory for a $9,651 screen average and came in at number 15 on the chart. It has grossed nearly $20m after three weekends on release.
CJ Entertainment's new entry Ba:bo opened with a $2.3m take from just 268 screens at the weekend for an $8,431 screen average. The drama, directed by Kim Jung-kwon, has taken nearly $2.7m to date in its home territory, including previews.
UK-Australia title The Bank Job opened in the top 30 at the weekend, generating $1.9m from 324 screens for a $5,824 screen average. The action thriller catapulted to number one in the UK, beating new entrants Semi-Pro and The Accidental Husband, which took $1.5m and $1.4m respectively in the territory. The Bank Job stars Jason Statham and Saffron Burrows and is directed by Australia's Roger Donaldson. It is released by Lionsgate.
Last weekend's surprise big-hitter, Recep Ivedek, fell 20% over the three-day period. The Turkish comedy earned $4.3m from just 233 screens in its home territory for an $18,411 screen average - the second highest of the weekend. It has taken $13.6m after two weekends on release and is distributed through Ozen Film.
Indian sensation Jodhaa Akbar is fast closing in on the $20m mark. The love story, distributed through UTV Communications, fell 55% over the weekend with a $1.9m take. It played across 658 screens in 11 territories for a $2,855 screen average.
L holds off One Piece challenge
Japan's new entry, One Piece 9, enjoyed a $1.5m take from 293 screens in its home territory for a $5,374 screen average. The animated film, distributed through Toei, came in at number three in the Japanese chart, beaten by Gaga's opener The Golden Compass, which grossed $7.7m, and holdover title L: Change The World.
L, distributed by Warner Bros, fell 34% over the weekend and came in at number 22 internationally with a $2.8m take. The thriller played on 607 screens for a $4,627 screen average. It has notched up $29.2m after four weeks on release.
Elsewhere, Fox's Meet The Spartans was up a massive 550% after expanding to Germany, Australia, Hong Kong and Mexico with an $8m weekend take, while Sony's thriller Vantage Point saw a similar boost after expanding in 17 territories, grossing $11.7m over the weekend.
The top 40 films grossed $188.5m from 45,384 screens for the period February 29-March 2.
| ANALYSIS: INTERNATIONAL BOX-OFFICE WEEKEND FEBRUARY 29-MARCH 2 | ||||||
| (Last | 3-day | |||||
| week) | Film (origin) | gross $ | Scrs | Cume $ | Terr | |
| 1 | New | Bienvenue Chez Les Ch'tis (Fr) | $32,527,947 | 838 | $37,400,949 | 3 |
| 2 | (1) | Jumper (US) | $12,479,802 | 3,770 | $80,818,588 | 42 |
| 3 | (28) | Vantage Point (US) | $11,667,510 | 2,428 | $14,195,164 | 27 |
| 4 | (11) | No Country For Old Men (US) | $9,287,694 | 1,896 | $50,261,763 | 42 |
| 5 | * | The Golden Compass (US-UK) | $8,058,751 | 792 | $265,117,084 | 14 |
| 6 | (-) | Meet The Spartans (US) | $7,943,005 | 1,653 | $12,898,829 | 14 |
| 7 | (3) | Asterix At The Olympic Games (Fr-Sp-It) | $6,371,654 | 3,039 | $118,614,441 | 27 |
| 8 | (2) | Rambo (US) | $6,305,629 | 2,712 | $50,132,157 | 35 |
| 9 | (6) | Juno (US) | $6,100,900 | 1,910 | $48,368,533 | 28 |
| 10 | (16) | There Will Be Blood (US) | $5,488,126 | 1,110 | $17,848,841 | 33 |
| 11 | (4) | Sweeney Todd ... (US-UK) | $4,929,891 | 2,207 | $91,195,427 | 44 |
| 12 | (7) | The Bucket List (US) | $4,741,202 | 1,907 | $42,824,431 | 25 |
| 13 | (19) | 27 Dresses (US) | $4,559,129 | 1,743 | $33,999,266 | 26 |
| 14 | (8) | The Water Horse: Legend Of The Deep (US) | $4,483,745 | 2,292 | $39,452,063 | 35 |
| 15 | (12) | The Chaser (S Kor) | $4,429,646 | 459 | $19,437,023 | 1 |
| 16 | (5) | National Treasure: Book Of Secrets (US) | $4,368,693 | 2,070 | $219,691,653 | 26 |
| 17 | (50) | Step Up 2 The Streets (US) | $4,314,143 | 548 | $5,874,972 | 10 |
| 18 | (10) | Recep Ivedek (Tur) | $4,289,725 | 233 | $13,562,810 | 1 |
| 19 | (17) | Earth (Ger-UK) | $3,727,506 | 602 | $54,970,709 | 4 |
| 20 | (15) | Die Wilden Kerle 5 (Ger) | $3,457,172 | 852 | $8,473,717 | 3 |
| 21 | (9) | Paris (Fr) | $2,955,183 | 515 | $9,895,006 | 3 |
| 22 | (14) | L: Change The World (Jap) | $2,808,855 | 607 | $29,179,506 | 6 |
| 23 | (20) | Charlie Wilson's War (US) | $2,625,175 | 1,263 | $40,362,387 | 40 |
| 24 | (18) | P.S. I Love You (US) | $2,434,549 | 1,439 | $77,550,352 | 31 |
| 25 | (22) | We Are From The Future (Rus) | $2,409,615 | 472 | $6,501,470 | 2 |
| 26 | New | Ba:bo (S Kor) | $2,259,571 | 268 | $2,669,394 | 1 |
| 27 | New | Taken (Fr) | $2,156,203 | 350 | $2,156,203 | 1 |
| 28 | (36) | The Orphanage (Mex-Sp) | $2,081,219 | 839 | $54,966,538 | 11 |
| 29 | (26) | Alvin And The Chipmunks (US) | $2,006,714 | 1,002 | $134,452,463 | 10 |
| 30 | New | The Bank Job (UK-Aus) | $1,888,429 | 324 | $1,888,429 | 1 |
| 31 | (13) | Jodhaa Akbar (Ind) | $1,878,385 | 658 | $19,234,254 | 11 |
| 32 | New | The Other Boleyn Girl (UK-US) | $1,783,932 | 308 | $1,783,932 | 5 |
| 33 | New | One Piece 9 (Jap) | $1,574,571 | 293 | $1,574,571 | 1 |
| 34 | New | Semi-Pro (US) | $1,538,320 | 325 | $1,538,320 | 1 |
| 35 | (27) | The Kite Runner (US) | $1,528,498 | 630 | $30,757,729 | 24 |
| 36 | * | Michael Clayton (US) | $1,513,993 | 462 | $35,929,948 | 15 |
| 37 | (24) | Atonement (UK-Fr-US) | $1,400,956 | 1,182 | $72,429,297 | 40 |
| 38 | New | The Accidental Husband (US-UK) | $1,397,202 | 323 | $1,397,202 | 1 |
| 39 | (30) | Keinohrhasen (Ger) | $1,387,504 | 698 | $57,808,751 | 3 |
| 40 | (23) | Be Kind Rewind (US) | $1,354,999 | 365 | $4,965,580 | 1 |
| *Re-entry (c) Screen International, compiled by Leonard Klady | ||||||
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