Buena Vista International(BVI) executives are predicting Finding Nemo will pass $300m in international ticket sales bynext Monday (Dec 8) after a stunning $37m weekend haul raised the animated hit'srunning total to $230.8m.

The acclaimed title andleading contender for next year's best animated picture Oscar has become Disney's11th animated title to pass $200m.

Chief drivers in the film'sweekend box office were number one openings in France and Spain - where itgrossed $12.6m from 893 screens and $5.5m from 383 respectively - and anoutstanding $9m holdover in Germany.

In France Nemo's Sunday admissions total was the biggest everanimated opening for BVI and the industry in the territory and the biggestopening weekend for any US film in France this year. Sunday's (Nov 30)admissions total was also the biggest of any US film ever to open there.

Spain produced theindustry's biggest ever animated opening and BVI's biggest ever opening in theterritory.

In other notableperformances, Nemo opened top inBelgium on $1.7m from 95 screens and produced $1.2m from 194 in Holland. Inboth cases it was the industry's biggest animated hit of all time and BVI'sbiggest ever bow in the territories.

In its second weekend inGermany, Nemo stayed top on $9m,dropping 29% for a $25.2m cumulative total.