Finding Nemo is closing in on $500m at the international boxoffice following a $7.3m weekend haul in all its territories that raised thefilm's running total to $496.4m.

Executives at Buena VistaInternational expect the smash hit to pass the half-billion mark by Saturday(24).

Elsewhere for BVI, BrotherBear continued its impressive runwith a record-breaking bow in South Korea on $550,000 from 96 screens that thedistributor claims is the biggest ever opening there for a traditionallyanimated 2D film.

Brother Bear's international cumulative total now stands at$36.9m.