German film Keinohrhasen was this weekend's highest non-US performer in the international top 40, generating a robust $7.6m over the three-day period.
The romantic comedy was up 65% in the weekend after Christmas, playing across 569 screens for the second-highest screen average at $13,489 per screen. Directed by and starring Til Schweiger (Where Is Fred'), Keinohrhasen follows a bachelor who has a stint of community service at a school. It boasts a $15.5m tally to date and is distributed through Warner Bros.
Germany's second offering - Warum Manner Nicht Zuhoren Und Frauen Schlecht Einparken - also saw a boost this weekend. The satire was up 45% in its fifth weekend and enjoyed a $1.5m take across 411 screens for a $3,573 screen average. The Constantin release has generated more than $10m to date.
Chinese dragons
Cinema from China continues to fight hard in the international arena, with four films generating more than $12.2m this weekend - accounting for 4.5% of the international top 40 revenue. Chinese civil war drama The Assembly remained in the top 15, despite falling by 38%. The film, directed by Xiaogang Feng, grossed $5.1m from 795 screens in China and Hong Kong. It has taken a whopping $21.9m after just two weekends on release.
Peter Ho-sun Chan's period epic The Warlords fell a moderate 9% this weekend with a $4.8m take. The film, starring Jet Li, Andy Lau and Takeshi Kaneshiro, played across 950 screens for a $5,021 screen average. It is distributed through Media Asia and has generated nearly $32m to date.
Filmko Entertainment's new entry Dangerous Games opened at number 34 with a $1.2m take. The comedy, starring Tang Yan and Xia Yu, played on 350 screens in mainland China for a $3,529 screen average. It has generated nearly $1.4m including previews.
And Sweden had an international hit this weekend with new entry Arn: The Knight Templar, which opened in the top 20. The medieval adventure, distributed through Svensk Film, generated more than $3m from 271 screens in Sweden and Norway. It enjoyed this weekend's third-highest screen average, at $11,418 per screen, and has taken a sizable $6.7m since its release on Christmas Day. It is based on the hit Scandinavian book by writer and journalist Jan Guillou.
Natale on the rise
Italian cinema is still heating up the international box office with two holdover titles taking $10.2m at the weekend, 3.8% of the total chart revenue. Fausto Brizzi's latest instalment of the Natale franchise, Natale In Crociera, was up 6% in its third weekend. The comedy, distributed by FilmAuro, took $5.3m across 590 screens in Italy and Germany, for a $9,034 screen average. It has taken more than $30m to date. And Medusa Film's Una Moglie Bellissima trailed just two places behind at number 14 with a $4.9m take from 555 screens. The romance was up 35% and has generated more than $23m to date.
Two Indian holdovers - Welcome and Taare Zameen Par - suffered steeper drops but remained in the top 25. Studio 18's Welcome, directed by Anees Bazmee (Benaam, No Entry), dropped seven places to number 16 with a $4.7m take. The comedy played on 988 screens in 17 territories for a $4,765 screen average. It has taken almost $16m after two weekends on release, of which $1.4m was generated in the UK.
Bollywood star Aamir Khan continues to enjoy success with his directorial debut Taare Zameen Par. The drama, released through UTV Communications, took nearly $2.5m in its second weekend from 507 screens. It enjoys an $8.4m international tally to date.
The top 40 international films generated $269.1m from 49,546 screens for the period of December 28-30.
| Analysis: International box-office Weekend December 28-30 | ||||||
| (Last | 3-day | |||||
| week) | Film (origin) | gross $ | Scrs | Cume $ | Terr | |
| 1 | (1) | I Am Legend (US) | $43,940,793 | 3,176 | $117,910,728 | 24 |
| 2 | (2) | The Golden Compass (US-UK) | $36,963,762 | 7,060 | $195,465,902 | 41 |
| 3 | (3) | National Treasure: Book Of Secrets (US) | $21,544,585 | 3,947 | $60,335,189 | 24 |
| 4 | (4) | Enchanted (US) | $21,431,192 | 5,192 | $110,629,308 | 34 |
| 5 | (6) | Bee Movie (US) | $18,695,836 | 4,692 | $106,858,150 | 39 |
| 6 | New | Aliens Vs Predator: Requiem (US) | $16,426,872 | 1,877 | $16,426,872 | 20 |
| 7 | (5) | Alvin And The Chipmunks (US) | $13,945,494 | 3,490 | $38,834,844 | 40 |
| 8 | (12) | Keinohrhasen (Ger) | $7,675,213 | 569 | $15,468,431 | 3 |
| 9 | (24) | American Gangster (US) | $7,281,667 | 1,438 | $63,041,389 | 25 |
| 10 | (7) | The Irony Of Fate 2 (Rus) | $5,679,860 | 1,015 | $19,181,277 | 4 |
| 11 | (19) | The Fox And The Child (Fr) | $5,552,506 | 1,103 | $13,239,064 | 6 |
| 12 | (11) | Natale In Crociera (It) | $5,330,370 | 590 | $30,472,964 | 2 |
| 13 | (8) | The Assembly (Chi) | $5,134,000 | 795 | $21,933,000 | 2 |
| 14 | (14) | Una Moglie Bellissima (It) | $4,912,943 | 555 | $23,047,080 | 2 |
| 15 | (10) | The Warlords (HK-Chi) | $4,770,392 | 950 | $31,911,954 | 6 |
| 16 | (9) | Welcome (Ind) | $4,707,885 | 988 | $15,974,413 | 17 |
| 17 | (15) | St Trinian's (UK) | $3,579,073 | 382 | $9,542,755 | 1 |
| 18 | New | Arn... Knight Templar (Swe-Ger-Nor-Den-Fin-UK) | $3,094,300 | 271 | $6,701,406 | 2 |
| 19 | (18) | Mr Magorium's Wonder Emporium (US) | $3,049,825 | 1,823 | $19,839,005 | 16 |
| 20 | (*) | Love In The Time Of Cholera (Col-US) | $2,933,706 | 919 | $7,151,944 | 6 |
| 21 | (*) | Atonement (UK-Fr-US) | $2,927,139 | 307 | $35,874,746 | 9 |
| 22 | (21) | Elizabeth: The Golden Age (UK-Fr-US) | $2,548,121 | 798 | $42,151,541 | 29 |
| 23 | (13) | Taare Zameen Par (Ind) | $2,460,829 | 507 | $8,384,622 | 16 |
| 24 | (38) | Eastern Promises (UK-Can-US) | $2,398,429 | 500 | $27,640,357 | 13 |
| 25 | (44) | P.S. I Love You (US) | $2,173,654 | 460 | $3,537,978 | 6 |
| 26 | (16) | Hitman (UK-Fr-US) | $1,932,500 | 945 | $45,098,711 | 11 |
| 27 | (17) | Kabadayi (Tur) | $1,632,108 | 442 | $10,599,297 | 5 |
| 28 | (37) | Lions For Lambs (US) | $1,617,849 | 269 | $36,594,791 | 8 |
| 29 | (34) | Warum Manner Nicht Zuhoren... (Ger) | $1,468,565 | 411 | $10,118,701 | 3 |
| 30 | New | The Water Horse: Legend... (US) | $1,436,666 | 401 | $1,436,666 | 2 |
| 31 | (22) | Beowulf (US) | $1,423,784 | 1,194 | $107,352,609 | 39 |
| 32 | (*) | Gone Baby Gone (US) | $1,355,090 | 166 | $3,679,093 | 6 |
| 33 | (*) | Balls Of Fury (US) | $1,282,377 | 228 | $2,713,669 | 1 |
| 34 | New | Dangerous Games (Chi) | $1,235,000 | 350 | $1,372,000 | 1 |
| 35 | (23) | Sex Is Zero 2 (S Kor) | $1,141,506 | 262 | $11,780,198 | 1 |
| 36 | (25) | A Tale Of Mari And Three Puppies (Jap) | $1,132,976 | 292 | $11,876,975 | 1 |
| 37 | New | 2 Stupid Eggs (Chi) | $1,094,000 | 275 | $1,094,000 | 1 |
| 38 | New | Actrices (Fr) | $1,085,076 | 165 | $1,085,076 | 1 |
| 39 | (42) | L'Auberge Rouge (Fr) | $1,083,877 | 593 | $7,815,638 | 3 |
| 40 | New | The Kite Runner (US) | $1,007,547 | 149 | $1,007,547 | 2 |
| * Re-entry (c) Screen International, compiled by Leonard Klady | ||||||
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