The third instalment in the Anthony Hopkins/Hannibal Lecter franchise, Red Dragon, has passed the $100m international box office mark after a strong debut last weekend in Japan.

The film, which is a prequel to the 1991 Best Picture Oscar winner The Silence Of The Lambs, grossed $3.6m (Y435.7m) in two days in Japan at the weekend. Playing on 323 screens it scored a strong screen average of $11,147.

The thriller also stars Edward Norton, Ralph Fiennes, Emily Watson and Philip Seymour Hoffman and is directed by Brett Ratner (Rush Hour). 2001's Lecter title, Hannibal (the sequel to Lambs) grossed $35m (Y4.6bn) in Japan, where it was distributed by Gaga/Humax. Red Dragon is handled in all international territories, including Japan, by UIP.

In total Red Dragon has taken $100.7m across all international territories for UIP. The strongest territories so far have been the UK ($15m), Germany ($12.8m), Italy ($9.2m), France ($8.7m), Spain ($7.8m), Mexico ($5.9m) and Australia ($4.2m).

Hannibal grossed $184.2m internationally and $165.1m in North America. The Silence Of The Lambs took $142m internationally and $130.7m in North America. Red Dragon grossed $93m in North America for Universal.