Fox’s Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps and Warner’s The Legend Of The Guardians: the Owls of Ga’Hoole are among studio releases looking to gain ground in the international marketplace this weekend.

Wall Street (pictured), which started its international roll out last weekend, expanded into France on Wednesday [29] and Russia on Thursday [30] and hits Mexico on Friday [1]. The drama sequel, which had grossed nearly $10m internationally as of Monday [27], also opens this weekend in 11 smaller markets.

Warner Bros Pictures International opened Legend of the Guardians in Australia (where the film was made) and Russia on Thursday and will release it in Japan on Friday. Last weekend the animated adventure took an estimated $1.2m from its initial international openings in several smaller markets.

Whether either film has the strength to overtake last weekend’s international leader Resident Evil: Afterlife remains to be seen. The Sony Pictures Releasing International (SPRI) horror sequel had grossed $154.7m internationally as of Thursday.

SPRI’s Eat Pray Love, which has grossed nearly $20m internationally to date, may be another challenger as it opens in Brazil and several smaller markets on Friday and Taiwan on Saturday.

Also from SPRI, Takers starts its international roll out in the UK on Friday and Machete begins in Spain on the same day.

The studio’s Grown Ups, with $93.9m internationally to date, opens in Italy on Friday, while The Other Guys, with $15.3m so far, arrived in Russia on Thursday.

Universal/UPI’s Charlie St Cloud (with $1.9m internationally as of Monday) opens in Mexico and Spain on Friday. The studio’s Despicable Me ($98.5m internationally) opened in Germany on Thursday.

Fox International’s Vampires Suck ($23.1m internationally as of Tuesday) hit Brazil and Spain on Thursday and Hot Tub Time Machine ($12.6m including non-Fox markets) arrived in Germany on the same day.

DreamWorks’ Dinner for Schmucks, which had taken $6.4m through Paramount Pictures International (PPI) as of Monday, opened in Australia on Thursday.

Three local pick-ups get major-territory openings this weekend. PPI released The Tree in Australia on Thursday and opens British drama Made in Dagenham in the UK on Friday. Fox’s Bollywood comedy Khichdi - The Movie opens in India on Friday.