Paramount's sequel Lara Croft Tomb Raider: The Cradle Of Life may have seen disappointing results in North America over the weekend but it got off to a stronger start internationally.

The action adventure title opened in four Asian territories through international distributor UIP, taking $2.3m and setting records for a Paramount title in two of the four launch countries.

In The Philippines Cradle Of Life claimed $699,041 over a four-day weekend from 75 screens for a screen average of $9,321. The film scored the best opening ever for a Paramount film in the territory, beating its 2001 predecessor, Lara Croft: Tomb Raider by 37% and 2000's Mission: Impossible 2 by 41%. Cradle Of Life also scored UIP's second biggest opening of all time in The Philippines, second only to The Mummy Returns.

The film also achieved Paramount's biggest debut in Malaysia where it earned $451,324 from 38 screens, again over four-days - an average of $11,877. The result beat previous biggest Paramount launch, Mission: Impossible 2, by 15% and bettered the original Lara Croft by 44%.

Thailand played the film on 126 prints for a $604,851 three-day weekend, giving UIP its biggest launch of the year to date.

Meanwhile Singapore took $509,901 from 26 screens. Despite scoring a mighty average of $19,580 per screen, Singapore was the only territory where Cradle Of Life was unable to match the original, off 18%.

Lara Croft Tomb Raider: The Cradle Of Life stars Angelina Jolie and Gerard Butler and was directed by Jan de Bont. It opens next in Hong Kong on July 31 and will make its European bow in The Netherlands on Aug 7.

Lara Croft: Tomb Raider, directed by Simon West, grossed $143m from international territories - accounting for 52% of its worldwide take.