Showbox's big-budget war epic Sunny enjoyed a strong $3.8m opening weekend at home, to become the second highest opener in the international market last weekend after Twentieth Century Fox's The X-Files: I Want To Believe, which grossed $9m from 22 territories.
Hot on the heels of local blockbuster The Good, The Bad, The Weird, which has grossed $24.3m to date, Sunny is helping South Korean films claw back market share in their home market after a disappointing six-month period. Directed by Lee Jun-ik, the film follows a young woman who joins a touring band in order to find her husband in Vietnam.
In France, StudioCanal gambled and won when it released Remi Bezancon's family saga The First Day Of The Rest Of Your Life on July 23 (see review, p27).
Most French films still give summer a wide berth, preferring to leave the season to the US blockbusters. However, strong word of mouth propelled the bittersweet comedy to an impressive $1.3m from 261 screens. The film, which stars Jacques Gamblin and Zabou Breitman, depicts a family through the events of five significant days over the 12 years between 1988 and 2000.
In the UK, Paramount Pictures International's teen film Angus, Thongs And Perfect Snogging, directed by Bend It Like Beckham's Gurinder Chadha, notched up an impressive $1.8m from 367 screens.
Rising young talent Georgia Groome stars in the film, which is an adaptation of Louise Rennison's popular books for teenage girls.
What was a good opening weekend for a UK film in its home territory was made even more impressive by the strength of the competition. The UK was the biggest international territory for Warner Bros' The Dark Knight last weekend, grossing $22.2m (including previews) from 1,010 screens, accounting for 57% of the total box office of the top five films in the UK that weekend.
| ANALYSIS: INTERNATIONAL BOX-OFFICE WEEKEND JULY 25-27 | ||||||
| (Last | 3-day | |||||
| week) | Film (origin) | gross $ | Scrs | Cume $ | Terr | |
| 1 | (2) | The Dark Knight (US) | $67,750,000 | 7,135 | $128,300,000 | 51 |
| 2 | (1) | Hancock (US) | $20,216,423 | 7,516 | $295,577,125 | 70 |
| 3 | (4) | Mamma Mia! The Movie (US) | $16,127,145 | 2,274 | $110,309,991 | 21 |
| 4 | (3) | Kung Fu Panda (US) | $15,571,191 | 6,484 | $303,286,458 | 50 |
| 5 | (5) | Wall-E (US) | $9,079,852 | 2,516 | $70,227,906 | 21 |
| 6 | New | The X-Files: I Want To Believe (US) | $8,954,123 | 2,576 | $8,954,123 | 22 |
| 7 | (9) | Ponyo On The Cliff (Jap) | $7,469,168 | 481 | $29,924,961 | 1 |
| 8 | (7) | Wanted (US) | $7,073,148 | 1,914 | $106,372,419 | 38 |
| 9 | (13) | Journey To The Center Of The Earth (US) | $6,903,308 | 1,911 | $23,188,071 | 14 |
| 10 | (6) | Red Cliff (Ch) | $6,794,017 | 1,378 | $58,224,674 | 8 |
| 11 | (8) | The Good, The Bad, The Weird (S Kor) | $6,669,913 | 720 | $24,319,862 | 1 |
| 12 | (11) | Get Smart (US) | $4,730,492 | 2,362 | $63,426,688 | 30 |
| 13 | (26) | The Incredible Hulk (US) | $4,418,937 | 1,541 | $108,927,669 | 39 |
| 14 | New | Sunny (S Kor) | $3,803,172 | 518 | $4,187,867 | 1 |
| 15 | (10) | Hellboy II: The Golden Army (US) | $3,443,689 | 1,267 | $21,585,732 | 9 |
| 16 | (12) | Pokemon 2008 (Jap) | $3,340,553 | 359 | $17,105,842 | 1 |
| 17 | (14) | The Chronicles Of Narnia: Prince Caspian (US) | $3,329,184 | 3,005 | $237,321,654 | 37 |
| 18 | (32) | The Happening (US) | $2,810,885 | 773 | $88,351,269 | 19 |
| 19 | (19) | Meet Dave (US) | $2,562,273 | 1,581 | $12,442,477 | 25 |
| 20 | (15) | Kismat Konnection (Ind) | $2,265,318 | 722 | $9,054,245 | 17 |
| 21 | (17) | Boys Over Flowers: Final (Jap) | $2,211,191 | 400 | $50,488,556 | 1 |
| 22 | (47) | Forbidden Kingdom (Ch-US) | $2,205,951 | 442 | $58,796,988 | 5 |
| 23 | (16) | Indiana Jones And The Kingdom ... (US) | $2,131,269 | 1,238 | $455,319,603 | 34 |
| 24 | New | Angus, Thongs And Perfect Snogging (UK) | $1,826,218 | 367 | $1,826,218 | 1 |
| 25 | (18) | Sex And The City: The Movie (US) | $1,811,526 | 1,367 | $236,123,809 | 42 |
| 26 | New | Mission Istanbul (Ind) | $1,732,847 | 598 | $1,732,847 | 15 |
| 27 | * | Superhero Movie (US) | $1,631,907 | 434 | $35,471,088 | 6 |
| 28 | New | Money Hai To Honey Hai (Ind) | $1,362,184 | 643 | $1,362,184 | 17 |
| 29 | New | The First Day Of The Rest Of Your Life (Fr) | $1,344,519 | 261 | $1,344,519 | 1 |
| 30 | (20) | Nim's Island (US) | $1,208,579 | 1,136 | $36,833,545 | 8 |
| 31 | (22) | Jaane Tu Ya Janne Na (Ind) | $968,365 | 411 | $16,268,582 | 11 |
| 32 | (24) | The Storm Rider - Clash Of Evil (Ch) | $872,450 | 285 | $2,632,500 | 1 |
| 33 | (36) | Space Chimps (US) | $764,290 | 351 | $1,539,751 | 5 |
| 34 | (23) | Kitano And The Millennium Curse (Jap) | $735,008 | 316 | $7,125,460 | 1 |
| 35 | (25) | Nos 18 Ans (Fr) | $682,550 | 273 | $2,275,011 | 2 |
| 36 | (21) | Freche Madchen (Ger) | $663,860 | 421 | $3,708,278 | 2 |
| 37 | (30) | Bathory (Czech Rep-Hung-Slov-UK) | $620,295 | 44 | $3,436,763 | 2 |
| 38 | (27) | The Climbers High (Jap) | $531,305 | 286 | $8,667,202 | 1 |
| 39 | (29) | In Bruges (UK-US) | $463,494 | 335 | $18,885,239 | 8 |
| 40 | (39) | P.S. I Love You (US) | $407,223 | 214 | $91,319,194 | 1 |
| *Re-entry (c) Screen International, compiled by Leonard Klady | ||||||
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